In the wake of the 1958 papyrus discovery of a nearly complete play of Menander’s, i.e.

(“The Grouch”), critics have presumed that Plautus’

(“The Pot of Gold”) is based on a source play by Menander. Indeed, a wealth of dramaturgical similarities between

and

, e.g. the construction of plot and individual scenes, characterization, themes and motifs, has led to a consensus that the lost Greek source of

, if not Menandrian, must be the work of an accomplished New Comedy imitator of Menander (see further Arnott 1964, Hunter 1981, Bain 1992). Whatever its Greece source, Plautus’ play takes its name from the Latin word

/

, i.e. the “pot” which houses Euclio’s secret treasure (for the diminutive form of, and possible puns in…

2804 words

Citation: Christenson, David M.. "Aulularia". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 March 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13462, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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