Summary “Bragging warrior”
In this comedy, the main thing is not the plot, but the hero, the “boastful warrior”. In the old days in Greece there were no professional soldiers, there were militiamen. And then, when the war became a profession, there were dashing mercenaries who went to serve anyone, even to the edge of the world, mostly died, and whoever did not die returned to their homeland rich and boasted of the miracles he saw, and the exploits that he allegedly committed. Such an enriched, rich boastful warrior became a constant character in comedies.
In Plautus his name is the magnificent name of the Pirgopolitan, which means “Tower-winner”. He sits in front of his house and watches as servants clean his armor – “so brighter than the sun!”. With him – a hanger named Khlebogryz, they alone consider how many enemies the Pirgopolitan put in their campaigns: in Scythia, in Persia, only seven thousand, and all in one day! And then in India, he left the elephant’s
In fact, he is a fraud, a coward and a debauchee. This is reported to the public by his slave named Palestrion. Palestrion served in Athens from one young man, and he loved one girl. When the young man was away, this very Pirgopolitan deceived this girl and took him to the city of Ephesus. Palestrion rushed to warn the master, but in the way he was seized by pirates and sold into slavery to the same Pirgopolitan. However, he managed to send the news to the former owner; he came to Ephesus, settled next door to the warrior of a good old man and secretly sees his beloved. Here is the house of the warrior on the stage, but the old man’s house, they are near, and between them a clever slave easily built a secret passage.
All would be nice, but another slave soldier peeped for a meeting of lovers, and the old man is very alarmed: a ruffian would not arrange a pogrom for him. “All right,” says Palestrion, “we’ll
The old neighbor is not against such a rally, so that the Athenian young man is even uncomfortable: so much trouble because of him! “In such matters, I’m happy to help,” the old man replies, “I myself still fall prey to beauties, and they are up to me: well-bred, witty, amiable – a real one!” “And what is still unmarried?” – the young man is surprised. “Freedom above all!” – proudly declares the old man. “What is true, the truth!” confirms the slave. “But what about without children?” The youth marvels. “Who cares about you?” “What do you mean?” The old man waves away, “no son will be as attentive and courteous as distant relatives who rely on my inheritance: they carry me in their arms!” “And this is for the best, that you are not married,” says the slave.
Find a hetaera, beautiful and greedy, and give her away for your wife… “-” Why is that? “- the old man is surprised.” Let her pretend that she is in love with the Pyrgopolitanic ears and if she gave me this for him your ring… “- offers a young man.” I do not understand anything, but I believe you: take it, do what you want, “the old man decides.
Heroes easily negotiate with the hetaera; The slave is to the Pyrgopolitan, hands over the ring to him, praises his neighbor, paints her love. The warrior, of course, believes: how not to fall in love with him? Now, therefore, you just need to get rid of the thefted by him, so that the new beauty is not jealous. Perhaps, it’s even good that her sister appeared next door: the warrior decides to give her his mistress from hand to hand, and even generously bestow to keep quiet, and the slave Palestrina for services to give freedom and send them with escorts. A young man appears, betraying myself for the confidant of the mother of both girls; warrior gives him his Athenian, she portrays a great grief: oh, how hard it is for her to part with such a handsome man and hero! The young man with his girlfriend, slave and gifts safely sail to Athens.
Virtue triumphed, but the vice has not yet been punished. However, this will not be long. The hetaera appears and plays, as conceived, the old man’s wife, in love with the Pyrgopolitan. He obediently follows on a date with her in the neighbor’s house. There, an old man with strong slaves jumps at him: “How dare you, damned, drive up to my wife?” He is grabbed, banged, sharpened knife, to emasculate on the spot; with loud screams, the soldier pays off big money from the massacres and, “having limp from beatings”, runs away with disgrace, “I am deceived, I am punished – but, alas, deserved! All the libertines would have done so: they would have become smaller. you to us, the audience, I clap! ” Such morality ends comedy.
In the comedy “The Bragging Warrior” Plaut focuses the reader’s attention not on the plot of the work, but on the hero – “boastful warrior”. For a writer, this is of great importance. At the beginning of the work, it does not immediately become clear, however, after reading a few more pages, the reader catches the author’s train of thought.
It is known that Greece was not famous for good warriors long ago, everything that it possessed in those days is militia. As a rule, the situation was approximately like this: those wishing to hire were employed and many of them were killed, but those who returned to their native lands boasted to everyone they met. Moreover, invented, happened, such things, which when in life and did not. Here is such a rich, but boastful warrior-ruffian, entered Plaut’s comedy “The Bragging Warrior.”
Now this image of the character becomes familiar in the writings of the writer. After reading at least one such work of Plautus, the reader understands that the next comedy will also hide the braggart. If the works of Plautus become predictable, why does the reader continue to read them? Despite the fact that the author focuses the reader’s attention on the hero, the plot always remains in the center of attention.
Plaut’s boast is represented by the Pyrgopolitan, which in translation means “Tower-conqueror”. It is no accident that the writer gives his hero such a magnificent name. Then the reader watches the scene, when the servants clean his armor, and at this time, he with Khlebogryz, calculates how much he has won victories. As a result, the character’s boasting is so much that the reader takes it for granted.
In fact, we understand that the Pyrgopolitan and his ilk are real scammers, cowards and debaucheries. In the comedy “The Bragging Warrior” introduces a love line, which plays an important role. In the work of Plaut reveals another of the main problems – the money that the hero pays off at the end of the comedy. The pirgopolitan himself punished himself, and the reader watches the scene of his disgrace and reprisal, from which he manages to escape.
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