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 work is a slapstick comedy about Casina, an abandoned young girl, over whom a lustful old master, Lysidamus, and his son contend for marriage through their respective proxy slaves. Having detected her husband's infidelity and conspiracy, the clever wife Cleostrata colludes with her neighbors and female slaves to plot revenge against him. The story progresses through a lottery to determine ownership of Casina and mutual deception involving the neighboring household, leading to a ludicrous wedding ceremony. Lysidamus and his accomplice are thoroughly toyed with and severely beaten in the dark by a male slave disguised as Casina, fleeing in utter disgrace. In the end, all the misdeeds are exposed, the old man apologizes and is forgiven by his wife, and the play concludes happily with the revelation of Casina's free citizenship and her promised marriage to the son.