The romantic comedy Heautontimorumenos [The Self-Tormentor], Terence’s third play written, was adapted from a Greek comedy of the same name by Menander and first performed in April 163 B.C.E. at the ludi Megalenses, the annual games for the Great Mother of the Gods.
The Plot
As a typical love comedy, Heautontimorumenos uses the erotic tribulations of two young men as the pretext for a comical battle of wits between a strict old father, Chremes, and his wily slave, Syrus. The prologue reveals (6) that Terence expanded the single love plot (simplex argumentum) of his Greek model into a so-called double plot (duplex argumentum), probably adding another pair of lovers and linking their fate closely to that of the first couple. Moreover, the standard deception plot gains interest and humor because Terence chose two opponents who are...
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Citation: Knorr, Ortwin. "Heautontimorumenos". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 December 2012; last revised 25 April 2025. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13479, accessed 13 December 2025.]
