Descriptors Used for Characters in Plautus’s Casina
Bekah Jackson
Research Question: To What Extent Does Plautus’s Casina Subvert and Affirm Roman Social Expectations and Stereotypes?
The play Casina follows Cleostrata and her husband Lysidamus who falls in love with their servant Casina and plans to marry her off to his servant so that he can have sex with her without his wife knowing. It is a Roman adaptation of a Greek play that takes the characters, basic plot, and setting but adapts them to represent Roman ideals. In this play, characters are able to both subvert and yet affirm Roman social expectations for men and women. The playwright Plautus plays with preconceptions that the audience had about comedy and the stock characters that are used and distorts them to create a reaction from his audience. By comparing and contrasting the representations of male and female characters we can see how this is successfully achieved.
Characters include:
Casina: Beautiful young girl, servant to Cleostrata
Cleostrata: Wife of Lysidamus, nagging wife and the clever trickster
Pardalisca: Cleostrata’s maid
Lysidamus: Husband of Cleostrata, head of the house and ‘young’ lover
Chalinus: Slave of Cleostrata
Alcesimus: Neighbour, friend of Lysidamus
Olympio: Slave of Lysidamus
Analysing the words used to describe characters allows us to see the different ways male and female characters have been presented. As this play was popular we can assume that audiences agreed with the stereotypes and ideals being performed. When looking at the way women have been described it is important to keep in mind that these characters were written and played by men and therefore reflect the beliefs of men. Plautus is able to subvert stereotypes at the beginning of the play as in the end characters revert back to their correct roles allowing for the audience to be amused and understand that it is easier to follow conventional social expectations.
The word tree I have created shows descriptors used for each character listed in order of mention. Male characters are coloured in blue while female characters are coloured in pink. When you click on a character name and a word is larger, it means it was used to describe the character more than once. Looking through the word tree shows the two different sides of characters that Plautus portrays. The words used to describe characters such as Cleostrata and Lysidamus change from beginning of the play to the end. Cleostrata is first described as a silly and distressed woman, fitting well into the stereotype of the nagging wife. However, after tricking her husband she recognises that she should step into the role of a good wife and is described as amiable at the end. Similarly, Lysidamus has many negative qualities described as he is acting as though he is a young man in love. But, in the end he reverts into the ‘correct’ role and is described as a ‘good man’. When playing around with the word tree below instances of this can be seen. It also helps to demonstrate the differences in what are considered ideal or stereotypical characteristics for men and women.
The play Casina follows Cleostrata and her husband Lysidamus who falls in love with their servant Casina and plans to marry her off to his servant so that he can have sex with her without his wife knowing. It is a Roman adaptation of a Greek play that takes the characters, basic plot, and setting but adapts them to represent Roman ideals. In this play, characters are able to both subvert and yet affirm Roman social expectations for men and women. The playwright Plautus plays with preconceptions that the audience had about comedy and the stock characters that are used and distorts them to create a reaction from his audience. By comparing and contrasting the representations of male and female characters we can see how this is successfully achieved.
Characters include:
Casina: Beautiful young girl, servant to Cleostrata
Cleostrata: Wife of Lysidamus, nagging wife and the clever trickster
Pardalisca: Cleostrata’s maid
Lysidamus: Husband of Cleostrata, head of the house and ‘young’ lover
Chalinus: Slave of Cleostrata
Alcesimus: Neighbour, friend of Lysidamus
Olympio: Slave of Lysidamus
Analysing the words used to describe characters allows us to see the different ways male and female characters have been presented. As this play was popular we can assume that audiences agreed with the stereotypes and ideals being performed. When looking at the way women have been described it is important to keep in mind that these characters were written and played by men and therefore reflect the beliefs of men. Plautus is able to subvert stereotypes at the beginning of the play as in the end characters revert back to their correct roles allowing for the audience to be amused and understand that it is easier to follow conventional social expectations.
The word tree I have created shows descriptors used for each character listed in order of mention. Male characters are coloured in blue while female characters are coloured in pink. When you click on a character name and a word is larger, it means it was used to describe the character more than once. Looking through the word tree shows the two different sides of characters that Plautus portrays. The words used to describe characters such as Cleostrata and Lysidamus change from beginning of the play to the end. Cleostrata is first described as a silly and distressed woman, fitting well into the stereotype of the nagging wife. However, after tricking her husband she recognises that she should step into the role of a good wife and is described as amiable at the end. Similarly, Lysidamus has many negative qualities described as he is acting as though he is a young man in love. But, in the end he reverts into the ‘correct’ role and is described as a ‘good man’. When playing around with the word tree below instances of this can be seen. It also helps to demonstrate the differences in what are considered ideal or stereotypical characteristics for men and women.
Looking at the descriptors used for male and female characters gives insight into the social expectations and stereotypes that existed for men and women during the Roman empire. The word tree shows the two different sides characters are presented as having and how in the end, the roles deemed correct are reverted to. By ending this way, Plautus can play around with altering gender stereotypes and roles for shock value while still sending the message that there are correct ways men and women should act. Further information about this play and how it communicates gender can be found below, including a link to a translation of the play.
Bibliography
● Cody, Jane M. “The ‘Senex Amator’ in Plautus’ Casina.” Hermes 104, no. 4 (1976): 453–76. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4475982.
● Forehand, Walter E. “PLAUTUS’ ‘CASINA’: AN EXPLICATION.” Arethusa 6, no. 2 (1973): 233–56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26307433.
● Franko, George Fredric. Greek and Roman Comedy : Translations and Interpretations of Four Representative Plays. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001. ProQuest Ebook Central.
● Packman, Z. M. “Feminine Role Designations in the Comedies of Plautus.” The American Journal of Philology 120, no. 2 (1999): 245–58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1561866.
● Plautus and Titus Maccius. Plautus. Perseus Digital Library. http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi006.perseus-eng1:prologue.0
Bibliography
● Cody, Jane M. “The ‘Senex Amator’ in Plautus’ Casina.” Hermes 104, no. 4 (1976): 453–76. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4475982.
● Forehand, Walter E. “PLAUTUS’ ‘CASINA’: AN EXPLICATION.” Arethusa 6, no. 2 (1973): 233–56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26307433.
● Franko, George Fredric. Greek and Roman Comedy : Translations and Interpretations of Four Representative Plays. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001. ProQuest Ebook Central.
● Packman, Z. M. “Feminine Role Designations in the Comedies of Plautus.” The American Journal of Philology 120, no. 2 (1999): 245–58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1561866.
● Plautus and Titus Maccius. Plautus. Perseus Digital Library. http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi006.perseus-eng1:prologue.0