The Menaechmi: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Menaechmi" is a comedic play centered around the theme of mistaken identity, focusing on two identical twins, Menaechmus of Epidamnum and Menaechmus Sosicles. The twins, separated in childhood, lead contrasting lives—Menaechmus of Epidamnum is wealthy and entangled in a scandalous affair, while Sosicles arrives in Epidamnum seeking his brother. The confusion begins when Sosicles encounters various characters who mistake him for his twin, leading to humorous situations that highlight each character's traits, such as the possessive nature of Menaechmus of Epidamnum's wife and the deviousness of his parasite, Peniculus. The play ultimately culminates in a joyful reunion between the twins and resolves their tangled relationships. Other notable characters include Messenio, Sosicles' loyal servant, and Erotium, the courtesan, who contribute to the comedic misunderstandings. This exploration of character interactions and the ensuing chaos underscores themes of identity, loyalty, and societal norms in a humorous light.
The Menaechmi: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Plautus
Genre: Play
Locale: Epidamnum, a city of Macedonia
Plot: Farce
Time: Third century b.c.e.
Menaechmus of Epidamnum (meh-NEEK-muhs of eh-pih-DAM-nuhm), an identical twin. When Menaechmus was a child, Moschus, his father, had taken him to Tarentum on a trading expedition. After the boy wandered away from his father and became lost, he was found and adopted by a citizen of Epidamnum, a city in Asia Minor noted for its sinfulness. By the time the play opens, Menaechmus has married and inherited his foster father's considerable estate. He also has taken up with a courtesan, Erotium. He gives her a robe he has stolen from his wife's closet.
Menaechmus Sosicles (SOS-ih-kleez), the other twin. Proud, witty, and hot-tempered like his brother, Sosicles comes to Epidamnum searching for his long-lost brother. His appearance in the city precipitates a series of comic encounters based on mistaken identity. At last, the two Menaechmi come face to face, and there is a happy reunion. Menaechmus of Epidamnum agrees to sell all his goods, including his wife, and return to Sicily with his brother.
Messenio (meh-SEE-nee-oh), Sosicles' servant. Messenio does everything faithfully and well because he dislikes being beaten. He rescues Menaechmus, whom he mistakes for his master, from four servants who are carrying him off. Menaechmus “frees” him in gratitude. Later, when the twins are reunited, Messenio is freed in earnest and made Menaechmus' auctioneer.
Peniculus (pee-NIH-kuh-luhs), Menaechmus' parasite. A spiteful, gluttonous, and ungrateful hanger-on, Peniculus, seeing Sosicles coming from Erotium's house, thinks Menaechmus has cheated him of a meal. He tells Menaechmus' wife that her husband has stolen her robe, only to learn that the wife will not reward him for his treachery.
The wife of Menaechmus of Epidamnum, a nagging, possessive woman with a passion for keeping her husband under her control. She mistakes Sosicles for her husband, argues with him about her robe, which Sosicles is carrying, and calls on her father to take her home.
An old man, Menaechmus' father-in-law, who chides both his daughter and Menaechmus for their faults. When he mistakes Sosicles for Menaechmus, Sosicles pretends madness as a means of escape. The old man sends a physician and four servants to restrain the madman. They lay hold of a very bewildered Menaechmus but are driven off by Messenio.
Erotium (eh-ROH-shee-uhm), a rather simple-minded courtesan. She entertains Sosicles, mistakes him for Menaechmus, and gives him the stolen robe to take to a tailor. When the real Menaechmus calls and disclaims knowledge of the robe, Erotium thinks he is trying to cheat her and bars him from the house.
An old physician, who is called in by Menaechmus' father-in-law to diagnose Sosicles' supposed madness.
Cylindrus (sih-LIHN-druhs), Erotium's cook, who mistakes Sosicles for Menaechmus and leads him to Erotium's house.