Plautus depicts the absurdity of this legal reality with a humorous edge, but his humor has a great deal of societal bite. Plautus' most famous play, which provides the plot of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," is entitled "Pseudolous." The main character and incidentally the main character in Stephen Sondhiem's musical. Pseudolous means false or "trickster" and Pseudolous is indeed a mendacious individual. However, Pseudolous is also part of a mendacious Roman society, a society which denies him rewards equal with his intelligence and his cunning and rewards the falsely pious can't of the young man's father he is attempting to help.
Plautus deals with this issue even more explicitly in some of his other works. In his play, "Prisoners of War," he details the fate of individuals who have been enslaved as the result of a military conflict. The commonness of this practice, and of using slaves in wartime is reflected in historians of the period as well, as in Livy's analysis of military conscription in Book 39 of his Histories:
levy was ordered, and all from seventeen years upwards were enrolled, some even younger; out of these recruits four legions were formed and 1000 cavalry. They also sent to the Latin confederacy and the other allied states to enlist soldiers according to the terms of their treaties. Armor, weapons, and other things of the kind were ordered to be in readiness, and the ancient spoils gathered from the enemy were taken down from the temples and colonnades. The dearth of freemen necessitated a new kind of enlistment; 8000 sturdy youths from amongst the slaves were armed at the public cost, after they had each been asked whether they were willing to serve or no. These soldiers were preferred, as there would be an opportunity of ransoming them when taken prisoners at a lower price.
Human beings had a monetary value, even when fighting for the glory of Rome. Plautus, given a certain dramatic liberty, is able to depict in dialogue the reality of this military situation. In another of Plautus' plays, enslaved prisoners debate their moral dilemma, namely would it not be stealing money in the form of human capitol to escape rather than to wait to be ransomed and bought back by their families? This exchange is used by Plautus...
"[footnoteRef:5] [5: Peter Stuhlmacher, (1994). Paul's Letter to the Romans: A Commentary. Westminster Press, 1994,p. 116.] Man's Inability to Know Christ Materially Paul's revelation contained in this chapter of Roman's is one of intense discovery and the lack of man's abilities to truly understand the omniscient and ever-present spirit and power that is Jesus Christ. Paul is speaking out of both sides of his mouth and realizes that this confusion and
The overall affect the facial configuration gives the gazer is of wise man in repose of thought. But the piece is not beautiful in the conventional sense. It is realistic in its slightly unbalanced facial formulation. The emperor Marcus Aurelius is slightly bearded, with unruly, curly hair. His small and slightly bulbous nose is not the idealized, hawk like profile favored by the elites in their portraiture. His thick,
Roman Empire The history of the Roman Empire has long been a topic of discussion amongst those who are interested in ancient political and social structures. The purpose of this discussion is to explore the subject of the Roman Empire and the impact of this empire on historic events in the world. More specifically the essay will focus on the development of Roman religious and family values and how they were
He notes that the word used is "metamorphoustai," a Greek word, and it contains the word "morphe," whihyc means "essence." The process involves the aforementioned sacrifice of the body, and it also involves a renewal of the mind, meaning that the inner self is changed by the process to become like Christ. This is discussed elsewhere in the scriptures, notably in Philippians chapter four. John Piper writes that the aim
Romans 1 -- 8 teaches natural world, human identity, human relationships, culture, civilization. Furthermore, explain teaching topics affects worldview. Make address topics essay. Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Romans 1:8 makes it possible for readers to gain a more complex understanding of the power of religious ideas. In addition to this, the phrase
Roman view of Christianity Early Christianity did not develop in isolation, but within a complex landscape already occupied by belief systems, social networks, systems of identity, and political institutions, and it is essential not to regard it 'as somehow independent, as if the church were an entity existing apart from Christians living in particular times and places. Such a treatment neglects how the history of Christianity was influenced and shaped
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