FOOTNOTES[1]Horace,Epist.I, 13: he mentions Pyrrha’s posture on the stage.[2]Terence,Hecyra, 15-20.[3]See Wessner,Aemilius Asper. E.g., the refusal of Charinus to win his love by unworthy threats (317), and Pamphilus’ refusal to take credit for a deed which he says a gentleman could not fail to perform (330). It should also be noticed that in thePerinthiaMenander had a scene of brutal slave-torturing which Terence took the liberty of eliminating.[4]Cf. especially Leo,Plaut. Forsch.chap. IV; Legrand,Daos, 490 ff.; Michaut,Plaute, II, 116 ff.; Wilamowitz,Menander, Das Schiedsgericht, 142 ff. A part of this chapter has appeared in theAm. Jour. Phil., 1928, 309.[5]One may add that if he was more explicit than one would think necessary he was perhaps giving aid to the many strangers that came to the theater in his day.[6]For other instances seeMiles, 238, 381, 767, 904, 1170;Pseud., 725;Casina, 683;Most., 662;Menaechmi, 831;Trin., 1137; cf. Legrand,Daos, 533 ff.[7]TheMerry Wives of Windsor, though it contains no prologue, is fully as explicit in the preparation of every incident—even the two basket-scenes—as any play of Plautus. Indeed most of Shakespeare’s plays give more attention to preparation than is customary on the stage today even though his plots were usually familiar ones. TheRomeo and Julieteven has a prologue which goes so far as to disclose the outcome.[8]The expository dialogue between the two slaves gives the immediate situation so plainly that aHeroswould hardly have been employed for the prologue except to reveal the secret hidden to the characters.[9]InClass. Phil.1916, 125 ff.; 1917, 405 ff.; 1918, 113 ff.; 1919, 108 ff.[10]TheEpidicusprobably once had a prologue (Wheeler,Am. Jour. Phil.1917, 264). One may suspect that the play in its present form—which requires as patient reading as theHecyra—was due to a post-Terentian revision. TheMercatorhas a prologue that does not reveal much of the plot but in the second act the outcome is hinted at by way of a dream. The play as we have it is a revision.[11]According to Donatus, Menander’s play also contained the marriage, but without objection on the part of Micio. Since in Terence Micio is represented as resisting, the marriage must have been considered as punishment.[12]TheHecyraaccording to Donatus was modeled upon a play of Apollodorus, but it is now clear that that play was in turn modeled upon Menander’sArbitrants. That Terence suppressed the prologue of Apollodorus is apparent from the comment of Donatus (who had a copy of the Greek play at hand) on 1.58:Hoc(the use ofprotatica prosopa)maluit Terentius quam per prologum narraret argumentum aut θεὸν ἀπὸ μηχανῆς induceret loqui. Since the list of characters and the beginning of Menander’sArbitrantsare lost, there may be some doubt regarding his use of preparation in this play, but since the whole play operates with “dramatic irony” and since Apollodorus had a prologue, it is more than likely that he “prepared” his audience here as elsewhere. At any rate Menander’s audience discover the owner of the finger ring in the second act.[13]I assume that Menander had revealed something about the escapades of Chremes’ own son in the prologue, since Chremes’ pretenses at knowing how to bring up children (152 ff.) were doubtless written in the first place to amuse an audience that foresaw his failure.[14]Leo,Gesch. Lit., 218, assumes that Caecilius had used the prologue for personal criticism; Euanthius III. 2 saysdeos argumentis narrandis machinatos ceteri Latini ad instar Graecorum habent, Terentius non habet, which of course does not exclude an occasional use of the personal prologue. After Terence, Afranius sometimes employs superhuman prologues (Priapus, Sapientia, and Remeligo), but he seems also to have used the prologue for personal statements in the manner of Terence (lines 25-8).
[1]Horace,Epist.I, 13: he mentions Pyrrha’s posture on the stage.
[1]Horace,Epist.I, 13: he mentions Pyrrha’s posture on the stage.
[2]Terence,Hecyra, 15-20.
[2]Terence,Hecyra, 15-20.
[3]See Wessner,Aemilius Asper. E.g., the refusal of Charinus to win his love by unworthy threats (317), and Pamphilus’ refusal to take credit for a deed which he says a gentleman could not fail to perform (330). It should also be noticed that in thePerinthiaMenander had a scene of brutal slave-torturing which Terence took the liberty of eliminating.
[3]See Wessner,Aemilius Asper. E.g., the refusal of Charinus to win his love by unworthy threats (317), and Pamphilus’ refusal to take credit for a deed which he says a gentleman could not fail to perform (330). It should also be noticed that in thePerinthiaMenander had a scene of brutal slave-torturing which Terence took the liberty of eliminating.
[4]Cf. especially Leo,Plaut. Forsch.chap. IV; Legrand,Daos, 490 ff.; Michaut,Plaute, II, 116 ff.; Wilamowitz,Menander, Das Schiedsgericht, 142 ff. A part of this chapter has appeared in theAm. Jour. Phil., 1928, 309.
[4]Cf. especially Leo,Plaut. Forsch.chap. IV; Legrand,Daos, 490 ff.; Michaut,Plaute, II, 116 ff.; Wilamowitz,Menander, Das Schiedsgericht, 142 ff. A part of this chapter has appeared in theAm. Jour. Phil., 1928, 309.
[5]One may add that if he was more explicit than one would think necessary he was perhaps giving aid to the many strangers that came to the theater in his day.
[5]One may add that if he was more explicit than one would think necessary he was perhaps giving aid to the many strangers that came to the theater in his day.
