Action and Greed in The Pot of Gold - Essay Example

 This paper shall examine the effects that the greed of Euclio, in Plautus’s play, The Pot of Gold. In the midst of his efforts to safeguard his material wealth, Euclio is unaware of the loss of Phaedria’s chastity. This results in the events of the play that include the theft of the pot of the gold, that follows the marriage arrangements between Phaedria and Megadorus. The entire action happens as a result of the greed of Euclio; however, he remains unaware of the workings of it. This paper shall ,look at this lack of agency that results, in the action of the play. Action and Greed in The Pot of Gold The greed of the main character, Euclio, plays a major role in the progress of the play. Euclio’s greed results in most of the action that happens in the play, including the knowledge that Lyconides’s servant gains regarding the pot of gold that eventually leads to his freedom. The very title of the play suggests the importance of wealth in the play. The pot of gold, a symbol of the greed of man, which runs through generations in the family of Euclio, causes most of the action that happens in the play, which results in the misunderstandings that occur. These misunderstandings between the characters in the play are symbolized by the breakdown of hierarchies, where it is the servants who are more aware of the actions that take place and in most cases, hold the reins to the action. The prologue of the play that is an account of the events that have led up to the situation where Euclio is obsessed with the pot of gold that has been provided to him is articulated by Euclio’s household deity, Lar Familiaris. The wealth that has been given to Euclio is a gift. Thus, what leads to the action of the play, paradoxically, has been attained without any human action. After this, however, Euclio's constant guarding of the wealth, that is a result of his greed, results in, ironically, the loss of the wealth and almost results in the marriage of his daughter to a much older man, who believes that Phaedria is a virgin. Euclio's preoccupation with his gold prevents him from paying any attention to the loss that his daughter suffers. He is merely anxious to get her married off, without much loss of his own newly acquired wealth. Euclio loses his human side and is anxious to get rid of his daughter, and his only concern is to not part with the pot of gold that he feels is what the rich and middle-aged Megadorus has set his eyes on. As soon as this obstacle is removed, he happily agrees to the marriage, even though he is suspicious at every level, of an attempt on the part of Megadorus or his servants, to rob him of the gold. Ironically, it is this fidgety disposition that eventually leads to the loss of the gold that is re-acquired only through the efforts of others. Euclio, who is suspicious of others, forgets that human relations are based on love, rather than wealth, is reminded of the need for love, when Lyconides provides him with the gold that had been stolen. He does so for the love that he felt for the woman who was carrying his child, Phaedria. This is not the only relation of love that Euclio rejects in the play. The play opens with Euclio chasing away his trusted servant, Staphyla, who had clearly been serving his family for a very long time, since she had been Phaedria’s nurse. Even while she is being turned out of Euclio’s house, she is more concerned about the change that had come about her master and the concealment of Phaedria’s pregnancy. The need for maintaining relationships that are based on love and affection, that Plautus talks about in this play, are relevant even today, when wealth and greed makes one forget the relations that make life easy and livable. Not only does Euclio lose status at a personal level, partially losing the rights that a father earns by performing his duties well, he also loses social status, by neglecting his duties as a father. The reader is not told of whether it is Euclio’s greed that leads to a neglect of his fatherly duties but it is possible to assume that it is what leads to the catastrophe. A loss of personal status as a father is thus accompanied by a loss of social status that in the times of Plautus, was intimately connected with the chastity of one’s daughter, as it is still today, in many parts of the world. This is part of a patriarchal view of the world that places the responsibility of the honor of the family on the women of the family. The rape that Lyconides commits can be considered a phallic defeat for Euclio, when judged by the moral codes of the time when The Pot of Gold was written. Another important thing that is observable in the play is how all the characters operate together in harmony to bring about the action. The outcome of this action is not favorable to all the characters at all points of time; however, they lead to the final outcome of the play that can be said to be pretty much a happy ending. It is not merely Euclio whose actions lead to the eventual outcome, but also of the other male characters. The female characters are either victims of the actions of others or try to conceal the effects of those actions, as is seen in the actions of Phaedria and Staphyla. The actions that serve to complete the action of the play is therefore, totally male-dominated. This is another instance that serves to show the reader how the patriarchal society that is not within the world of the stage affects the play and the action of the play. What we see in Plautus’s The Pot of Gold, is thus, a society that enslaves its people in roles that are decided by patriarchy or by greed. The action in the play is completed by the male characters, whose actions revolve around that of the protagonist, Euclio, whose main motivating factor in the play is his greed. Plautus presents a fragment of this society where the main character comes into a large amount of wealth and how it affects his life in an adverse manner. This not only ruins his status in the society but also makes him neglect the filial duties that he has towards his daughter. This is the basis of all action in this play, which serves to show how greed affects the lives of men who blindly accept wealth as their master, instead of becoming the master of the wealth that they have. Works Cited Plautus. The Pot of Gold. Tr. Erich Segal. Oxford: Oxford U.P., 1998. Print. Read More