Andria by Terence
"Andria," a comedic play by the Roman playwright Terence, explores themes of love, family dynamics, and mistaken identities in ancient Athens around 166 B.C.E. The story centers on Simo, a wealthy father who becomes distressed upon discovering his son Pamphilus's romantic attachment to Glycerium, the sister of a deceased courtesan. Simo's desire to arrange a marriage between Pamphilus and Philumena, the daughter of his friend Chremes, is threatened by this unexpected love. As the plot unfolds, various schemes arise, particularly from Davus, Pamphilus's clever slave, who seeks to navigate the complicated situation.
Glycerium, pregnant with Pamphilus's child, becomes a pivotal character in the unfolding drama, prompting questions of social status, legitimacy, and parental control. The narrative thickens with the introduction of Crito, who, under the guise of searching for relatives, reveals the true lineage of Glycerium, ultimately leading to a resolution that sees familial ties reestablished and marriages positively reconfigured. The play reflects the complexities of romantic and familial obligations in the context of ancient societal norms, highlighting the interplay between personal desires and parental expectations.
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Andria by Terence
First produced: 166 b.c.e. (English translation, 1598)
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Comedy
Time of plot: Second century b.c.e.
Locale: Athens
Principal characters
Simo , a wealthy AthenianPamphilus , Simo’s sonDavus , a slave of PamphilusChremes , another wealthy Athenian, friend of SimoGlycerium , beloved of Pamphilus, originally named Pasibula and eventually revealed to be a daughter of ChremesPhilumena , another daughter of ChremesCrito , a traveler from AndrosCharinus , a suitor for the daughter of Chremes
The Story:
One day the wealthy Athenian Simo confides in a servant that he had been pleased with his son Pamphilus until that very afternoon, when Simo discovered that his son was in love with Glycerium, the sister of a courtesan who has recently died. Simo, who wishes to marry his son to Philumena, the daughter of his friend Chremes, sees in his son’s love for Glycerium a threat to his plans.
Later Simo encounters his son’s slave, Davus, and threatens him with severe punishment. Simo is afraid that Davus, a clever fellow, will help Pamphilus thwart his father’s plans for his future. Davus immediately sees that some scheme will have to be put into action quickly before the love between Pamphilus and Glycerium ends in marriage. Glycerium is already pregnant by Pamphilus.
Pamphilus’s own scheme is to acknowledge the expected infant and then claim that Glycerium is actually an Athenian whose father was shipwrecked on Andros and that she was reared by the family of the courtesan as a foster child. Davus laughs at the story and says that no one will believe it.
Pamphilus, warned that his father wants him to marry that day, is greatly troubled. He is put at ease, however, when Davus hears that the approaching marriage to Philumena has been refused by the young woman’s father. Chremes has also learned of the affair between Pamphilus and the courtesan’s sister. Davus tells Pamphilus to agree to the marriage for the time being. Before long, he reasons, some way out of the predicament will be found.
Charinus meets Davus and Pamphilus and tells them that he is in love with Philumena. Pamphilus says he had no desire to marry the woman and that Charinus is welcome to her. Not knowing the true reason for Pamphilus’s assent, Charinus is thrown into despair later when he hears Pamphilus (following Davus’s advice) agree to marry Chremes’ daughter.
Later, while Pamphilus’s father, Simo, and Davus stand before the door of Glycerium’s residence, they hear the servants send for a midwife. Simo is angry, thinking that Davus is trying to trick him into believing that Glycerium is having a child by his son. A short time later Glycerium is delivered of a baby boy. When Simo hears the news, he still thinks Davus is trying to trick him and refuses to believe what he has heard.
Meanwhile, Pamphilus waits patiently, believing that no marriage with Chremes’ daughter has been arranged. While he waits, however, Simo meets Chremes on the street, and they agree once more to marry their children to each other. When Davus reports the latest development to Pamphilus, the young man is furious. It now seems certain he will never be able to marry the woman he loves. Glycerium, from her confinement bed, sends for Pamphilus to learn what progress he is making in his plans to marry her.
