PLAUTUS AND ENNIUS: A NOTE ON PLAUTUS, BACCHIDES 962–5

Abstract

reluctant subject. In each case, the subject is forced to compromise himself, and as a result turns to desperate measures. The similarity of situation, along with the deliberate ambiguity of the phrase me´ga eØ rgon, could easily have led a reader or listener to expect an attempt by Combabus to do away with the king before the king could do away with him. In the event, this turns out to be a false narrative path: and so the sudden reference to castration immediately after Combabus' monologue comes with greatly accentuated shock value. The two interpretations offered by Lightfoot and by me need not, of course, exclude each other. Lightfoot herself has offered a sensitive analysis of Lucian's polyvalent use of the eØ rgroot in this narrative (p. 398), and so it is not surprising that this phrase here can carry more than one meaning. Both need to be appreciated for Lucian's artistry to be fully understood.

MYTH, LETTERS AND THE POETICS OF ANCESTRY IN PLAUTUS'BACCHIDES

“…Od. 8.492-5), in the epic cycle it is Sinon who is left behind with the horse to accompany it into the walls and then signal the Greek troops to attack; see Scafoglio (2007). In the Bacchides, Sinon is called relictus at 938 and is referred to as handling a firebrand for signaling at 939f., suggesting that Plautus is familiar with this account of the siege.…”

“…Barsby (1986), 170f., takes a middle ground, seeing the solution in a combination of Plautine artistry mixed with what the playwright found in his original and interpolations, whereas Slater (1985), 111 with n.26, (rightly, I think) accepts the shifting identifications of the song as part of Plautus’ technique. On the canticum, see also Scafoglio (2005), Sharrock (2009), 204 n.34, Jenkins (2005a), 388, and Fontaine (2006).…”

Staging Roman Slavery in the Second Century Bce

“…81.See Ribbeck (1875), 48, and more recently Scafoglio (2005), 636. Hardy (2005) has argued that Saturio's daughter, described as an Arabian captive slave in Plautus’ Persa , appears on stage in tragic dress.…”