THE: Lesson - Reading Plautus in Translation

A line drawing of the playwright Plautus with the title Plautus Comicus.Reading Plautus in Translation

It's finally time to read a play! We are going to read a play by the comic playwright Plautus called Captivi (The Captives). This play was written around the year 200 BCE. As you read this play, pay attention to the features we've discussed up to this point:

  • Stock characters (the old man, the clever slave, the heroic young man, etc.)
  • Stock plots (mistaken identity, complicated love scenarios, etc.)
  • Happy ending (the basic definition of comedy)
  • Poetic style (remember that Plautus' plays are a mixture of dialogue and songs)

Download Handouts

Please download the Translation of Captivi (The Captives) by Plautus Links to an external site.. This will be our main resource in gathering basic information about the structure, style, form, and function of Plautus' writing. Be sure to contact your instructor for any additional help with the content.

Finally, download the Plautus English Reading Guide Links to an external site. document to provide you with some guided note-taking questions.

Characters

  • HEGIO, an Aetolian, father of Philopolemus.
  • PHILOCRATES, an Elean, captive in Aetolia.
  • TYNDARUS, Philocrates' servant.
  • ARISTOPHONTES, an Elean, captive in Aetolia.
  • PHILOPOLEMUS, an Aetolian, captive in Elis (son of Hegio).
  • ERGASILUS, a Parasite.
  • STALAGAMUS, the servant of Hegio.
  • A SLAVE of Hegio.
  • A LAD, the same.

Plot Synopsis

There is a war between two Greek territories (the Eleans from Elis and the Aetolians from Aetolia). Philocrates and his slave Tyndarus, who are Elean, have been captured in the war. An Aetolian man named Hegio buys the two as slaves, hoping to trade them for his own son, Philopolemus, who is a captive in Elis.

Another Elean, named Aristophontes, was also captured in the war. Tyndarus attempts to trick Hegio, and when his deception is discovered, Hegio sends Tyndarus to the quarries, where he must complete backbreaking labor.

Another slave, Ergasilus, acting as a parasite, attempts to get a free meal from Hegio by letting the old man know that his son (Philopolemus) has returned to Aetolia. One last slave, Stalagmus, who sold Hegio's son into captivity when the child was four years old, admits his crime.

This leads to the discovery that Tyndarus is actually that stolen son, and so the play ends with Hegio, Philopolemus, and Tyndarus happily reunited.

Audio Version

Below you will find five audio recordings covering the five acts of Plautus' The Captives. These recordings are shared from LibriVox Recordings (via a Creative Commons license) and are based on the translation of Henry T. Riley. The audio provided is the same translation as the one provided in print above. You can choose either method (reading or listening - or both!), but you must be able to complete the reading guide based on your understanding of the play.

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Act 5

[CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Links to an external site.] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION - INTENDED ONLY FOR USE WITHIN LESSON.