Mercator home Plautus (Dramata)

MERCATOR

Author: Plautus

Date: unknown

Model: Greek Comedy of the same name by Philemon

Adaptations: none known

Texts and Commentaries

Latin text on-line at the Perseus Project(Leo 1895)
Lindsay, W.M. 1904-1905. T. Macci Plauti Comoediae. 2 vols. Clarendon: Oxford.
Nixon, Paul. 1916-38. Plautus. 5 vols. Loeb Classical Library 163. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 3:1-118.
Ernout, Alfred. 1932. Plaute. 7 vols. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. 4:87-159
Enk, P.J. 1966. Plauti Mercator. 2nd ed. Leiden. Reprint New York: Arno, 1979.

English Translations Available

Riley, Henry Thomas. 1912. The Comedies of Plautus. 2 vols. London: G. Bell and Sons. 2:133-84.

translation on-line at the Perseus Project

Nixon, Paul. 1916-38. Plautus. 5 vols. Loeb Classical Library 163. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 3:1-118.
Murphy, Charles T. 1942. The Complete Roman Drama, ed. George Duckworth. 2 vols. New York: Random House. 1:493-539.
Garrett, George. 1995. Plautus: The Comedies, eds. David R. Slavitt and Palmer Bovie. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press. 2:247-316.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

DEMIPHO - an aged Athenian

LYSIMACHUS - an aged Athenian

CHARINUS - son of Demipho, in love with Pasicompsa

EUTYCHUS - son of Lysimachus

ACANTHIO - the servant of Charinus

A CATERER

PASICOMPSA - a young woman beloved by Charinus

DORIPPA - the wife of Lysimachus

SYRA - an old woman, her servant

PERISTRATA - the wife of Demipho

LYCISSA - her attendant

SLAVES

Act and Scene	Lines	Characters	Action
I.i.	1-110	Charinus	Charinus introduces the play and notes that is adapted from Philemon. He has fallen in love with a girl on Rhodes where his father sent him on business (and to get him away from Athens where he spends all his money on a courtesan). He has now returned to Athens, having bought the girl with whom he is in love. He has left her on the boat with his slave.
I.ii.	111-224	Charinus Acanthio	Acanthio, Charinus’ slave who was waiting at the boat with the girl, runs up. He tells Charinus that his father, Demipho has seen his mistress and wants her. Acanthio tells Demipho that Charinus bought the girl for his mother.
II.i.	225-271	Demipho	Demipho tells a dream he had last night about a nanny-goat, a monkey, and a billy-goat. He claims to be madly in love with Charinus’ girl.
II.ii.	272-334	Demipho Lysimachus	Demipho sees his neighbor Lysimachus and tells him he is in love.
II.iii.	335-468	Charinus Demipho	Charinus meets his father in the street. Demipho tells him he has seen the girl and wishes to sell her because she is not right for his wife. He and Charinus argue over to whom they should sell her. Demipho wins.
II.iv.	469-498	Charinus Eutychus	Charinus meets Eutychus in the street. Eutychus says he will bid on the girl
III.i.	499-543	Lysimachus Pasicompsa	Lysimachus has bought Pasicompsa for Demipho
III.ii.	544-561	Demipho	Demipho speaks about life and love.
III.iii.	562-587	Demipho Lysimachus	Demipho wants to see Pasicompsa, but Lysimachus tells him not to approach her just yet.
III.iv.	588-666	Charinus Eutychus	Eutychus tells Charinus that some man bought Pasicompsa.
IV.i.	667-691	Dorippa Syra	Dorippa returns from the country early, sees Pasicompsa in her house, and concludes that she is Lysimachus’ harlot.
IV. ii.	692-699	Lysimachus	Lysimachus comes home.
IV.iii.	700-740	Dorippa Lysimachus	Lysimachus trips over his words as he tries to explain who the girl is.
IV.iv.	741-802	Caterer Lysimachus Dorippa Syra	The Caterer arrives for the party and is sent away.
IV.v.	803-816	Syra Eutychus	Syra tells Eutychus his father has bought a mistress.
IV.vi.	817-829	Syra	Syra’s speech on women’s rights.
V.i.	830-841	Charinus	Charinus decides to go into exile.
V.ii.	842-956	Eutychus Charinus	Eutychus tells Charinus that Pasicompsa is at his house. They go there.
V.iii.	957-961	Demipho Lysimachus	They talk about the problem concerning Dorippa.
V.iv.	962-1026	Eutychus Lysimachus Demipho	Eutychus and Lysimachus chastise Demipho. Demipho resolves to return Pasicompsa to his son. Dorippa is no longer mad at Lysimachus.