Short Stories, Irish literature, Classics, Modern Fiction, Contemporary Literary Fiction, The Japanese Novel, Post Colonial Asian Fiction, The Legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and quality Historical Novels are Among my Interests








Friday, October 13, 2023

The Girl from Andros - A Play first preformed in 186 BCE - by Terence - Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Peter Brown -2006


 The Girl from Andros is a Roman comedy play by Terence, which was adapted from the Greek play Andria by Menander. It was first performed in 166 BC, and was one of Terence's most popular plays.


The play tells the story of Pamphilus, a young man who is in love with Glycerium, a beautiful slave girl from Andros. Pamphilus's father, Simo, has arranged for him to marry Philumena, the daughter of a wealthy friend. Pamphilus is torn between his love for Glycerium and his duty to his family.


In the end, Pamphilus is able to marry Glycerium, after it is revealed that she is actually a free citizen. The play ends with Simo and Philumena reconciling, and Pamphilus and Glycerium living happily ever after.

"Terence (c. 195/185 – c. 159? BC), better known in English as Terence (/ˈtɛrəns/), was an African Roman playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought Terence to Rome as a slave, educated him and later on, impressed by his abilities, freed him. It is thought that Terence abruptly died, around the age of 25, likely in Greece or on his way back to Rome, due to shipwreck or disease. He was supposedly on his way to explore and find inspiration for his comedies.


Terence wrote six comedies, all of which are extant:


The Girl from Andros (Andria)

The Mother-in-Law (Hecyra)

The Self-Tormentor (Heautontimorumenos)

The Eunuch (Eunuchus)

Phormio (Phormio)

The Brothers (Adelphi)

Terence's comedies were adapted from Greek New Comedy, but he made a number of changes to his originals. His plays are more refined and less slapstick than those of his predecessor Plautus. Terence also focused more on character development and psychological realism." From Bard





1 comment:

Buried In Print said...

Is this part of a new/old reading project, or was it just a whimsical choice?