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?©, Wilton Wallace, 1884-1949

"The Dramatic Values in Plautus"

_ 731 ff. _quippini_, in
_Ps._ 484 ff. {~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH TONOS~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}, in _Rud._ 1212 ff. _licet_ and 1269 ff.
_censeo_. The last two examples are the lengthiest.[123]
The third of these motives is the introduction of clearly unnatural
dialogue, wholly incidental and foreign to the action, for the sake of
lugging in a joke. The _As._ (38 ff.) yields the following conversation
between Demaenetus _senex_ and his slave Libanus:
"LI. By all that's holy, as a favor to me, spit out the words you have
uttered.
DE. All right, I'll be glad to oblige you. (_Coughs._)
LI. Now, now, get it right up! (_Pats him on the back._)
DE. More? (_Coughs._)
LI. Gad, yes, please! Right from the bottom of your throat: more still!
(_Pats._)
DE. Well, how far down then?
LI. (_Unguardedly._) Down to Hades is my wish!
DE. I say, look out for trouble!
LI. (_Diplomatically._) For your wife, I mean, not for you.
DE. For that speech I bestow upon you freedom from punishment."[124]
The childish bandying of words in _Truc._ 858 ff. is egregiously tiresome
in the reading, but in action could have been made to produce a modicum of
amusement if presented in the broad burlesque spirit that we believe was
almost invariably employed.


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