Poenulus home Plautus (Dramata)

POENULUS

Author: Plautus
Date: circa 194 or 193 BCE
Model: Karchedonios by unknown Greek playwright
Adaptations:

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 260. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 4:1-143.
Ernout, Alfred. 1932. Plaute. 7 vols. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. 5:162-257.
Maurach, Gregor. 1988. Der Poenulus des Plautus. Heidelberg: Carl Winter.

English Translations Available

Riley, Henry Thomas. 1912. The Comedies of Plautus. 2 vols. London: G. Bell and Sons. 2:351-418.

translation on-line at the Perseus Project

Nixon, Paul. 1916-38. Plautus. 5 vols. Loeb Classical Library 260. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 4:1-143.
Duckworth, George E. 1942. The Complete Roman Drama. 2 vols. New York: Random House. 1:675-784.
Burroway, Janet. 1970. Five Roman Comedies, ed. Palmer Bovie. New York: E.P. Dutton. Reprint in Plautus: The Comedies, eds. David R. Slavitt and Palmer Bovie. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1995. 3:1-91.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

AGORASTOCLES - adulescens from Calydon
MILPHIO - his slave
ADELPHASIUM - girl bought by Lycus
ANTERASTILUS - girl bought by Lycus
LYCUS - pimp
ANTAMONIDES - soldier
COUNSELORS - acquaintances of Agorastocles
COLLYBISCUS - bailiff
SYNCERASTUS - Lycus’ slave
HANNO - gentleman from Carthage
GIDDENIS - nurse
SLAVE BOY - belonging to Hanno

Act and Scene	Lines	Characters	Action
I.i	1-210	Agorastocles Milphio	Agorastocles is in love and pines for his love to his slave, Milphio. Milphio comes up with a scheme to get Adelphasium for his master without costing any money. They plan their scheme on the pimp, Lycus.
I.ii	210-409	Agorastocles Milphio Adelphasium Anterastilis	The two women complain about men as they get ready to go to the temple of Venus for an auction, meanwhile Agorastocles and Milphio look on.
I.iii	410-450	Agorastocles Milphio	Agorastocles sends Milphio to hatch their plan to harm the pimp’s business.
II.i	451-503	Lycus Antamonides	Lycus complains about his sacrifices to Venus all for nothing. Lycus postpones his auction because of the devotional matters.
III.i	504-575	Agorastocles Counselors	Agorastocles speaks with the Counselors to be his witnesses in catching the pimp in his trap.
III. ii	576-619	Agorastocles Milphio Counselors Collybiscus	Agorastocles makes sure that all parties involved know their roles in order to trick Lycus and free Adelphasium.
III.iii	620-710	Lycus Collybiscus Counselors	Collybiscus and the Counselors approach the pimp and hatch their plan. They get invited to join Lycus’ party. Milphio sneaks into the pimps house.
III.iv	711-744	Agorastocles Counselors Collybiscus Lycus	The pimp takes the money. Agorastocles can claim the money was given to Lycus to purchase Adelpasium, which Lycus knows nothing about.
III.v	745-795	Lycus Agorastocles Counselors	Agorastocles confronts Lycus about receiving Adelphasium from the money he had his slave give him. Lycus denies having received the money.
III. vi	796-815	Agorastocles Counselors Collybiscus	Agorastocles frames the pimp.
IV. i	816-825	Milphio	Milphio plans to spy on the pimp.
IV. ii	826-929	Milphio Syncerastus	Milphio convinces Syncerastus to help ruin Lycus.
V.i	930-960	Hanno	Hanno explains his intent to honor Agorastocles for a debt owed by his son.
V. ii	961-1118	Hanno Agorastocles Milphio	Agorastocles and Milphio meet and greet Hanno as he enters the city. Agorastocles learns that Hanno is his uncle.
V. iii	1119-1175	Gidennis Milphio Agorastocles Hanno	Giddenis recognizes Hanno as the father of Adelphasium and Anterastilis. Hanno sends Milphio to get his daughters.
V. iv	1176-1280	Adelphasium Anterastilis Milphio Agorastocles Hanno	A family reunion.
V. v	1281-1338	Antamonides Anterastilis Adelphasium Hanno Agorastocles	Antamonides rushes out angry at being stood up by Lycus, and to get the bride he paid for. The girls cling to their newfound father, Hanno.
V. vi	1339-1375	Lycus Agorastocles Hanno Anterastilis Antamonides	Hanno gets his daughters, Antamonides gets his 4 pounds back, Agorastocles gets to humiliate the pimp.
V. vii	1376-1424	Agorastocles Lycus Antamonides Hanno Adelphasium	Story ends. Hanno is reunited with his family and prepares to leave for Carthage.