Humor In Double Bind And The Brothers

Both Plautus and Terence are highly renowned playwrights, whose work has been passed on as an example of comedy in Roman culture. Plautus and Terence both pulled from the Greeks as inspiration, and although both authors’ work is humorous, they take different form. Plautus’ work is extreme, light-hearted and comical, while Terence’s work is more witty and realistic. This can be seen in Plautus’ play Double Bind and Terence’s work The Brothers. In both plays the authors have the same theme of moderation and use extremes to convey this message. Also both plays illustrate general confusion to create humor within the play. However, Plautus does not develop characters within his play, sticking with stock characters throughout the play. Instead Terence

Although it is obvious to the audience that Clueless II isn’t crazy, Plautus continues his theme of disobeying the modus and ineptiae within his stock characters. For instance, in Act I, Scene 3, Clueless I shows ignorance for the common norms by treating Loveykins, the prostitute, as an acceptable love interest. Diddley also disobeys the modus by being a beggar but not knowing his place, like a servos fallax, even to the point where he acts as a patron to Dovey, when confronting her husband. When Dovey accuses her husband for stealing, Diddley tells Clueless, “I say no more. I leave the rest to my client,” and continues to coach her during the confrontation (Act IV, Scene 2). In scenes like these in the play that emphasis and make light of things that go against the modus or Roman culture norms.

Also within the play these characters do not change or develop, unlike in Terence’s play The Brothers. Within the play the characters stay the same, meaning they stay ignorant, even until the very end of the play. When Smug, Clueless I and II are together they all still are very confused. “No, you take my word: I am,” Clueless I basically says while Clueless II refutes, asking, “What flimsy fiction is this? You’re Clueless?” (Act V, Scene 6). This debate continues until Smug figures they are twins, showing that neither Clueless I or Clueless II had changed their nature throughout the entirety of the