The Braggart Soldier

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Slaves, Prostitutes, and Infidelity; How do they tie together? Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property and are forced to work. People who act or provide sexual services to another person in return for payment are called prostitutes. Infidelity, also known as cheating or having an affair, is the action or state of being unfaithful to a spouse or other sexual partner. In ancient Rome these three elements are tied together when necessary. In the play The Braggart Soldier written by Titus Maccius Plautus, Plautus shows how slaves, infidelity and prostitutes are used to break down the power of soldier by the characters Palaestrio (originally a slave to Pleusicles, now a slave to Pyrgopolynices), and Periplectomenus (an old man from Ephesus), Acroteleutium (a prostitute). Power is the ability to do something or act in a particular way. Pyrgopolynices has power because people listen and obey his commands. He has a slave that listens to what he says and does what he tells her to do. Pyrgopolynices kidnapped Philocomasium, Pleusicles lover, and Palestrio. He thinks that no one can stop him. Palestrio is able to escape Pyrgopolynices’ home by building a tunnel to his neighbor’s house. There he meets with Pleusicles and Perplectomenus to come up with a plan to trick Pyrgopolynices and his slave to free Philocomasium. The plan includes the three elements listed above. A slave who is treated well would perform a better job than a poorly treated slave. Periplectomenus talks down to Sceledrus, a slave to Pyrgopolynices when he thinks he saw his master’s lover kissing another man: SCELEDRUS: Dear neighbor, listen please- PERIPLECTOMENUS: I listen? You’re the slave! SCELEDRUS: I want to clear myself- PERIPLECTOMENUS: How can you clear yourself, when you’ve just done such monstrous and disgraceful things? You think you’re free to act here as

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