Davus, to prevent the marriage between Pamphilus and Philumena, has Glycerium’s maidservant lay the infant on a bed of verbena in front of Simo’s door. Chremes comes up the street and sees the child. Davus, pretending that he does not see Chremes, begins to argue with Glycerium’s servant. During the argument the fact that the child is the son of Pamphilus and Glycerium is shouted aloud. Chremes storms into Simo’s house to withdraw his offer of marriage between Pamphilus and Philumena.
Soon afterward Crito, a cousin of the dead courtesan, comes looking for the house of his dead cousin. As soon as he finds it, he asks the maidservant if Glycerium ever found her parents in Athens. Davus, looking after Pamphilus’s interests, overhears the conversation and enters the house.
When Davus leaves the house a few minutes later, he meets Simo, who orders the slave chained and thrown into a dungeon. While Chremes and Simo are talking over the delayed wedding, Pamphilus also leaves the house. After some argument, the young man convinces his father that Crito has proof that Glycerium is an Athenian, and Pamphilus will have to marry her because they have had a child. Pamphilus reenters the house where Glycerium is lodged and emerges presently with Crito.
Chremes immediately recognizes Crito as an acquaintance from Andros. Simo is finally convinced that Crito is an honorable man from that island. Crito then tells how Phania, a citizen of Athens, was shipwrecked on Andros and died there. With the man had been a little girl, whom Phania, as he lay dying, said was his brother’s daughter. Chremes then interrupts Crito’s story to exclaim that Glycerium must be his own daughter, because Phania had been his brother. When Chremes asks what the girl’s name was, Crito says that her name had been changed to Glycerium from Pasibula, which Chremes’ recognizes as the name of his long-lost daughter.
Everyone congratulates Chremes on finding his child. Pamphilus reminds his father that there is no barrier to the marriage, since Glycerium, too, is a daughter of Chremes and, according to the law, Pamphilus would have to marry her as her seducer. Chremes, overjoyed, declares that he will give a dowry of ten talents to the bride.
Davus is freed from the dungeon, and Pamphilus tells him all that has occurred. While they speak, Charinus enters, happy that Philumena, the other daughter of Chremes, is now free to be his bride. The father gives ready consent to Charinus’s suit and says that his only objection had been a desire to have his family united with Simo’s. In addition, he promises that Charinus will receive a large dowry as well as a wife.
Bibliography
Butler, James H. The Theatre and Drama of Greece and Rome. San Francisco: Chandler, 1972. Discusses Terence’s defense of the plays he wrote; Terence’s works were better received after his lifetime and severely criticized during it. Discusses Andria in the context of other works by Terence. Compares the plays of Terence to those of Plautus.
Copley, Frank O. “Terence.” In Latin Literature: From the Beginnings to the Close of the Second Century A.D. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1969. Describes the circumstances in which Andria was written and how it was first presented to playwright and critic Caecilius.
Dutsch, Dorota M. Feminine Discourse in Roman Comedy: On Echoes and Voices. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Analyzes the dialogue of female characters in Terence’s plays, noting its use of endearments, softness of speech, and emphasis on small problems. Questions if Roman women actually spoke that way.
Hadas, Moses. A History of Latin Literature. New York: Columbia University Press, 1952. Examines how Andria was created from two plays of Menander, a classical playwright. Gives a helpful plot line and offers criticism of Andria. Discusses circumstances in which the play was presented and produced.
Leigh, Matthew. Comedy and the Rise of Rome. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Analyzes the comedies of Plautus and Terence, placing them within the context of political and economic conditions in Rome during the third and second centuries b.c.e. Discusses how audiences of that time responded to these comedies.
Segal, Erich, ed. Oxford Readings in Menander, Plautus, and Terence. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Includes essays on the originality of Terence and his Greek models and on dramatic balance in Andria.
Terence. “A Poet Defends Himself: Andria I-27.” In Ancient Literary Criticism: The Principal Texts in New Translations, edited by D. A. Russell and M. Winterbottom. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1972. Discusses Terence’s prologue of Andria. Claims Terence uses this prologue for literary defense—Terence often used his prologues to defend his works and not merely for an introduction to the plot.