[6]For other instances seeMiles, 238, 381, 767, 904, 1170;Pseud., 725;Casina, 683;Most., 662;Menaechmi, 831;Trin., 1137; cf. Legrand,Daos, 533 ff.
[6]For other instances seeMiles, 238, 381, 767, 904, 1170;Pseud., 725;Casina, 683;Most., 662;Menaechmi, 831;Trin., 1137; cf. Legrand,Daos, 533 ff.
[7]TheMerry Wives of Windsor, though it contains no prologue, is fully as explicit in the preparation of every incident—even the two basket-scenes—as any play of Plautus. Indeed most of Shakespeare’s plays give more attention to preparation than is customary on the stage today even though his plots were usually familiar ones. TheRomeo and Julieteven has a prologue which goes so far as to disclose the outcome.
[7]TheMerry Wives of Windsor, though it contains no prologue, is fully as explicit in the preparation of every incident—even the two basket-scenes—as any play of Plautus. Indeed most of Shakespeare’s plays give more attention to preparation than is customary on the stage today even though his plots were usually familiar ones. TheRomeo and Julieteven has a prologue which goes so far as to disclose the outcome.
[8]The expository dialogue between the two slaves gives the immediate situation so plainly that aHeroswould hardly have been employed for the prologue except to reveal the secret hidden to the characters.
[8]The expository dialogue between the two slaves gives the immediate situation so plainly that aHeroswould hardly have been employed for the prologue except to reveal the secret hidden to the characters.
[9]InClass. Phil.1916, 125 ff.; 1917, 405 ff.; 1918, 113 ff.; 1919, 108 ff.
[9]InClass. Phil.1916, 125 ff.; 1917, 405 ff.; 1918, 113 ff.; 1919, 108 ff.
[10]TheEpidicusprobably once had a prologue (Wheeler,Am. Jour. Phil.1917, 264). One may suspect that the play in its present form—which requires as patient reading as theHecyra—was due to a post-Terentian revision. TheMercatorhas a prologue that does not reveal much of the plot but in the second act the outcome is hinted at by way of a dream. The play as we have it is a revision.
[10]TheEpidicusprobably once had a prologue (Wheeler,Am. Jour. Phil.1917, 264). One may suspect that the play in its present form—which requires as patient reading as theHecyra—was due to a post-Terentian revision. TheMercatorhas a prologue that does not reveal much of the plot but in the second act the outcome is hinted at by way of a dream. The play as we have it is a revision.
[11]According to Donatus, Menander’s play also contained the marriage, but without objection on the part of Micio. Since in Terence Micio is represented as resisting, the marriage must have been considered as punishment.
[11]According to Donatus, Menander’s play also contained the marriage, but without objection on the part of Micio. Since in Terence Micio is represented as resisting, the marriage must have been considered as punishment.
[12]TheHecyraaccording to Donatus was modeled upon a play of Apollodorus, but it is now clear that that play was in turn modeled upon Menander’sArbitrants. That Terence suppressed the prologue of Apollodorus is apparent from the comment of Donatus (who had a copy of the Greek play at hand) on 1.58:Hoc(the use ofprotatica prosopa)maluit Terentius quam per prologum narraret argumentum aut θεὸν ἀπὸ μηχανῆς induceret loqui. Since the list of characters and the beginning of Menander’sArbitrantsare lost, there may be some doubt regarding his use of preparation in this play, but since the whole play operates with “dramatic irony” and since Apollodorus had a prologue, it is more than likely that he “prepared” his audience here as elsewhere. At any rate Menander’s audience discover the owner of the finger ring in the second act.
[12]TheHecyraaccording to Donatus was modeled upon a play of Apollodorus, but it is now clear that that play was in turn modeled upon Menander’sArbitrants. That Terence suppressed the prologue of Apollodorus is apparent from the comment of Donatus (who had a copy of the Greek play at hand) on 1.58:Hoc(the use ofprotatica prosopa)maluit Terentius quam per prologum narraret argumentum aut θεὸν ἀπὸ μηχανῆς induceret loqui. Since the list of characters and the beginning of Menander’sArbitrantsare lost, there may be some doubt regarding his use of preparation in this play, but since the whole play operates with “dramatic irony” and since Apollodorus had a prologue, it is more than likely that he “prepared” his audience here as elsewhere. At any rate Menander’s audience discover the owner of the finger ring in the second act.
[13]I assume that Menander had revealed something about the escapades of Chremes’ own son in the prologue, since Chremes’ pretenses at knowing how to bring up children (152 ff.) were doubtless written in the first place to amuse an audience that foresaw his failure.
[13]I assume that Menander had revealed something about the escapades of Chremes’ own son in the prologue, since Chremes’ pretenses at knowing how to bring up children (152 ff.) were doubtless written in the first place to amuse an audience that foresaw his failure.
[14]Leo,Gesch. Lit., 218, assumes that Caecilius had used the prologue for personal criticism; Euanthius III. 2 saysdeos argumentis narrandis machinatos ceteri Latini ad instar Graecorum habent, Terentius non habet, which of course does not exclude an occasional use of the personal prologue. After Terence, Afranius sometimes employs superhuman prologues (Priapus, Sapientia, and Remeligo), but he seems also to have used the prologue for personal statements in the manner of Terence (lines 25-8).
[14]Leo,Gesch. Lit., 218, assumes that Caecilius had used the prologue for personal criticism; Euanthius III. 2 saysdeos argumentis narrandis machinatos ceteri Latini ad instar Graecorum habent, Terentius non habet, which of course does not exclude an occasional use of the personal prologue. After Terence, Afranius sometimes employs superhuman prologues (Priapus, Sapientia, and Remeligo), but he seems also to have used the prologue for personal statements in the manner of Terence (lines 25-8).