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

ECKARD LEFÈVRE, ASIDES IN NEW COMEDY AND THE PALLIATA
269 hisce hoc munere arbitrantur
270 suam Thaidem esse.
This aside is completely integrated into the action. A little later, when the two
tease each other, the double aside is used in a very prominent way (type Ib):
274 GN. uro hominem. PA. ut falsus animist.
This exchange—just like the complete dialogue—sounds more like a Roman
argument than a text by Menander. It could be derived from Plautus. On the other
hand, Parmeno’s next comment on Chaereas’ appearance in II 3 is once again
integrated into the action and without any comic effect (type IIa):
297 ecce autem alterum!
nescioquid de amore loquitur: o infortunatum senem!
hic vero est qui si occeperit,
300 ludum iocumque dices fuisse illum alterum,
praeut huius rabies quae dabit.
It continues like that.
Asides are used with virtuosity in III 1 when Parmeno comments on the
dialogue between Thraso and Gnatho (type IIa) and Gnatho on his part endows
Thraso’s remarks with mocking asides (type Ib). It cannot be proved in this
context, but it seems that this dialogue on three levels owes a lot to Terence, who
obviously follows in Plautus’ footsteps. The same holds true for the ‘besiegingscene’,
IV 7. Whatever occupies the same place in Menander, the parasite there
probably has hardly any reason to exclaim about his coward ‘employer’ (type Ib):
782 illuc est sapere: ut hosce instruxit, ipsus sibi cavit loco.
Even if in places Terence composes in a ‘Plautine’ manner, on the whole, he
differs from his predecessor.
2. Nša
Of course, using asides is no Plautine invention. 21 It is a sign of vivid drama
in general, including Menander’s. Nevertheless there are big differences between
Plautus and Menander in this point as well as in others. It is like emerging from
the noisy activity in a suburb and entering the well-ordered world of the
bourgeoisie.
In Samia the characters speak in asides several times. In the third act the cook
has four asides during the serious quarrel between Chrysis and Demeas (type
IIa): 22
375 toioàt' Ãn tÕ kakÒn: manq£nw.
(So that’s what caused the trouble! [Now] I understand!)
383 tÕ pr©gm' Ñrg» tij st…n: prositšon.
(What happened is a row. I must come forward.)
21 It is, however, «un potente e diversificato espediente in Plauto» (Slater 1999, xxviii).
22 The English translation of Menander follows W.G. Arnott (ed.), Menander III (Cambridge,
Mass., and London 2000).
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