Roman Comedy II: Plautus’s Miles Gloriosus, or That Soldier from Funny Thing… Forum’s Backstory

Posted byTriumvir ClioPosted inRoman Comedy, The Romans

You may know Miles Gloriosus as the braggart soldier in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. This play is the source material for that character.

It’s not the whole song, but it’s a pretty good performance and gives a good idea of the stock character that is the “miles gloriosus.”
Discussion Prompts
  1. What other plays does this remind you of? Why?
  2. If you were directing this play, where/when would you set it? Why? Who would be in your dream cast?
  3. What are your thoughts on the stock character of the miles gloriosus?
  4. Most of the characters are slaves and “working girls,” and they are all smarter than the title character. What does this say about status and intelligence? What does this say about women and slaves?
  5. Are there any plot points that can be eliminated without hurting the storyline? If so, what are they? How would you rewrite this story?

Published by Triumvir Clio

I have a BA in History and Classical Civilization from Loyola University Chicago and an MPH from Western Michigan University. I've been a geometry teacher, a religion teacher, a writing tutor. I'm a writer, a knitter, a dancer, a singer, an actor. And, yes, for fun I like to reread everything that was assigned while getting my classics degree.

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