Plautus

An ancient Roman comedic playwright. His exact life story is unknown. According to later accounts, he was born in Sarsina, Umbria. He lost the money he made in theater-related work in business, became a mill worker, and then became a successful comedic playwright. His works were popular even after his death, so many comedies were attributed to Plautus, totaling 130, but the 1st century BC scholar Varro determined that 21 of his plays were genuine, and these have been passed down to the present day (one of which is only a fragment). Among his most highly acclaimed works are "Amphitheatre," a tragicomedy based on mythology in which the protagonist and a god take the form of the protagonist (famous for its adaptations by Molière and Dryden), "The Golden Pot," famous for its humorous dialogue that arises from a miserly old man who discovers a pot full of gold and mistakes the "pot" for a "maiden" (the inspiration for Molière's "The Miser"), "The Prisoner," which will make you laugh and cry as it centers on the self-sacrificial act of a slave, and Shakespeare's " These include "Menaechmus," which served as the basis for "The Comedy of Errors," "The Bold Soldier," which beautifully depicts a lusty protagonist who is cowardly but boastful, a common character in Hellenistic drama, "The Haunted House," in which a devoted slave tries to save his young master from a difficult situation by plotting a scheme against his father, but fails, but the situation turns out happily and the young master's love is fulfilled, and "The Amidorini," which stands out among Plautus' works with its romantic setting and scene descriptions.

Plautus' works are adaptations of Greek New Comedy by Menander and others, mostly set in Greece, with characters with Greek names, and belonging to the category of fabula palliata, named after the Greek-style costumes worn by the actors. However, they are Romanized, with Roman place names and customs suddenly appearing within a Greek framework. There are no intermission choruses, and the plays are performed in one go from beginning to end. Compared to the later Terence, Plautus lacks the depth of insight into human nature, but the characters are full of energy, and the lively dialogue, witty puns and puns, make them more effective at eliciting laughter. In terms of the rhythm in which such content is presented, Plautus also made various innovations to enhance dramatic effect, greatly improving the expressive power of Latin. He is also the first Latin writer whose complete works have been passed down to the present day, and his works, totalling more than 20,000 lines, are a valuable resource for understanding pre-classical Latin.

[Toki Masasaku]

"Complete Roman Comedy, translated by Ichiro Suzuki et al., 4 volumes (1975-77, University of Tokyo Press)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代ローマの喜劇作家。正確な生涯は不明。後代の伝えではウンブリアのサルシナの生まれ。演劇関係の仕事で得た金を商売で失い、製粉所の労働者となったのち、喜劇作家として成功。その作品は死後も人気を博したため、多くの喜劇がプラウトゥス作とされ、その数は130にも達したが、紀元前1世紀の学者ウァロがうち21編を真作と定め、これが今日に伝えられている（うち一編は断片のみ）。なかでも評価が高いのは、神話に題材をとり、主人公の姿になった神と主人公の織り成す悲喜劇『アンフィトルオ』（モリエールやドライデンの翻案で有名）、黄金の詰まった壺(つぼ)を発見したけちな老人を主人公として、「壺」と「娘」の取り違えからくる滑稽(こっけい)な会話で名高い『黄金の壺』（モリエールの『守銭奴』の種本）、奴隷の自己犠牲的な行為を中心に笑いと涙を誘う『捕虜』、シェークスピアの『まちがいの喜劇』の種本となった『メナエクムス兄弟』、ヘレニズム劇でよく取り上げられる臆病(おくびょう)なくせに大言壮語する好色な主人公をみごとに描いた『ほら吹き兵士』、主人思いの奴隷が若い主人の窮状を救うべく父親に対し策を弄(ろう)して失敗するが、八方まるく収まって若主人の恋も成就する『幽霊屋敷』、ロマンチックな舞台設定と情景描写でプラウトゥスの作品中異彩を放つ『あみづな』である。

　プラウトゥスの作品は、メナンドロスなどのギリシア新喜劇の翻案で、ほとんど舞台をギリシアにとり、登場人物もギリシア名であり、役者の着ているギリシア風な衣装palliumからfabula palliata（ファブラ・パッリアタ）とよばれるものに属している。しかし、ギリシア的な枠組みのなかにローマの地名や習慣が突然現れるなど、ローマ化が図られている。また幕間(まくあい)のコーラスはなく、始めから終わりまで一気に上演されたらしい。後代のテレンティウスに比べると、人間性洞察の深さに欠けるが、登場人物は活気に満ち、溌剌(はつらつ)とした会話や当意即妙の洒落(しゃれ)や地口と相まって、笑いを誘う力では勝っている。そのような内容を盛る韻律の点でも、プラウトゥスは劇的効果をあげるためさまざまな新工夫を凝らし、ラテン語の表現力を大いに向上させた。また、その全作品が今日に伝えられる最初のラテン作家であり、2万行を超える作品群は、古典期以前のラテン語を知るうえで貴重な資料となっている。

［土岐正策］

『鈴木一郎他訳『古代ローマ喜劇全集』全四巻（1975～77・東京大学出版会）』

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