Cleostrata's Power In Casia

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Casina to Olympio she enlists the help of her two slaves, Chalinus and Pardalisca, and her friend/neighbor Myrrhina to get revenge. All throughout the Roman comedy Cleostrata’s power over her husband Lysidamus and her ability to embarrass him is painfully obvious. In the beginning of Act II, when Cleostrata is going to visit Myrrhina her slave Pardalisca informs her that Lysidamus wants lunch ready for when he returns home. Cleostrata’s responded “I will not get things ready, and not a thing shall be cooked this day, either … I’ll punish him, the gallant – with hunger, thirst, hard words, hard treatment, - oh, I’ll punish him” (Casina, 150-155). Clearly, Cleostrata accurately illustrates the type of “unmastered creature” Marcus Porcius Cato …show more content…

“She has wit, vitality, and a certain tartness of speech” (Raia). Sh ie also very entertaining, loyal to her mistress, and overdramatic. In Act 3 Scene 5 of Casina, Pardalisca plays a trick on her master Lysidamus to aid in Cleostrata’s quest for revenge. When the scene first begins Pardalisca wastes no time in doing Cleostrata’s bidding. She starts her performance by shouting things such as “I’m lost!”, “My heart’s stopped beating for fear”, and “Snatch the sword away from her! She’s beside herself!” (Casina, 69). Lysidamus being unaware alks right into her trap. “Hold me, oh do, or I’ll drop!” and Lysidamus complies. “Put your arm around my … waist … fan me, oh do … with your cloak!” and he fans her (Casina, 69). His compliance with Pardalisca’s outlandish requests not only shows Pardalisca’s ability as a trickster but Lysidamus’ gullibility as well. Pardalisca was able to trick Lysidamus into thinking that Casina, the salve that he was in love with, is enraged. Pardalisca said that Casina is going throughout the house wih a sword in her hand threatening to kill the man she spent the night with (Casina, 73). Also, according to Pardalisca, Casina was planning on killing Lysidamus too. She says “seeing you want to marry her to Olympio she vows she won’t let you or herself or her husband live through the night” (Casina, 75). And of course Lysidamus believes …show more content…

The three examples for this type of slave are Lygia from Quo Vadis, Casina from Casina, and Philia from Richard Lester’s A Funny Thing Happen on the Way to the Forum. All of these women had no control over their autonomy. In Quo Vadis Lygia was forced to become Marcus Vinicius’ hostage against her will by order of the emperor. When she meets Acte she expresses her discontentment about her forced removal from her home. But how Lygia felt about her predicament did not matter. She was a hostage with now power to alter her situation. Acte later reveals how powerless Lygia is by saying, “You are in the hangs of the master of the world. You will have to consider that your good fortune and your fate” (45:11). Next, in Casina we are shown how the opinions of female slaves are worthless to her superiors. Casina never makes an appearance in her own play. She never speaks a line or give her opinion about who she wanted to marry. Her fate was being decided by her masters and even other slaves. Her lack of presence in the comedic play that was all about her shows that female slaves had no control or say so in their lives. Finally, in A Funny Thing Happen on the Way to the Forum the treatment of Philia by Pseudolus and Hysterium reveals that women slaves were also subordinate to male slaves. In the movie Pseudolus is constantly trying to hide Philia from his master Senex and the Captain Miles Gloriosus so he can

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