THE DRAMATIC VALUES IN PLAUTUS

PART II
AN ANALYSIS OF THE DRA MA TI C VA LUES IN PLA UTUS
THE salient features that characterize the plays of Plautus
include both his consciously employed means of producing his
comic effects, and the peculiarities and abnormalities that evidence
his attitude of mind in writing them. We should make bold to
catalogue them as follows :
1. Machinery characteristic of the lower types of modern drama
-farce, low comedy, musical comedy, burlesque shows, vaudeville,
and the like.
A. Devices self-evident from the text.
I. Bombast and mock-heroics.
2. Horse-play and slap-sticks.
3. Burlesque, farce and extravagance of situation and
dialogue.
a. True burlesque.
b. True farce.
c. Extravagances obviously unnatural and merely for
the sake of fun.
E. Devices absurd and inexplicable unless interpreted in a
broad farcical spirit.
("""1 ) The running slave.
2. Wilful blindness.
3. Adventitious entrance.
II. Evidences of loose composition which prove a disregard of
technique and hence indicate that entertainment was the sole aim.
A. Solo speeches and passages.
I. Asides and soliloquies.
'i Lengthy monodies, monologues and episodical specialties.
3. Direct address of the audience.
B. Inconsistencies and carelessness of composition.
(I . Pointless badinage and padded scenes.
2 . Iconsistencies of character and situation.
3. Looseness of dramatic construction.
I 4. Roman admixture and topical allusions.
5 . Jokes on the dramatic machinery.
6. Use of stock plots and characters.
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