Truculentus home Plautus (Dramata)

TRUCULENTUS

Author: Plautus
Date: 200-190 BC
Model: unknown
Adaptations: none known

Texts and Commentaries

Latin text on-line at the Perseus Project (Leo 1895)
Lindsay, W.M. 1904-1905. T. Macchi Plauti Comoediae. 2 vols. Clarendon: Oxford.
Nixon, Paul. 1916-38. Plautus. 5 vols. Loeb Classical Library 328. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 5:223-331.
Ernout, Alfred. 1932. Plaute. 7 vols. Paris: Les belles lettres. 7:91-165.
Enk, P.J. 1953. Plauti Truculentus. 2 vols. Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff.

English Translations available

Riley, Henry Thomas. 1912. The Comedies of Plautus. London: G. Bell and Sons. 2:209-254.

translation on-line at the Perseus Project

Nixon, Paul. 1916-38. Plautus. 5 vols. Loeb Classical Library 328. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 5:223-331.
Duckworth, George E. 1942. The Complete Roman Drama. 2 vols. New York: Random House. 2:91-135.
Tatum, James. 1983. Darker Comedies: Bacchides, Casina, and Truculentus. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 145-210. Reprint in eds. David R. Slavitt and Palmer Bovie. Plautus: The Comedies. 4 vols. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995. 2:317-396.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Diniarchus - a young Athenian
Astaphium- Phronesium’s maid
Truculentus- slave in the family of Strabax
Phronesium- a courtesan
Stratophanes- a courtesean
Cyamus- slave of Diniarchus
Strabax- a country youth
Callicles- an old gentleman of Athens
Maidservants- belonging to Phronesium and Callicles

Act and Scene	Lines	Characters	Action
Prologue	1-21	Prologus	An introduction of Phronesium and her actions in the play.
I.i	22-95	Diniarchus	Diniarchus knows about Phronesium’s lover and complains he has done so much and does not have her.
I.ii	95- 209	Astaphium Diniarchus	Diniarchus confronts Astaphium about Phronesium’s lover and accuses her of lying. He finds out about the baby.
II.i	210- 256	Astaphium	Astaphium is free to speak freely now that Diniarchus has gone in and talks about Phronesium’s lovers.
II.ii	257-321	Truculentus Astaphium	Astaphesium goes to Stratophanes' house and tells Truculentus how Strabax is ruining himself with Phronesium.
II.iii	322-351	Diniarchus Astaphium	Diniarchus calls back Astaphium to complain he is still waiting for Phronesium to see him.
II.iv	352-448	Phronesium Diniarchus	Phronesium explains the pregnancy to Diniarchus. She tells him he is the one for her and that the Captain will be gone when she has what she wants from him.
II.v	449-481	Phronesium	Phronesium explains her strategy and terrible scheme.
II.vi	482-550	Stratophanes Astaphium Phronesium	Stratophanes arrives and is told by Astaphium he has a boy. He brings gifts for Phronesium to please her.
II.vii	551-630	Cyamus Phronesium Astaphium Stratophanes	Cyamus brings gifts for Phronesium. He confronts Stratophanes and tells him of Diniarchus’s love for Phronesium. Stratophanes turns angry.
II.viii	631-644	Phronesium Stratophanes	Phronesium wants to leave now and Stratophanes doesn’t know what to do with himself.
III.i	645-668	Strabax Astaphium	Strabax tells Astaphium he will ruin his family for Phronesium’s love.
III.ii	669-698	Astaphium Truculentus	Astaphium tells Truculentus of Stabax’s mistress. He is then learning of Stabax’s love for Phronesium over his parents.
IV.i	699-710	Diniarchus	Diniarchus looks towards Phronesium’s house to see his fate with her.
IV.ii	711-774	Astaphium Diniarchus	Diniarchus finds out about another lover, Strabax. He sees Callicles approaching.
IV.iii	775-854	Callicles Maidservants Diniarchus	Callicles learns Phronesium is passing off the child as her own. He then finds out about Diniarchus and Phronesium.
IV.iv	855-893	Phronesium Diniarchus Astaphium	Diniarchus goes to take the child but Phronesium persuades him to let her keep it.
V.i	893-964	Stratophanes Phronesium Astaphium Strabax	Phronesium gives Stratophanes the cold shoulder. Strabax enters and fights for Phronesium with Stratophanes.