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HS Assignment
HS Assignment
Kindly address the ways in which Plautus addresses the theme of slavery in his roman plays.
Roman households included not only kinsmen dependent on the head of the family but also slaves.
Slavery was extremely common in ancient Rome. In fact, 25% of the population was thought to be
slaves. But the complications of roman slavery were such that a woman might gain more prestige by
marrying a slave than a free person, and that slaves and ex-slaves might be more highly educated and
enjoy greater economic security than the freeborn poor. Slavery has been shown as a sad reality of
those times when slaves had to please their masters at any cost – even by doing things that were
entirely immoral and unnecessary.
Slaves, in Plautus, lived fairly decent lives, provided they obeyed their master and remained faithful.
The role of Slavery in the play The Brothers Menaechmus has been both used as a practice and a symbol
– the former indicating a practice where a certain section of people would serve under their masters and
did all sort of work for them sometimes even that of a spinner, weaver, attendants etc while the latter
suggest that each and every character of the play is a slave of something. Slavery as a theme is present
throughout the play as the characters are slaves of someone or something.
As a practical example of slavery we find that Messenio is Menaechmus II’s slave and does whatever he
commands him. Although this example of a slave is that of an intelligent, clever and loyal slave. Loyalty
is not something that slaves always possess. He is a one with practical knowledge. One of the reasons
why he does everything faithfully and well is because he dislikes being beaten. His quality of good
intellect is presented throughout the play; from the beginning, where he warns his master to be very
cautious because the soil they landed on is full of cheaters, till the end where he helps the twins to
recognize each other and reunites them. He also proves his loyalty by helping rescue Menaechmus of
Epidamnus, mistaking him for his own master, when four servants tried to carry him off.
Apart from him the other characters are also slaves to something or the other. For instance Peniculus
who is a slave to his appetite and wants to be invited to the feast by any means so that he can have as
much food as he wishes. He is given the name ‘sponge’ because of his habit of always clearing up the
table of food. He is an example of that of an unfaithful slave because as long as he is provided with food
he keeps his mouth shut but at the moment he feels that he is not allowed to the feast by menaechmus
he tells all the doings of Menaechmus to his wife. He is so addicted to food that he explains that people
don’t need to be enslaved to stay put; rather, if you just feed them and provide them all the drink they
want, they’ll stay by your side no matter what.
The real Menaechmus is a slave to his social life and responsibilities and is seen to be always anxious of
maintaining his image as a wealthy gentleman. Whenever his expectations are not met with, he feels
that he should do something and adopts a twisted way to achieve that particular thing. He tries to
balance his married life and his life with Erotium to achieve perfection which makes him undergo a lot of
anxiety and confusion. He is even a slave of Erotium because he goes to her just to fulfill his sexual
desires
His twin brother Menaechmus II is enslaved by his search for the lost brother whom he has been
searching for six years and that has given him very little mental peace. He depicts the example of loyalty.
Even the female characters in the play are enslaved by some or the other thing. The wife is enslaved of
her passion of keeping her husband under her control. Erotium is dependent on real Menaechmus just
for his wealth and luxuries.