Cistellaria

Main article: Cistellaria

Cistellaria, which means The Casket, is a funny Latin play from the late 3rd century BC. It was written by an early Roman playwright named Titus Maccius Plautus.

The story takes place in a Greek town called Sicyon. It follows a girl named Selenium. She was left as a baby and raised by a kind woman named Melaenis. Selenium learns that her real mother lives next door. This allows Selenium to marry a young man named Alcesimarchus, who loves her very much.

The play was based on an earlier lost comedy by a writer named Menander, called Synaristosai or The Women Who Lunched Together. Cistellaria seems to be one of Plautus's first plays.

In one part of the play, there is hope that the war with Carthage will soon end well for the Romans. This war, known as the Second Punic War, ended in 202 BC. The play might also talk about an alliance made with the Aetolian League around that time.

Characters

The play has several important characters. Selenium is a young woman who was raised by a kind woman named Melaenis after being found as a baby. Selenium meets a young man named Alcesimarchus, who falls in love with her. There are also other characters like Gymnasium, a friend of Selenium, and several unnamed parents and servants who help tell the story.

Metrical structure

Further information: Metres of Roman comedy

Plautus’s plays are usually split into five parts, but these parts might not have been in the original play. The structure is often clearer because of the different rhythms used.

A common pattern in Plautus’s work starts with rhythms called iambic senarii, followed by a musical part, and ends with rhythms called trochaic septenarii. These were performed with music from pipes called tibiae.

Although some parts of this play are missing because pages from old books are lost, we know the general structure. It seems to follow a pattern like this: BBC, ABC, ABABCBC, AC, BBAC.

This play starts differently, with a song that has many kinds of rhythms. The last part also starts with such a song. There are also three parts where the young lover, Alcesimarchus, sings about his sadness, and one wild part where he uses a rhythm called anapaests.

Selenium outlines her problem

• Act 1.1 (1–37): a song with many rhythms (37 lines)

Selenium, who is brought up by a woman called Melaenis, comes out with two other women. They have just had lunch together, and the women thank Selenium, though one complains there wasn’t enough wine.

• Act 1.1 (38–58): iambic septenarii (21 lines)

The older woman reminds Selenium that both she and Selenium’s birth mother were brought up in a certain way, and now Selenium’s daughter follows the same path.

• Act 1.1 (59–119): trochaic septenarii (61 lines)

Selenium tells them she has only ever been with one man, Alcesimarchus, whom she loves and who has promised to marry her. But she is upset because she heard he is supposed to marry someone else. She asks the older woman to look after her house for three days and leaves.

Selenium’s birth and parentage are explained

• Act 1.2–1.3 (120–202): iambic senarii (79 lines)

The older woman tells the audience that she found Selenium as a baby long ago and gave her to another woman to raise. She thinks the mother wanted to use the baby for a trick.

After she leaves, a character called Auxilium appears. She tells the audience that a merchant from Lemnos came to Sicyon and was with a girl, then returned to Lemnos, married, and had a daughter. His wife died, and he later returned to Sicyon and married the same girl again. He learned about the baby who had been left and told his servant to find her. Meanwhile, Selenium grew up, and a young man fell in love with her.

Alcesimarchus’s passion for Selenium

• Act 2.1 (203–228): anapaestic song (28 lines)

Alcesimarchus sings about his love and how his father kept him away for six days.

(There is a gap in the old books here of about 100 lines.)

• Act 2.2–2.3 (231–272): trochaic septenarii (42+ lines)

Alcesimarchus tells his slave to scold him for not seeing Selenium during those days. The slave does as he is asked.

(Only a few traces of lines 253–272 survive. Another 70 lines are missing after 266.)

Alcesimarchus visits Selenium’s house and learns from another woman about the wedding plans.

• Act 2.3 (cont.) (273–304): iambic senarii (32 lines)

Alcesimarchus seems very upset. He tells his slave to bring him his armor, a horse, and soldiers. The other woman advises him not to fight love but to ask Selenium’s mother for help.

(Another 70 lines are lost here.)

