THE DRAMATIC VALUES IN PLAUTUS

duenna Scapha. Philolaches stands on the other side of the stage
and' interjects remarks :
" PHILEM. Look at me please, · Scapha dear ; is this gown
becoming ? I want to please Philolaches, the apple of my eye. . . .
SC. Why deck yourself out, when your charm lies in your
charming manners ? It isn't gowns that lovers love, but what
bellies out the gowns.
PHILO. (Aside.) God bless me, but Scapha's clever ; the
hussy has horse-sense.
PHILEM. (Pettishly.) Well, then ?
SC. What is it ?
PHILEM. Look me over anyhow and see how this becomes me .
SC. The grace of your figure makes everything you wear
becoming.
PHILO. (Aside.) Now for that speech, Scapha, I'll give you
some present before the day is out"-and so on for a whole long
scene.
The quips are amusing in an evident burlesque spirit. Such a
scene was easily done on the broad Roman stage, whether it was a
heritage from the use of the orchestra in Greek comedy, as LeGrand
thinks,26 or not. In similar vein, clever by-play on the part of the
cunning Palaestrio would make a capital scene out of Mil. 103 7 ff.21
A perfectly unnatural but utterly amusing scene of the same type
is Amph. 1 5 3-262, where Mercury apostrophizes his fists, and the
quaking Sosia (cross-stage) is frightened to a jelly at the prospect of
his early demise. In Cap . 966, Hegio, staid gentleman that he is,
introduces an exceeding "rough "remark in the middle of a serious
scene. The aside of Pseudolus in Ps. 636 f. could be rendered as a
good-natured burlesque as follows :
"HARPAX. What's your name ?
. PS. (Hopping forward and addressing audience with hand over
mouth,) The pander has a slave named Surus . I'll say I'm he.
(Hopping back and addressing Harpax.) I'm Surus." Many
other scenes were doubtless rendered by one character's thus
stepping aside and confiding his ideas to the spctators, as for
example Aul. 194 ff. and Trin. 89 5 ff. Often our characters blurt
out their inmost thoughts to the public, as in Cas. 93 7 ff., with eaves­
droppers conveniently placed, else what would become of the plot ?
26Daos, p. 431 fl. See Dieterich, Pulcinella, PI. II. Note esp. As. 851 fl.
27Cf. Per. 81 fl., 599 fl., Poen. 210 fl., et ai.
52