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 Roman comedy focusing on a series of elaborate deceptions and family secrets. Set in Athens, the story follows the clever slave Epidicus as he strives to resolve the financial and romantic troubles of his young master, Stratippocles, who has returned from war with a new lover and heavy debts. To secure the necessary funds, Epidicus devises a cunning scheme to swindle the young master's strict father, Periphanes, by manipulating his fears and desires. However, his intricate web of lies begins to unravel when a soldier exposes a hired girl's true identity, and the arrival of a woman from the father's past threatens to ruin Epidicus completely. Just as he faces severe punishment, Epidicus discovers that the captive girl purchased by the moneylender is actually Periphanes' long-lost daughter. This unexpected revelation solves the young master's romantic dilemma, and the grateful father rewards the clever slave with his freedom.