The Menaechmi by Plautus
"The Menaechmi," a comedic play written by the Roman playwright Plautus in the second century BCE, centers on the theme of mistaken identity involving two twin brothers, both named Menaechmus. The story begins when one brother is separated from his family at a young age and adopted by a merchant in Epidamnum, while the other remains in Syracuse. As an adult, the brother from Syracuse, Menaechmus Sosicles, embarks on a quest to find his lost sibling. Upon arriving in Epidamnum, a series of humorous misunderstandings ensue, involving mistaken identities and the brothers’ interactions with a variety of characters, including a suspicious wife and a conniving mistress.
The comedic elements of "The Menaechmi" highlight social dynamics, including marriage and fidelity, as well as the chaotic nature of human relationships. Plautus skillfully employs farcical situations and clever dialogue to engage the audience in the unfolding confusion. Ultimately, the play culminates in a joyful reunion between the brothers, who decide to return to their hometown together. Reflecting key aspects of Roman comedy, "The Menaechmi" remains influential in the realm of theatrical narratives and has inspired later adaptations, most notably Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors."
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The Menaechmi by Plautus
First produced: Second century b.c.e. (English translation, 1595)
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Farce
Time of plot: Third century b.c.e.
Locale: Epidamnum, a city of Macedonia
Principal characters
Menaechmus of Epidamnum ,Menaechmus Sosicles , his twin brotherMessenio , Menaechmus Sosicles’ servantWife of Menaechmus of Epidamnum ,Erotium , a courtesan, Menaechmus of Epidamnum’s mistressPeniculus , a parasite, hanger-on to Menaechmus of Epidamnum
The Story:
When the two Menaechmi are seven years old, one, later to become Menaechmus of Epidamnum, accompanies his merchant father from their home in Syracuse to Tarentum. There, fascinated by the confused activity, the boy wanders away, becomes lost, and is finally picked up by another merchant who takes him to the merchant’s own home in Epidamnum and adopts him. The boy’s family is so grief-stricken at his loss that his name is given to the remaining son. This boy, Menaechmus Sosicles, grows up, and when he comes of age and inherits his father’s property, he goes out on a quest for his brother.
Menaechmus of Epidamnum by this time has inherited his foster father’s wealth, married a somewhat shrewish woman, and acquired a mistress. On the day Menaechmus Sosicles arrives in Epidamnum on his undirected search, Menaechmus of Epidamnum quarrels with his suspicious wife and parts from her, secretly bearing one of her robes as a gift to Erotium, his mistress. Delivering the robe, he instructs Erotium to prepare an elaborate meal for their evening’s entertainment; then he leaves to attend to some business at the Forum.
Shortly afterward, Menaechmus Sosicles happens to arrive before Erotium’s house and, much to his dismay, is addressed familiarly, first by one of her servants and then by Erotium herself. Confusion follows, but Menaechmus Sosicles finally decides that this is merely Erotium’s way of trying to seduce him; so he gives his servant Messenio his wallet for safekeeping and accompanies the courtesan into the house.
When he comes out later, having consumed the food that Menaechmus of Epidamnum ordered for himself and his parasite, Erotium gives him the robe so that he can have it altered for her. As he walks away, intent on selling the robe for his own gain, he is accosted by Peniculus, Menaechmus of Epidamnum’s parasite, indignant at having missed a banquet to which he was invited only a short time before and convinced that he was purposely affronted. Menaechmus Sosicles finally dismisses Peniculus with an insult, and the latter, believing himself grievously treated by his erstwhile benefactor, goes to Menaechmus of Epidamnum’s wife and reveals to her that her husband is not only keeping another woman but also gave his mistress his wife’s robe. When Peniculus finishes, Menaechmus of Epidamnum comes by on his way from the Forum to Erotium’s house, and, in concealment, the two overhear him soliloquizing in a way that substantiates Peniculus’s whole story. Satisfied with what she hears, the wife steps forward and accosts her husband. There follows a confused argument in which Menaechmus of Epidamnum alternates between dissembled ignorance regarding the theft of the robe and genuine dismay regarding his assumed presence at the banquet Erotium gave. At last, seeing that Peniculus revealed all, he agrees to get the robe and return it. When he goes to Erotium and, unaware that Menaechmus Sosicles already took the robe, tries to explain his dilemma, she assumes he is trying to defraud her, grows angry, and slams her door in his face.
Meanwhile, Menaechmus Sosicles, still carrying the robe, meets the angry wife, who assumes that he is Menaechmus of Epidamnum returning the robe as he promised. While the whole situation is still in confusion, the wife’s father arrives to take her part. Menaechmus Sosicles decides to feign madness to get rid of the two and is so successful in his attempt that they go off in search of a physician and men to restrain him.
When these people are assembled, they meet Menaechmus of Epidamnum instead of his brother. They are about to carry him off when Messenio happens along and, mistaking Menaechmus of Epidamnum for his brother, beats off the assailants. When the others flee, Messenio asks for his freedom in return for saving his “master’s” life; his request is granted by the amazed Menaechmus of Epidamnum, and Messenio goes off to collect his master’s belongings and to return them.
On the way, however, he meets Menaechmus Sosicles. Gradually the nature of the confusion comes to light. The two brothers finally confront each other and exchange their stories. Menaechmus of Epidamnum decides to sell his property and return to Syracuse with his brother. Messenio is freed again, this time by his own master, and is made auctioneer for the sale of the property. Everything is to be converted into cash, including Menaechmus of Epidamnum’s wife.
Bibliography
Beare, William. The Roman Stage. 1965. Reprint. London: Methuen, 1977. This introduction to the history of Latin drama has three chapters on Plautus. Provides a quick overview of his life and work. Useful as background.
Candido, Joseph. “Dining Out in Ephesus: Food in The Comedy of Errors.” Studies in English Literature 30, no. 2 (Spring, 1990): 217-241. Focused on the Shakespeare play based on The Menaechmi, this article explains the significance of food in both plays and sheds light on Plautus’s play.
Duckworth, George. The Nature of Roman Comedy: A Study in Popular Entertainment. 2d ed. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1994. The classic study of Roman comedy. Provides a comprehensive introduction to Latin playwrights, including Plautus.
Fraenkel, Eduard. Plautine Elements in Plautus. Translated by Tomas Drevikovsky and Frances Muecke. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. This is the first English translation of a German study initially published in 1922. Fraenkel, an influential twentieth century classicist, provides an analytical overview of Plautus’s plays, including their motifs of transformation and identification, mythological material, dialogue, and the predominance of the slave’s role.
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.
McCarthy, Kathleen. Slaves, Masters, and the Art of Authority in Plautine Comedy. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2000. Analyzes four of Plautus’s plays, including The Menaechmi, focusing on audience reactions to the heroic trickster characters. McCarthy maintains that the plays derive their comedy from the conflict between their naturalistic and farcical elements.
Plautus. Menaechmi. Introduction by A. S. Gratwick. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. The English-language introduction to the Latin-language play is comprehensive, containing information on Plautus, the play, and how to scan Latin verse.
Segal, Erich. Roman Laughter: The Comedy of Plautus. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1968. Organized by topics. Argues that all of Plautus’s comedies were meant to make the Romans laugh by reversing Roman values on stage. This study is often quoted in articles about Plautus.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗, ed. Oxford Readings in Menander, Plautus, and Terence. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Includes essays on Plautus and the public stage, the response of Plautus’s audience, and traditions, theatrical improvisation, and mastery of comic language in his plays. Erich Segal’s essay, “Menaechmi: Roman Comedy of Errors,” analyzes this play.