The Self-Tormentor story
Heauton Timorumenos (Ἑαυτὸν τιμωρούμενος, Greek for The Self-Tormentor) is a play written in Latin by Terence (Latin: Publius Terentius Afer), a dramatist of the Roman Republic, in 163 BC. The play has presented academics with some problems. Firstly it is not entirely clear whether Heauton Timorumenos is Terence's second or third play. More importantly, due to the scant survival of Menander's play of the same name, there is no simple way to judge how much of Terence's version is translation and how much is invention. It is set in a village in the countryside of Attica.
23 total · 1 choice · 10 major · 12 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| father and son | choice | The play follow two father and son relationships: 1) The wealthy farmer Menedemus fretted over what to do when word reached him that his estranged son, Clinia, was back in town and in love with a spendthrift girl, and 2) Clitipho went to elaborate measures to conceal the identity of his lover from his father Chremes. |
| beating one's self up | major | Menedemus was anguishing over having driven his son, Clinia, away by being too stern in the past. This is central to the story on account that Menedemus' actions following his son's sudden and unexpected return were dictated by his guilt over what he'd done. |
| con artistry | major | At the heart of the story lies the slave Syrus and the courtesan Bacchis' intricate schemes to extract money from Chremes and Menedemus. |
| disapproving parent | major | Menedemus had come to regret having once chastised his son, Clinia, for having gotten involved with an impoverished girl. Chremes vehemently disapproved of his son Clitipho getting himself involved with the courtesan Bacchis. |
| fatherly disappointment in a son | major | Menedemus tells Chremes about how Menedemus fell out with his own son over the son's choice of a love interest. This conflict is at the core of the entire story. Also Chremes nearly falls out with his own son for the same reasons. |
| friendship | major | Clitipho went to elaborate lengths to help his pal Clinia secure Antiphilia's hand in marriage. The neighbors and friends Menedemus and Cheremies. |
| infatuation | major | Clinia and Antiphilia were in the throws of love, and in the end they married. |
| master and slave | major | Clitipho relied on his slave Syrus to conceive of and execute an elaborate ruse. Clinia and his slave Dromo. |
| neighbor and neighbor | major | The wealthy farmer Menedemus was being advised by his next-door neighbors Chremes on how to handle the sudden and unexpected return of his estranged son, Clinia. Stated in passing was that the neighbors Simus and Cirto were engaged in a boundary dispute. |
| reconciliation | major | The story concludes with the fathers and sons reconciling. |