Epidicus

Characters

• Epidicus – slave to Periphanes.
• Thesprio – another slave, armour bearer of Stratippocles.
• Stratippocles – a young Athenian, son of Periphanes; he is summoned to war in Thebes between the Athenians and Thebans. Has his slave, Epidicus, purchase a slave girl, Acropolistis, after he leaves for war. Once in Thebes, however, he falls in love with another girl, Telestis, whom he purchases on borrowed money.
• Chaeribulus – agemate and friend of Stratippocles
• Periphanes – a widowed Athenian gentleman who has an unmarried son, Stratippocles. He had a relationship with a Theban woman, Philippa and had an illegitimate daughter, Telestis, who lives with her mother in Thebes.
• Apoecides – a neighbour and friend of Periphanes
• Soldier – a wealthy young soldier who is in love with Acropolistis and wishes to purchase her
• Philippa – a woman formerly seduced by Periphanes. A woman of Thebes who has an illegitimate daughter, Telestis.
• Acropolistis – a music girl; the first girl that Stratippocles falls in love with; plays as if she is Periphanes' daughter
• Music girl – another music girl, who is hired temporarily by Epidicus to help with his trick.
• Money-lender – lends Stratippocles the money to purchase Telestis
• Telestis – illegitimate daughter of Periphanes and Philippa who is captured in the war.

Plot

Epidicus is a slave who looks only to please those he serves. Stratippocles, the son of Epidicus' master Periphanes, has fallen in love with Acropolistis, a female slave. While Stratippocles is away in Thebes fighting in a war, he orders Epidicus to find the money to buy her. Epidicus tricks Periphanes into purchasing Acropolistis by convincing him that this girl is Periphanes' daughter Telestis, born out of wedlock with a woman named Philippa. Periphanes hasn't seen Telestis in many years, and Epidicus tells him that she was captured in Thebes and brought to Athens. Believing this young woman is his daughter, Periphanes willingly hands over the money.

The play starts when Stratippocles returns from the war, having lost his shield (the act of a coward), and bringing a captive girl he has fallen in love with. Stratippocles has borrowed forty minae from a money-lender to purchase this new girl. When Epidicus tells him that while he was away he has carried out his wishes and purchased the girl as instructed, Stratippocles callously informs him he has wasted his time since he is now in love with someone else. Since his friend Chaeribulus refuses to help him, Stratippocles orders Epidicus to find the money that same day, threatening to severely punish him if he does not succeed. Meanwhile, preferring not to meet his father, he stays in Chaeribulus's house.

In order to convince Periphanes to give him more money, Epidicus tells him that Stratippocles is about to purchase a music-girl in order to marry her. Epidicus urges Periphanes to purchase the girl before Stratippocles can, so that the marriage can be avoided; he adds that he can then sell the girl to a certain soldier who loves her and make a profit. Periphanes agrees to give his slave the money. Once the money is received, Epidicus gives it to Stratippocles. Epidicus then hires a different music-girl to act as if she were Stratippocles' girlfriend and brings her to Periphanes' house.

The soldier who is enamored with Acropolistis comes to Periphanes' home in hopes of convincing Periphanes to allow him to purchase her. However, when the hired music girl is brought out, he realizes that the she is not Acropolistis, and he refuses to buy her. Shortly afterwards, Philippa, Telestis's mother, shows up at Periphanes' home looking for her daughter, since she heard she was brought to Athens as a captive. Periphanes assures Philippa that their daughter, Telestis, is safe inside. When the girl he thinks is Telestis is presented to Philippa, she instantly knows it is not her daughter. Epidicus is about to be severely punished because of his double deceit.

At this moment, however, the captive that Stratippocles purchased while away is brought to him by the money lender. While Stratippocles goes inside to fetch the money, Epidicus recognizes her to be Periphanes' daughter, Telestis. Overwhelmed and confused, Periphanes finally meets his daughter for the first time. Stratippocles, upset about the "loss" of his love due to her being his half-sister, is comforted by Acropolistis, the original slave girl whom Epidicus purchased. Epidicus is quickly forgiven for his trickery, and is freed from slavery for his help in reuniting a father and daughter.

Metrical structure

Plautus's plays are traditionally divided into five acts; these are referred to below for convenience, since many editions make use of them. However, it is not thought that they go back to Plautus's time, since no manuscript contains them before the 15th century. Also, the acts themselves do not always match the structure of the plays, which is often more clearly shown by the variation in metres.

