Terence, Adelphoe [The Brothers]

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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 …

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 29 March 2024.]

13476 Adelphoe 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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