Titus Maccius Plautus, Captivi [The Prisoners]

David M. Christenson (University of Arizona)

Ed. by William John Dominik, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (The American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. -191 - c. -189

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Comedy
Play

Resources

Captivi is set (unusually for New Comedy) in the region of Aetolia on the mainland of Greece. The Aetolians had a history of conflict with Rome, and from 191 BCE until its defeat in 189 BCE, the Aetolian League was at war with the Romans. As was the case for many of Rome’s enemies, the Aetolians were stereotyped as treacherous and untrustworthy. Given these historical factors and the play’s emphasis on the theme of fides (“credibility,” “honor”), Captivi has been plausibly dated to the late 190s BCE, i.e. the latter years of Plautus’ career: see further Franko (1995).

The prologue of Captivi is most striking. The prologist stands beside two mute prisoners of war, Tyndarus and …

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1537 words

Citation: Christenson, David M.. "Captivi". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 May 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=26472, accessed 05 May 2024.]

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