Asinaria: The One about the Asses

Plautin Language and Latin Vocabulary

105 Plautin Language and Latin Vocabulary The glosses include several items of U.K. and of U.S. colloquialism used in the translation. See also Index, Asinaria, s.v. wordplay and puns. Key 1–15, 1 line numbers 219+220 see note ad loc. grex3 , minitor1 third declension, first conjugation, etc. grex(g-) in third declension, nominative (plus stem for other cases) + a second (or third) word in the same line [ ] additional comment 1–15 The Prologue tells all | there’s nothing to tell, so listen Plautus prologues come in all sizes. This one keeps itself to itself, plays as “paratext ,” preliminary to the play “proper.” Here to tell us it won’t tell us—much. In short, it does “short” (8). Defers to its audience: as ever, theatre needs your help (15). The fun will buzz to and fro between asses on stage and bums on seats. That’s the deal. 1 sultis = si uultis, if you will, plural of si uis, please [all over Plautus. Showing the slurred and elided vowels and semivowels makes the text look strange but read easy] 3 grex(g-)3 theatre-company [but this word for a herd will set the pace for As.] + dominus2 : slave-owner, manager + con-ductor3 : hiring magistrate 4 face = fac [imperative] + praeco(n-)3 : crier [p(ublic) 106 Language, Metre, and Text a(ddress) man] + auritus: [long-]eared + poplus2 = populus [more such original forms down the line] 15 alias: at other times, [e.g.] previously. 16–126 Somewhere in theatre Greece . . . Father enlists Slave One to swindle Mother and fund Loverboy Son Dialogue sets the scene deferred from the prologue. Unusually, the focal comedy queen, pater, is already in the know; matrona will instead be the blocking power-figure, aka parent, holding the purse strings but in the dark. In colluding to buy his son time at the heterosex-for-hire agency (= “next door”), father plots along with and through the slave agents. From the off, they share (split and double) this single function. Hence their mateyness. Nice try, but it will never work: pater will still end up as fall guy. Our hero, without whom. . . . Our alibi for slipping the leash, for a play day away. . . . Now we’re ready to roll. 18 ted: you [more original pronoun ablatives in -d ahead] 20 med erga = erga me: toward me 21 siet [not yet contracted] = sit 27 actutum: immediately 29 hercle: lordy, by Hercules [ubiquitous expletive, men only] 34 fustitudinus, ferri-crepinus: “nonce” (one-off) non-words [the slave skirts painful words for his world] 36 pol: sure, by Pollux [everybody’s expletive] 37 polenta1 : barley flour 39 de-spuo3 : spit out 40 morem gero3 [+ dative]: humour + ex-screo1 : hawk up and spit out 41 penitus: innermost 43 si uis: see on 1. 45 ex-pers(t-)3 : with no part in [+ ablative] 47 minitor1 : threaten [vigorously ] 49 sub-censeo2 : get cross 56 sub-peto3 : be available to [61 colloquial tamen in pretio sumus, “we are at a high value, are prized” here soundly trumps and displaces its unmarked prompt primus sentis, with tu + long syllables ↔ nos + shorts] 65 ob-sequentia1 : obedience, favour (cf. 76, obsequi) 66 utantur arguably/provocatively introduces “utilitarian” self-interest into this paternal policy of befriending a son (why else . . . ?) 69 nau-clericus: of a ship-captain [naturalized Greek] 70 leno(n-)3 : pimp, brothel-keeper; lena1 will be the female counterpart, cf. 175. 77 ob-secutam: cf. 65 [same idea wanted, but the exact locution is lost to us] 78 arte + con-tente: tightly + restrictively 85 dotalis, of a dowry [= 87 dos(t-)3 ] 89 usus4 est there is a need of [+ ablative] for [+ dative] 91 nugae1 : trifles 95 porro: straight on, forward 97 circum-duco3 : lead round the houses, con 98 ob-sum: get in the way 99 una opera: with the same trouble, it’s one and the same 100 rete3 , iaculum2 : net, net for casting 101 optio(n-)3 : junior officer, assistant 102 com-miniscor3 : think up 114 patro1 : “father,” bring to fruition, cf. in-petro1 : obtain by pleading , in-petrio4 : seek a good omen 117 nempe: of course 119 uersutus: full of Plautin Language and Latin Vocabulary 107 turns, wily + quo ab = a quo + aegrius: with more difficulty 121 ma-uolo3 = magis-uolo = malo, prefer 124 scipio(n-)3 : walking-stick (dreadful clang with scio4 , I know) + con-tuor3 = con-tueor2 , cf. 403. 125 cesso1 : dally, stop...