The Captives, Phormio, and Madea Flashcards
Summary of The Captives…and go!
Philocrates and his slave Tyndarus, of the Greek district of Elis, have been captured in war with another Greek region, Aetolia. They are now prisoners and slaves bought by Hegio, a well-to-do resident of Aetolia, who is planning to trade them for his son, Philipolemus, who has been captured in Elis. Pretending to be each other, the supposed slave Philocrates is sent to make the trade, while Tyndarus risks his life by remaining.
A friend of Philocrates named Aristophontes has also been captured, and Tyndarus’ efforts to fool Hegio by claiming that Aristophontes is insane are unsuccessful. When Hegio finds out from Aristophontes that he has been deceived, he sends Tyndarus to the quarries for backbreaking labor. Declaring that dying courageously is not an everlasting death, Tyndarus tries to convince Hegio that his own loyalty to Philocrates is right.
Comic relief is provided by a sponger, Ergasilus, looking for a free dinner from Hegio. He has learned that Hegio’s son Philopolemus has returned to Aetolia, and he uses this knowledge to get a free meal from Hegio, then proceeds to go wild in the kitchen. Hegio’s former slave Stalagmus, who stole Hegio’s other son when he was four years old, also arrives on the scene and confesses his iniquity. Eventually everybody discovers that Tyndarus is that stolen son, causing Hegio to realize he should have treated him better when he was his captive slave. Hegio and his two sons, Philopolemus and Tyndarus, are reunited in a happy ending.
Who wrote The Captives?
Plautus
Who wrote Phormio?
Terence
Summary of Phormio?
Antipho, a young Athenian, while his father Demipho is out of the country, has fallen in love with a girl whom he found weeping for her recently dead mother, whose funeral she must arrange, being now alone in the world. Phormio, a resourceful parasite, taking advantage of the law that orphan girls must be married to their next-of-kin (within the permitted degree), has pretended, in collusion with Antipho, that the latter is the girl’s nearest relative and obtained a court order that he is to marry her, and the marriage has taken place. Meanwhile Antipho’s cousin Phaedria is desperately in love with a slave girl, a lute-player, but lacks the money to buy her from the pimp who owns her. His father Chremēs, Demipho’s brother, has been away in Lemnos. Both fathers return at this juncture. Demipho is furious at his son’s marriage and determined to put an end to it. Phormio offers the father, for a sum of money, to take the bride away and marry her himself. Having obtained the money he hands it over to Phaedria who now purchases his lute-player. Meanwhile it has been discovered through a nurse that the girl Antipho has married is in fact the daughter of Chremes, who has bigamously kept a wife on Lemnos; daughter, wife, and nurse had come to Athens to look for him, and there the wife had died. Chremes wishes above all else to keep from his legitimate wife in Athens all knowledge of his liaison. To avoid trouble the two fathers decide to recognize Antipho’s marriage, but their attempt to recover the money paid to Phormio leads to the exposure of Chremes to his wife. She is mollified, however, and all ends happily.
Some info about the prologue of Phormio?
suggests a literary quarell between Terence and an older poet
Phormio - opening with —–?—— character
protactic; Davus, he provides info about Phaedria and Antipho’s love interests.
Stock characters in Phormio
Phormio - parasite; Demipho - gullible, bumbling old man; Antipho & Phaedria - desperate young lovers
Theatrical techniques in Phormio
simple situation - goes full circle, much ado about nothing, comic irony - ignorance of fathers not realizing what they intended had occured
Contemporary issues reflected in PHormio
parents v. children, eldersn are not as wise as they think, concern with appearances, hipocrisy of friendship, double standard
Summary of Medea, commence!
Medea curses the whole marriage situation between Jason and Creusa; she is hellbent on revenge. Nurse tries to calm her down. Creon and her speak he tells her gtfo and she hints at her revenge. Chorus recounts some of the plays prior events. Nurse foresees something terrible as a result of Madea’s wrath. Medea enters and talks with Jason trying to convince him to do away with the new marriage and her exile. He refuses, she’s really pissed. Chorus says nothing is scarier than a hateful wife. Nurse is terrified, Medea enters casting a spell and gives a blood sacrifice, tells her sons to give the fire crown to the married couple and to return later. Messenger tells of how the fire killed Creon and Creusa, Medea’s glad it worked then goes onto her next bit of revenge killing one son, Jason enters and pleads with her, and she kills the other son despite his pleas. She then escapes on a chariot pulled by dragons and Jason curses her saying she’s going to hell. The end.
Who wrote Medea (the version you read)?
Seneca
