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Asinaria
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Asinaria ("The Comedy of Asses") is a comic play written in Latin by the Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus. In the play an Athenian gentleman, Demaenetus, tells his slave Libanus that he knows his son Argyrippus is having an affair with the prostitute Philaenium next door, and he asks him to try to find some money to pay for the affair. When by chance a stranger comes bringing money owed for some donkeys sold by Saurea, the steward of Demaenetus's wife, Libanus's fellow-slave Leonida pretends to be Saurea, and the two slaves trick the stranger into giving them the money. Argyrippus is giv
Book · Open Library
- Author
- Titus Maccius Plautus
- First published
- 1894
- Editions
- 7
- Subjects
- Plautus, titus maccius
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Key facts
- Play.name
- Asinaria
- Play.writer
- Plautus
- Play.setting
- Athens, near Demaenetus's home
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
Show 2 more facts
- title
- Asinaria
- entry in abbreviations table
- Pl. As.
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~12 min read
Article
10 sectionsContents
- Metrical scheme
- Looking for money
- The trick works
- Demaenetus is caught out
- Analysis
- Characters
- Themes
- Translations
- References
- External links
Asinaria ("The Comedy of Asses") is a comic play written in Latin by the Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus. In the play an Athenian gentleman, Demaenetus, tells his slave Libanus that he knows his son Argyrippus is having an affair with the prostitute Philaenium next door, and he asks him to try to find some money to pay for the affair. When by chance a stranger comes bringing money owed for some donkeys sold by Saurea, the steward of Demaenetus's wife, Libanus's fellow-slave Leonida pretends to be Saurea, and the two slaves trick the stranger into giving them the money. Argyrippus is given the money on condition that his father is to be allowed to enjoy the first night with the prostitute. But a jealous rival, Diabolus, snitches on Demaenetus to his wife Artemona, who storms to the brothel and prevents her husband from enjoying the girl as well.
The title is short for "the play about donkeys". Similar titles ending in the suffix -aria are found the plays and .