Roman Comedy V: Plautus’s Bacchides, or Parent Trap

Posted byTriumvir ClioPosted inRoman Comedy, The Romans

This is Bacchis. And this is her sister Bacchis. Confused yet?

Here are some clips from Bacchides that give you a sense of what it might have looked like when performed in Rome and how it can be made slightly more accessible when translated into English.

In Latin. Maybe how it would have appeared in ancient Rome. Except for the women.
In English, but with all the trappings of an ancient play
In English, but no masks, which may or may not be a plus in this production
Discussion Prompts
  1. What do you think happens in the missing first scene(s)?
  2. How would you handle this play if you were directing it today? The usual when/where/why, but also how would you deal with the missing opening?
  3. What does this play tell us about the worship of Bacchus?
  4. Does it matter that the worship of Bacchus was frequently gynocentric? Why or why not?
  5. Bacchis and Bacchis don’t appear much in what survives of this play. Why do you think it’s named after them?

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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