Source edition
Plautus. Plauti Comoediae, Volume 2. Leo, Friedrich, editor. Berlin: Weidmann, 1896.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This Roman comedy humorously yet bitingly depicts the greedy courtesan Phronesium and the men who are ruined by her relentless schemes. Set in Athens, the play features the cunning Phronesium, her loyal maid, and the rough rustic slave Truculentus, after whom the play is named. The plot is set in motion when Phronesium devises a fake childbirth using another person's baby to deceive and extort money from a Babylonian soldier. A ruined young Athenian named Diniarchus, the blustering soldier, and a naive country youth are drawn into a fierce competition to win her favor, unaware of her deceit. Eventually, it is revealed that the baby used in the scheme is actually Diniarchus's own child born from a past transgression, leading him to agree to marriage, yet he remains unable to completely escape Phronesium's allure. In the end, Phronesium successfully manipulates all the men to strip them of their wealth, celebrating her cunning victory as the play concludes.