Asides in New Comedy and the Palliata - Leeds International ...

ECKARD LEFÈVRE, ASIDES IN NEW COMEDY AND THE PALLIATA
Naudet comments on this remark as follows: 16
At considera poetæ artificium in hac scena, quantis miseriis laboret suspicax,
trepidus, omnia tuta timens 17 ille auri occultator, et quam stulte, perturbante
animum sollicitudine, ipse suomet indicio thesaurum prodat, dum nihil
defossum habere se gestit profiteri, et occupat prævertere nil tale quæritantem.
Hæc non Plautus fingit, natura ipsa loquitur.
To make the point clearer, it might be added: haec neque poeta quidam Graecus
finxit. A little later Euclio says:
188 anus hercle huic indicium fecit de auro, perspicue palam est,
quoi ego iam linguam praecidam atque oculos ecfodiam domi.
On the whole, Euclio has six asides of this kind in little more than 30 lines: 184-5,
188-9, 194-8, 200-2, 207-8, 216. The large number alone makes it clear that one
has entered the world of farce.
In III 5 Megadorus delivers a long monologue on the luxuries of women,
which brings to mind the argument over the lex Oppia. It gains a distinct profile
through Euclio’s comments, which are not noticed by Megadorus (type IIa). The
three asides (496-7, 503-4 and 523-4) of the secret listener increase the comic
effect that is inherent in the speech alone already.
496 ita di me amabunt ut ego hunc ausculto lubens.
nimis lepide fecit verba ad parsimonia.
503 ut matronarum hic facta pernovit probe!
moribus praefectum mulierum hunc factum velim.
523 compellarem ego illum, ni metuam ne desinat
memorare mores mulierum: nunc sic sinam.
Whereas in II 2 Euclio comments on Megadorus’ words by means of asides during
the dialogue itself (type Ib), he voices his views on them unnoticed in III 5 (type
IIa).
In III 6 Euclio once again behaves in the manner typical of him and comments
on his partner’s remarks in comic asides (type Ib). Once again Megadorus is his
victim. In the first passage he uses the technique of relating an expression used by
Megadorus to his treasure (like in 188) and to throw suspicion on Staphyla (like
188-9):
547 illud mihi verbum non placet ‘quod nunc habes’.
tam hoc scit me habere quam egomet. anus fecit palam.
In the second passage he interprets a well-meant word of his partner in peiorem
partem, as he usually does:
574 scio quam rem agat:
575 ut me deponat vino, eam adfectat viam.
post hoc quod habeo ut commutet coloniam.
16 1830, 266.
17 Cf. Virgil, Aen. 4.298.
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