From a metrical point of view, Plautus's plays are generally made up of (A) iambic senarii (unaccompanied), (B) songs in various metres, and (C) trochaic septenarii (sung or recited to music), usually in that order. Epidicus is slightly different, however, since the first three sections have no iambic senarii, but begin directly with music: :BC, BC, BBC, ABB, ABC

The fourth section, instead of the usual trochaic septenarii, ends with 41 lines of iambic septenarii, a metre sometimes called the "laughing metre", appropriate for moments of gleeful emotion. Another unusual feature is the 7 lines of the lyrical wilamowitzianus metre (533–536), used where Philippa and Periphanes see each other for the first time in many years.

Epidicus hears troubling news

• Act 1.1 (1-79): mixed metres (tr7, ia-tr, ia8) (79 lines) :: The slave Epidicus catches up with his master's armour-bearer, Thesprio, in the street, having chased after him from the port. Thesprio tells him that their young master Stratippocles has lost his armour in the battle, but has borrowed 40 minae to buy a certain female captive. This news alarms Epidicus, since before Stratippocles went away he had ordered Epidicus to purchase a certain music-girl, and Epidicus had done this by tricking Stratippocles' father into thinking that the girl was his long-lost daughter.

• Act 1.1 (cont.) (80–84): trochaic septenarii (5 lines)

Epidicus is ordered to find some money

• Act 1.1 (cont.) (85–98): cretics mixed with trochaic septenarii (14 lines)

• Act 1.1 (cont.) (99-165): trochaic septenarii (65 lines) + ia8 (2 lines)

Epidicus tricks Periphanes

• Act 1.2 (cont.)–2.2 (166-178): mostly cretic (13 lines)

• Act 1.2 (cont.)–2.2 (179-195): mostly iambic (ia8, ia4, tr7) (17 lines)

• Act 2.2 (196-305): trochaic septenarii (110 lines)

Epidicus gives the money to Stratippocles

• Act 2.3 (306-319): iambic senarii (14 lines) :: When they have gone, Epidicus boasts how easy it is to cheat Periphanes. Periphanes has even ordered a music girl to be hired for a sacrifice, so the same girl will do for Epidicus's trick.

• Act 3.1–3.2 (320-340): mixed metres (cr, ia-tr, aeolics) (21 lines) :: Stratippocles and Chaeribulus come out from Chaeribulus's house. Stratippocles is anxious to know whether Epidicus has managed to find the money, and he chides Chaeribulus for being so unhelpful.

• Act 3.1–3.2 (341-381): iambic septenarii (41 lines)

Epidicus escapes punishment

• Act 3.3–3.4 (382-525): iambic senarii (144 lines) :: Periphanes comes from his house congratulating himself on his success. He meets his friend Apoecides, who is bringing a music girl, under the illusion that she is Stratippocles' mistress. He tells Periphanes that the girl doesn't know that she has been purchased by Periphanes, but thinks she has been hired to play at a sacrifice in Periphanes' house. Periphanes orders for her to be taken inside but not allowed to meet the other girl, who he imagines is his daughter.

• Act 4.1 (526-546): mixed metres (tr8, ba, ia8, wil, an, cr, tr) (21 lines) :: A woman (Philippa) arrives, looking for Periphanes. Periphanes isn't sure but thinks he recognises her as the women he once raped in Epidaurus.

• Act 4.1 (cont.)–5.2 (547-733): trochaic septenarii (187 lines) :: They greet each other, and she tells him her daughter was made a captive in the recent war. Periphanes reassures her that her daughter is safe in the house. He brings Acropolistis outside, but of course Philippa does not recognise her. He is furious to realise that he has been tricked by Epidicus yet again. He sends the women indoors and goes to look for Epidicus.

References

References

1. Lewis and Short, ''A Latin Dictionary''.
2. Merrill, F. R. (1972). ''Titi Macci Plauti Mostellaria'', p. xix.
3. Moore, Timothy J. (2012), ''Music in Roman Comedy''. Cambridge University Press, pp. 237-42, 253-8, 305-8, 367-71.
4. J.F. Mountford, article "Metre, Latin", The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 2nd edition, p. 684.
5. For details of the metres line by line see: [https://romancomedy.wustl.edu/ Database by Timothy J. Moore of ''The Meters of Roman Comedy''], Washington University in St Louis.