Terence, Adelphoe [The Brothers]

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 -160

Places

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

Genres and Modes

Comedy
Play

Resources

Terence's Adelphoe, an adaptation of a lost play by Menander (ca 344/3-292/1 BCE: for the relationship between Terence and his Greek source see Grant (1975) and Lowe (1998)), debuted in 160 BCE at funeral games held in honor of the renowned Roman general Lucius Aemilius Paullus by his sons. The occasion of the performance was thus especially appropriate for a play about father ~ son relationships. The debut of Adelphoe also fell within a period of enormous cultural change, as Rome was now effectively master of the Mediterranean basin, and foreign influences and new wealth were pouring into the city.

The play features a pair of brothers, Demea and Micio, whose character and parenting philosophies are …

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1460 words

Citation: Christenson, David M.. "Adelphoe". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 May 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13476, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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