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Phormio

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Dramatis Personae and Background of the Two Brothers

A list of the characters in the play, and an introduction outlining the complex family relations of two old brothers, Chremes and Demipho, and how their sons were left under the care of the slave Geta while they were away.

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​FABULAE INTERLOCUTORES. ANTIPHO, adolescens, filius Demiphonis. CHREMIES, senex, frater Demiphonis. CRATINUS,advocati.1 CRITO,advocati. HEGIO,advocati. DAVUS,servus. DEMIPHO, senex, frater Chremetis. DORIO,leno. GETA, servus Demiphonis. NAUSISTRATA, matrona, uxor Chremetis. PHAEDRIA, adolescens, filius Chremetis. PHORMIO,parasitus. SOPHRONA, nutrix Phanii.

​DRAMATIS PERSONAE. ANTIPHO, a young man, son of Demipho. CHREMES, an old man, brother of Demipho. CRATINUS, an advocate. CRITO, an advocate. HEGIO, an advocate. DAVUS, a slave. DEMIPHO, an old man, brother of Chremes. DORIO, a slave-dealer. GETA, a slave of Demipho. NAUSISTRATA, a matron, wife of Chremes. PHAEDRIA, a young man, son of Chremes. PHORMIO, a parasite. SOPHRONA, nurse of Phanium.

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​INTRODUCTION. In this play we have two brothers, Demipho and Chremes. Chremes had married a lady of property, named Nausistrata, whose estates lay in the island of Lemnos, and by whom he had a son called Phaedria. Once a year Chremes used to go to Lemnos to collect his rents, and used to stay there on each occasion rather longer than was necessary, while the rents which he brought home to his wife were less than in former times when the prices of farm produce was not so high as at this time (compare v. 8. 23, 24, and v. 3. 4—8), which appeared unaccountable to his wife,2 who did not however suspect him of any thing beyond carelessness and indolence in the management of her business. But it had happened that about fifteen years before the events of this play he had fallen in love with a Lemnian woman, by whom he had a daughter called Phanium. So for fifteen years he had two wives and two establishments, with perfect secrecy, for at Lemnos he went by the name of Stilpho; while he put off his wife’s complaints about the short rents by excuses of bad times, ill health, and so on. His brother Demipho had a son named Antipho, and they had agreed that Chremes should now go to Lemnos, and bring over his wife and daughter, and that the cousins should be married at once, Phanium passing for the daughter of a friend. With this object Chremes now makes his yearly visit to Lemnos; and Demipho at the same time goes to Cilicia, where he expects to find a large fortune; while their two sons, Antipho and Phaedria, are left under the charge of Geta, an old family servant of Demipho’s, who acted as their paedagogue. At first Geta endeavoured to discharge his duty to his master faithfully; but finding that this conduct got him nothing but abuse, he altered his line, and gave his two pupils every indulgence they demanded. This soon produced the results which might have been anticipated.

​INTRODUCTION. In this play we have two brothers, Demipho and Chremes. Chremes had married a lady of property, named Nausistrata, whose estates lay in the island of Lemnos, and by whom he had a son called Phaedria. Once a year Chremes used to go to Lemnos to collect his rents, and used to stay there on each occasion rather longer than was necessary, while the rents which he brought home to his wife were less than in former times when the prices of farm produce was not so high as at this time (compare v. 8. 23, 24, and v. 3. 4—8), which appeared unaccountable to his wife, who did not however suspect him of any thing beyond carelessness and indolence in the management of her business. But it had happened that about fifteen years before the events of this play he had fallen in love with a Lemnian woman, by whom he had a daughter called Phanium. So for fifteen years he had two wives and two establishments, with perfect secrecy, for at Lemnos he went by the name of Stilpho; while he put off his wife’s complaints about the short rents by excuses of bad times, ill health, and so on. His brother Demipho had a son named Antipho, and they had agreed that Chremes should now go to Lemnos, and bring over his wife and daughter, and that the cousins should be married at once, Phanium passing for the daughter of a friend. With this object Chremes now makes his yearly visit to Lemnos; and Demipho at the same time goes to Cilicia, where he expects to find a large fortune; while their two sons, Antipho and Phaedria, are left under the charge of Geta, an old family servant of Demipho’s, who acted as their paedagogue. At first Geta endeavoured to discharge his duty to his master faithfully; but finding that this conduct got him nothing but abuse, he altered his line, and gave his two pupils every indulgence they demanded. This soon produced the results which might have been anticipated.

Syntax notes2 items
  1. castadvocati

    Plural nominative, applied to Cratinus, Crito, and Hegio to indicate their role as legal advisers.

  2. subject_1which appeared unaccountable to his wife

    The antecedent of the relative pronoun which is the entire preceding situation described, namely that the rents brought home were less than in former times despite higher produce prices.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi004.humanitext-lat2:cast-subject_1