Portrayals of the Virgo in Plautine Comedy

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Portrayals of the Virgo in Plautine Comedy PORTRAYALS OF THE VIRGO IN PLAUTINE COMEDY PORTRAYALS OF THE VIRGO IN PLAUTINE COMEDY By CASSANDRA TRAN, B.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts McMaster University © Copyright by Cassandra Tran, September 2016 ii McMaster University MASTER OF ARTS (2016) Hamilton, Ontario (Classics) TITLE: Portrayals of the Virgo in Plautine Comedy AUTHOR: Cassandra Tran, B.A. (McMaster University) SUPERVISOR: Professor K. Mattison NUMBER OF PAGES: vii, 117 iii Lay Abstract This thesis analyzes the portrayals of three subtypes of the virgo or maiden stock character in the comedies of Plautus, a Roman playwright who flourished in the late third to early second centuries BCE. More specifically, this thesis presents a detailed character study of Phaedria as the silent maiden in Aulularia, Palaestra as the prostitute-maiden (meretrix-virgo) in Rudens, and Alcmena the maiden in transition in Amphitruo. The aim is to investigate how Plautus manages and enrichens his characterization of these maidens, as well as their significance in the broader themes of the plays. Through the textual analyses of characters’ speeches and dialogues, this research highlights the centrality of the virgo in the tensions and resolutions driving the plot, and her connection to the underlying themes of morality and communal bonds in Plautus’ plays. iv Abstract This thesis presents a literary study of three subtypes of the maiden stock character in Plautine Comedy: the silent virgo, the meretrix-virgo, and the virgo in transition. The comic maiden is remarkable in Roman Comedy, in that she is the female protagonist of most if not all of the plays in which she is a character, although she sometimes never appears onstage. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how the playwright manages and enrichens his portrayals of the virgo despite her limitations, and to analyze her significance in the broader themes of her plays. This has been done by detailed character analyses of three of Plautus’ plays, each of which features a virgo who represents one of the three subtypes of the comic maiden (i.e. Phaedria from Plautus’ Aulularia, Palaestra from Plautus’ Rudens, and Alcmena from Plautus’ Amphitruo respectively). Through the examination of the characters’ speeches and conversations, including those presented by the maiden herself when she appears onstage, it is evident that the virgo is a central figure in tensions and conclusions driving the plot. Because of her contradictory circumstances (i.e. her premarital pregnancy, slave status, or change in stock role), this integral function is contingent on her piety and innocence, which must be maintained throughout the play. Finally, the propitious resolution of the plot comes about in the restoration of the maiden’s status and the promise of marriage between her and the male lover. Because of this, she is also deeply connected to the underlying themes of morality and communal bonds governing the play. This research highlights the valuable and central role of a character in Plautine comedy, whose on-stage presence is often limited or even non- existent. v Acknowledgements I would like to express my utmost gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Kathryn Mattison for her guidance through the learning process of this thesis. Her direction and meticulous comments have helped me produce a work of which I am proud. I would also like to thank my committee members Dr. Michele George, who introduced me to Roman Comedy, and Dr. Claude Eilers for their careful reading and support. Furthermore, I am indebted to my selfless parents and family for their loving support throughout my years of study. I would finally like to thank the lovely James, whose often very loud encouragements and unfailing enthusiasm helped me through all of the stages of my thesis research and writing. This accomplishment would not have been possible without you. Master’s Thesis – C. Tran; McMaster University – Classics vi Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 I. Ancient Theatre and Roman Comedy ....................................................................................... 4 II. Plautus and Plautine Comedy .................................................................................................. 8 III. Defining the Virgo in Roman Comedy ................................................................................ 12 IV. Chapter Breakdown ............................................................................................................. 14 V. Closing Remarks ................................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 1. Silence is Golden: The Silent Maiden in Plautus’ Aulularia ..................... 20 I. A Brief Summary .................................................................................................................... 22 II. Phaedria’s Point of View? ..................................................................................................... 24 III. The Pious Maiden and Modest Wife .................................................................................... 30 IV. The Injured Daughter and Lover.......................................................................................... 36 V. The Pot of Gold and Pot-Bellied Girl ................................................................................... 41 VI. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 43 Chapter 2. “Salve, mi pater insperate”: The Meretrix-Virgo in Plautus’ Rudens........ 46 I. A Brief Summary .................................................................................................................... 47 II. Transition through Terminology of the Maiden .................................................................... 50 III. Palaestra and Ampelisca: Ally or Ancilla?........................................................................... 54 IV. A Recognition Scene for Palaestra ...................................................................................... 66 V. Setting and Significance ........................................................................................................ 71 VI. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 3: A Maiden in Mind: The Virgo in Transition in Plautus’ Amphitruo ....... 77 I. A Brief Summary .................................................................................................................... 79 II. Role Designations in the Amatory Narrative ........................................................................ 82 a) Battle of the Clever Slaves ................................................................................................. 82 b) Battle of the Lovers ............................................................................................................ 85 III. Alcmena’s Characterization ................................................................................................. 90 IV. Alcmena’s Physicality ......................................................................................................... 94 V. The Mythical Element ......................................................................................................... 101 VI. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 104 Concluding Remarks ..................................................................................................... 105 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 109 Master’s Thesis – C. Tran; McMaster University – Classics vii The author declares that the content of this research has been completed by Cassandra Tran, with recognition of the contributions of the supervisory committee comprising of Dr. Kathryn Mattison, Dr. Michele George, and Dr. Claude Eilers during the research and writing process. Master’s Thesis – C. Tran; McMaster University – Classics 1 Introduction In recent years there has been an ongoing wave of scholarship on women in Roman Comedy, much of which has focused on the stock matrona (wife) and meretrix (prostitute).1 Because of the outdoor settings of these plays and the social convention that young girls of nubile age belong indoors, another category of women in Roman Comedy, the virgo or maiden, seldom appears onstage. Even in comedy where boundaries are challenged, for example through the struggle for power in slave-master relationships and the mockery of the gods, the maiden is thought to provide little comic value. Because of these restrictions and limitations, scholars tend to dismiss her in favour of the more colourful female characters of comedy, and as a result studies of the virgo stock figure are either brief or non-existent. Despite her appearance in eleven of the twenty-one plays by Plautus and all six of the plays by Terence, her role is for the most part passive. According to Raia, of the eleven maidens featured in Plautine comedy, four are invisible,2 and Duckworth states that out of the seventy-five women who have speaking parts in the Plautine-Terentian corpus, the virgo
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