Mythological Material

Up to this point in our investigation we have considered mythology only as far as it occurred in certain forms of expression. Plautus’ treatment of mythological material is, however, of considerable intrinsic importance, not only in judging his artistic independence, but also in the picture one can and must gain of his own and, indirectly, of his public’s cultural level—this means the degree to which they have been hellenized. In the colourfully eclectic Plautine world it is rarely possible to decide solely on the basis of the content what is originally Hellenic and what is Italic in the areas of manners and private law, of warfare and trade, indeed in almost all of man’s institutions;1 there is, however, no doubt about the origin of Phrixus and Bellerophon, the Trojan horse and Dirce’s bull, rich Iasion, and Penelope anxious about her husband. We know that ultimately all these figures come out of a rich complex of legends from Hellas, created and elaborated by great poets, but this fact does not provide the slightest information about the way references to this mythological world came to feature in the plays of Plautus.

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