• Act 2.4 (305–373): iambic septenarii (37 lines)

(Lines 322–362 are only fragments.) Alcesimarchus’s father visits Selenium’s house and mistakes another woman for Selenium. He is charmed by her, and she playfully flirts with him...

(There is another gap in the book of about 55 lines between 372 and 389, and then only a few letters survive until line 449. Ten fragments quoted by grammarians, 15 lines in all, are thought to belong in the gap. The last of these, lines 405–408, can definitely be placed as it matches the traces that survive.)

• Act 2.5–2.6 (cont.) (374–408): iambic senarii (15 lines)

The mother of the woman comes to take her away from Alcesimarchus’s house.

A servant who has been looking for Selenium follows the woman. He talks about the unpleasant women he saw in various places while searching for her....

• Act 2.7 (449–452): iambic octonarii (4 lines)

...Alcesimarchus begs Selenium and her mother, Melaenis, but she refuses to listen. Selenium leaves.

• Act 2.7 (453–460): trochaic septenarii (8 lines)

He keeps begging, but Melaenis scolds him for breaking his promise.

• Act 2.7 (461–464): fragmentary, metre uncertain, probably iambic (4 lines)

Alcesimarchus still refuses to leave.

• Act 2.7 (465–535): trochaic septenarii (68 lines)

He swears he will never marry the girl his father chose. Melaenis swears she will never let him marry her daughter. He swears by many gods that he will harm them both if Melaenis doesn’t bring Selenium back to him. He leaves. Melaenis decides to follow him to make sure he doesn’t do anything rash. Suddenly, she sees the servant approaching.

Melaenis finds out about Selenium’s parents

• Act 2.8–2.9 (536–630): iambic senarii (95 lines)

The servant talks to himself about following the older woman. The wife of the master of the house, Phanostrata, hears him and comes out. He tells her that the older woman said that another woman, Melaenis, raised the baby. He says the woman refused to tell him where Melaenis lived, but he would find out soon.

Melaenis overhears this and questions the servant. He tells her that the master of the house is Demipho and explains about Demipho’s two daughters, one from a time long ago. Melaenis decides to go home and get Selenium so she can return her to her real parents.

• Act 3.1–4.1 (631–670): trochaic septenarii (39 lines)

Melaenis returns with Selenium and a servant. She carries a small box (cistella) with a child’s toy that will prove Selenium’s true identity. She gives the box to her servant, Halisca, and tells her to knock on Demipho’s door.

Suddenly, Alcesimarchus comes out carrying a sword and seems about to harm himself. The three women rush to him. He grabs Selenium and takes her inside. Melaenis and Halisca follow him. In the confusion, Halisca drops the box.

The servant returns. He is angry because the mother of another woman has now denied what she said before. He finds the box. Phanostrata, who has come from Demipho’s house, suddenly recognizes the box as one she had given her daughter.

Phanostrata and Demipho find their daughter

• Act 4.2 (671–703): a song with many rhythms (33 lines)

Halisca comes out of Alcesimarchus’s house, looking worriedly for the box. The servant and Phanostrata hear her singing.

• Act 4.2 (704–773): iambic septenarii (43 lines)

Halisca is about to go back when the servant and Phanostrata call to her. She asks if anyone has found a box. At first, they are unsure, but after she says it contains a toy, the servant says he knows where it is but wants a reward. Phanostrata ignores him and says she needs to speak to Halisca.

• Act 4.2 (747–773): iambic senarii (27 lines)

She asks Halisca where the owner of the box is, and Halisca points to Alcesimarchus’s house. She says Melaenis plans to return Selenium to her parents but wants the box back for now. Phanostrata returns the box and follows Halisca inside Alcesimarchus’s house.

• Act 5.1 (774–787): trochaic septenarii (14 lines)

Demipho arrives from a meeting. He asks the servant to explain what is happening, as he has heard much talk in the streets. The servant tells him he has a new daughter. They go together into Alcesimarchus’s house. The actors then address the audience, saying the play ends here and asking for applause.

Translations

There are English versions of this play. You can find one translated by Henry Thomas Riley at Perseus. Another translation was done by Wolfgang de Melo in 2011.