Review date: 22/3/1999
Publisher: Penguin
Translation: 1965
As is pointed out in the introduction, the plot of Pseudolus is on which is derided in The Prisoners as immoral: a son buying a nubile slave girl behind his father's back. It may be most familiar to modern audiences as a major source for the film A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
The wily slave, Pseudolus, is even more important in this play than this stock character is in most of Plautus' comedy. (Naming the play after this character emphasises this pivotal role.) As a character, he is not developed beyond the stereotype he represents, but the size of the character makes it attractive to the comic actor, particularly if they come from the more clown-like end of the business. Basically, he has rather more to do than usual at the expense of the part given to the young man in love with the slave girl.
The length of the play (it must be one of Plautus' longest) is in contrast to the extremely brief prologue (which may not be by Plautus): "If anyone wants to stand up and stretch his legs, now is the time to do it. The next item on the programme is a play by Plautus - and a long one."
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