Plautus as a Prolific Roman Playwright - Essay Example

Plautus Introduction Roman comedies and tragedies share a common trait in terms of their thematic concerns, language, and characterization. This revolves around the need to critique societal ills through the use of witty and intelligent language. The literary works equally engage characters with the ability to represent their desired themes such as hypocrisy in love and slavery portrayed in Pseudolus by Plautus. According to Plautus, it is a literary artist’s role to expose societal ills through the use of dramatic irony, metaphor, and similes in order to stop or bring to attention such evils. Alternatively, the Roman playwright believes in the enduring power of symbolism when it is used positively through depiction of small, but deeper issues affecting ordinary people as this paper will show. Themes Plautus was a prolific Roman playwright popular for his comedies such as Pseudolus that revolves certain characters namely Calidorus, Pseudolus, Callipho, Charinus, and Ballio among others. These characters assist in propagating varying critical themes in the play such as the difficulties of acquiring love. In the play, a prostitute belonging to Ballio is now loved by Calidorus and the young man finds it difficult to win her in spite of all efforts. He, thus, involves the help of Pseudolus, Simo’s chief slave. Love, therefore, is a deeper manifestation of the confusions of youth and how it affects their wellbeing. Calidorus’ love with Phoenicium, equally demonstrates the moral decadence in Plautus’s play. Immorality thrives because society is willing to condone acts of pimping as noted with Ballio who thrives in hooking up people with women. Moral decadence as a sub-theme also points at the slavery perpetuated by Ballio when he is seen beating his slaves for stealing. In other words, while theft is a part of society, it is seen as worse in slaves owned by Ballio (Plautus 345). This is shows how hypocrisy affects humankind in their relationship with others both for survival and growth. Pseudolus is determined to help his friend Calidorus irrespective of blackmailing others. Language Plautus’ language is both serious and comical to achieve literary effect while also espousing the surface and deeper meanings. The conveyance of different themes in the language used by Pseudolus in his attempts to help Calidorus win over Phoenicium, therefore, points at the merit of using wit and cleverness. Wit is equally powerful because it helps other mock their societies as observed with Callipho and Charinus. These two characters find pleasure in ridiculing Ballio, a pimp and slaves-owner particularly when he refuses to let Calidorus acquire the woman he loves because he has not paid any drachma. Alternatively, language exposes the craftiness of the human soul in perpetrating vile acts of blackmail, spreading propaganda, betrayal, or subjugation of the lower classes. This is evident in Ballio’s treatment of his slaves when one of his slaves, a boy, appears on stage: "I couldnt have found a more garrulous, glib-tongued, stupid, and useless specimen (Plautus 792)." Notably, this indicates that language has symbolic effects of understanding the inequality and struggles that afflict the lower classes. Contrastingly, while Pseudolus employs language to communicate the daily challenges of a friend win a lady, other characters converse as a means of perpetuating deceit and slander. Characterization In terms of characterization, Plautus’s Pseudolus uses various characters as means of exploring the inner personalities of their fellow friends. For example, the main characters in the play include Calidorus, Pseudolus, Charinus, and Ballio who define most events to generate a significant meaning. Calidorus, thus, is an exemplification of the lusts and desires that often confuse youth in theirs of becoming better people. As a son of a respected Athenian gentleman, his relationship with his father’s slave called Pseudolus shows how ordinary relationship overrides societal injustices such as slavery. Conversely, Charinus is determined to aid his friend, Calidorus, through securing a new slave at the cost of 500 drachmas. This shows the love and struggle that characterizes youthful life when friends come together to accomplish specific goals and objectives (Plautus 211). Charinus also manifests a sacrificial trait when faced with a problem of alleviating a friend from a confusing scenario as that finding an elusive girl. However, Ballio displays the traits of cruelty, ruthlessness, and sadism in dealing with his subordinates. He is a direct embodiment of slavery and its savageness in spite of Pseudolus’s decisive effort to exorcise his friend of that bad habit. Symbolism Symbolism, on the other hand, delves into numerous aspects of Plautus’s play in ways worth noting. For example, Phoenicium as the prostitute in the play being sought by Calidorus demonstrates the evil attractions that puzzle youth in their quest to define self identity. Her fatal allure is equally symbolic with moral decadence that now distresses different societies and perpetuated in wider forms of thefts, robberies, and mind slavery. On the other hand, while Ballio is a pimp, symbolically, he is an evil representation of capitalist society that uses cheap labor to enrich their lot. He is also an example of unequal country where people are not willing to assist others succeed and, instead, only exploit their labor and talents. The casting of Callipho as a good gentleman or well-mannered individual symbolizes the need for humanity to relate positively with others to receive accolades and praises. Pseudolus is proud of his friend because he is willing to sacrifice his time and resources to aid Calidorus win a prostitute called Phoenicium. Interestingly, while the boy in the play is symbolic of squalid conditions that torment poor people, he equally represents of the callousness of life. Notably, it occurs when people neglect suffering folk and sing praises of the rich such as Ballio. Mystery Pseudolus by Plautus is full of mysteries specifically in the playwright’s use of a mute prostitute as the central concern of the plot. Phoenicium is mysterious because she signifies the tragedy of youth when they fail to find true love within their immediate environs. On that perspective, it is Pseudolus as Calidorus’ bosom buddy to demystify the lingering doubts of love that affect his age mates particularly if they are unsure of their self-esteem and confidence. Another interesting mystery involves the exact personality of Ballio who is cast as both a pimp and a ruthless slave-owner (Plautus 234). Casting Ballio as a pimp conceals his real self of whipping slaves while presenting him as a slave-owner depicts the anonymity of his role in exploiting young women namely Phoenicium. He is an epitome of deceit and hypocrisy because his personality is both mysterious and undefined. Similarly, while he castigates his slaves as thieves and thankless, he obstructs the role played by Charinus in assisting his friend Calidorus find a good woman. As a result, this mystifies the role played by people such as Pseudolus, Harpax, and Simia who are equally serious in transforming their lives through interaction with others. Conclusion It, therefore, is critical to comprehend the role played by characters such as Calidorus, Charinus, and Ballio in illustrating Plautus’s major themes mentioned above while employing brilliant language. In other words, art should agitate for a cause that includes speaking for the down-trodden and oppressed such as Pseudolus, the boy, and Simia who are trapped in vicious system of slavery. However, art should not support the atrocities committed by the oppressors, but, instead, should condemn their vain acts because this improve the well-being of society’s members. Alternatively, it affirms the resolve of those willing to sacrifice their time and resources in stopping such as tragedies particularly when they echo contemporary themes noted in Plautus’s Pseudolus. Work Cited Plautus. Pseudolus. New York, NY: SAGE. 2010. Print. Read More