Source edition
Plautus. Plauti Comoediae, Volume 1. Leo, Friedrich, editor. Berlin: Weidmann, 1895.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This ancient Roman comedy depicts the frantic turmoil of Euclio, a greedy and paranoid old man, surrounding a pot of gold hidden in his house. Terrified that someone will steal his wealth, the pathologically stingy Euclio lives in constant suspicion of everyone around him. When his wealthy neighbor, Megadorus, proposes to marry Euclio's daughter, the suspicious old man mistakes the cooks hired for the wedding preparations for thieves, falling into utter panic. After Euclio attempts to hide the gold in a temple, the treasure is stolen by the slave of Lyconides, a young man who has made Euclio's daughter pregnant. The play reaches its comedic peak as a dialogue of mutual misunderstanding unfolds between the despondent Euclio, who laments his lost gold, and Lyconides, who tries to confess his transgressions regarding the daughter.