This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 edition. Excerpt: ...not sacrificed nor affected by the combination of several tricks. It is merely the lack of motive for the twin-sister trick, since its carefully executed plans go for nothing, that justifies here an assumption of con-taminatio in the composition of the play.09 The connecting-links between the two parts ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 edition. Excerpt: ...not sacrificed nor affected by the combination of several tricks. It is merely the lack of motive for the twin-sister trick, since its carefully executed plans go for nothing, that justifies here an assumption of con-taminatio in the composition of the play.09 The connecting-links between the two parts, as for example the way in which the twin-sister trick and the secret passage are dragged into the second part of the play, are not skilfully enough welded together to conceal the joining and to effect unity in the play. No ambiguity, however, results from this passing from one deception to the other; and the motive for it seems to have been the playwright's desire0 to include in the play as much of the comic element as possible, i. e. as much trickery as possible, since the plan-r ning and execution of trickery afford he chief V comic element in the plays of Plautus. That fact also, as we have assumed before, probably causes the disregard of time, noted here in the three-years' stay, v.35O, compared with the short time required for the incidents mentioned in vv.121-124,81 or the disregard of versimilitude in Periplecomenus' orders shouted to his slaves from the street; or the contradiction between Sceledrus' appearance in v.816 and his determination in v.586 to run away. In fact we would agree with Lorenz82 that it is in cases like these that Plautus shows his carelessness towards the requirements of dramatic action, as we consider them, and his disregard of minor and unessential details. 5i Leo: Plaut. Forsch, p.180; J. Mesk in Wiener Studien, 1913, Fart II; Lorenz: Ed Introd. p.32. 6o Brlx-Nlemeyer: Ed. Introd. p.14. 61 Langen: Plaut. Stud. p. 167; Brlx: op. clt., note on 62 Op. clt. p.87. Mostellaria The deception in the Mostellaria...
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