The Fool's Errand in Terence's Hecyra
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9665286 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Justin Dwyer (0000-0001-6922-6508, University of Victoria), Justin Scott Dwyer (University of Victoria, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 153-159 |
| Publication date | 2023-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Classical Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0009-8388 • E-ISSN: 1471-6844 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0009838823000174 |
| OpenAlex | W4385221518 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 5 |
About halfway through Terence's Hecyra , Pamphilus sends his slave Parmeno on a fool's errand to find Callidemides, a (non-existent) friend of his (415–50). Previous analyses of this unique exchange have revealed several layers of humour at work, but this article proposes a new reading of the scene through the lens of performance and staging which suggests that Pamphilus’ verbal description of Callidemides is lifted from the physical appearance of Parmeno himself. This scenario accounts for all the elements of the fool's errand provided by Terence and ties the scene into the play's broader thematic interest in stock character subversion
Aesthetics · Art · Character (mathematics · Linguistics · Literature · Political science · Politics · Reading (process · Subversion · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Law · Mathematics · Media, Communication, and Education · Medieval Literature and History · Philosophy
| Highly cited | No |
|---|