Plautus’ Casina

Make sure you address each question using proper academic English and drawing evidence from your primary source (i.e. the play). Response must be at least 3 full double-spaced pages in Times New Roman font (#12).

Plautus’ Casina-Analytical answer

In a recent book, Helene Foley notices that in Greek tragedy female interventions would be less puzzling if they could be explained simply as inversions of the norm designed to be cautionary demonstrations of the cultural consequences of stepping out of line. However she notices that this is not consistently the case; and even when it is, the repercussions of female speech and action and the ways in which they are represented raise an unexpectedly broad and disconcerting set of questions. For this reason, recent critics have hypothesized that female characters, in several Greek tragedies, are doing double duty, by representing a fictional female position in the tragic family and city and simultaneously serving as a location from which to explore a series of problematic issues that men prefer to approach indirectly and certainly not through their own persons.

I believe that what Foley notices about women in tragedy can also be applied to Plautus’ Casina. In a well-articulated answer, illustrate, through textual evidence 1) how one or more female characters are doing “double duty” i.e. behaving according and against Roman clichés and expected cultural patterns 2) What are the problematic issues more or less directly tackled in the comedy through the behavior and interactions of women 3) if Casina’s ending rejects or endorses the status quo.

Steps/things to consider: What does this prompt want me to do? What parts of the passage/text(s) will help me to do it?What literary elements do I need to consider? What are the insights you gain from this text? What “truths” are revealed? Your thesis can be nuanced, conclusions at times cannot be “black” or “white,” some “grey” must be considered.

General advise: Read the prompt/question quite carefully. Make sure you understand it. Try to think about what you want to say (do not start writing until you have an idea about it) and look through the primary source(s) to find evidence of what you want to say. Write the first draft from the notes on the guide. Fill in the missing links. Make the essay read fluently. Organize the information carefully. Just because a paragraph is planned as #1 below, it does not have to remain the first paragraph in the essay. Think about a logical strategy. Review your thesis and make sure it is worded precisely. Does it say what you want it to say?

Review your argument, make sure it is logically arranged. Make necessary revisions.

Hand in your best work, typed according to format specifications.

Use the guide that follows to organize your response.

Guide

A. Introduction

A good introduction invites reading. It will give the author and the title of the work (even if you only have one passage) and lead the reader into a clear, concise thesis statement that will accurately reflect the given prompt. The introduction will also begin to address your thesis and provide your methodology.

Clearly mention the author and the text(s) you are considering.
Paraphrase the prompt, highlight parts of texts and literary elements to consider (evidence):

Working Thesis:

B. Body (develop 3-4 supporting paragraphs that remain focused on your thesis)

Paragraph #1
Topic Sentence (your claim):

Support: (from the text):

Explanatory sentence(s): (your “how” and/or “why”)

Transitions that would help make logical connections:

Paragraph #2
Topic Sentence (your claim):

Support: (from the text):

Explanatory sentence(s): (your “how” and/or “why”)

Give as many paragraphs as needed.

Transition that would help make logical connection towards conclusion.

C. Conclusion

The purpose of the conclusion is to bring the essay to a satisfactory ending. You don’t want to introduce new ideas in the conclusion, but you can extend the thinking into the realm of personal reflection (your thinking about the “so what?” question). You can summarize the main points of the essay.