Prostitutes and Prostitution in Plautus

Gabe Malone
Latin 530
September 24, 2012

I. Why was prostitution such a popular topic for Roman comic

playwrights?

a. First, and perhaps rather obviously, prostitution was extremely common in

Roman society. And since Roman comedy deals with everyday life, the
fact that prostitution makes an appearance is only natural.

i. Map of Pompeii with overlay of brothels

ii. The price point of the common prostitute (cheap and available to
nearly every man).

In the late republic, the price for a common prostitute cost

1/6th the income of the daily wages of low-class male
laborers. Plautus play Trinummus could be loosely
translated as Three Obols, the typical price of a prostitute
in 5th century Athens. This happens to also be the cost of a
loaf of bread in Rome during the late republic.
 b. The prostitute as metaphor for actor.

i. Both are dissimulators, cross-dressers, and low-class members of

society. According to Anne Duncan, prostitutes in Plautus (and
Terence) all display a knack for acting, and all are accused, to
some extent rightly, of being insincere performers. the
adulescens frets about the prostitutes trustworthiness and is
anxious about her despised status, in the same way that the Roman
intellectuals fret about theaters value (237-4). In sum, the
prostitute symbolizes Roman theater, while the adulescens
symbolizes the Roman audience.
ii. Prostitutes, like actors, were also cross dressers. While female
prostitutes wore a variety of clothing, she even donned the toga.
Anne Duncan suggests that the toga was a symbol of the
prostitutes masculine levels of lust and that she was a public
figure working public places - it was her costume.

II. Who were prostitutes in the ancient world?

a. Greek

i. Pornai - brothel workers, slaves. Didrachmon obole (low

status as objects.
iii. Hetairai - were generally free, confident, assertive, independent,
non-citizen, educated women who contracted her services to a
man. Unlike pornai, able to choose own clients.

b. Roman

i. Such a clear binary distinction between types of prostitutes does

not exist for the Romans. Prostitutes, however, do appear to have
been overwhelmingly slaves.

1. There does seem to be a distinction made between a scortum

(piece of flesh) and a meretrix (one who works for her
money). In Plautus, a scortum refers to mute prostitutes,
whereas a meretrix refers to named prostitutes who might
serve as the love interest of an adulescens.

2. Conditions for prostitutes likely varied a great deal. McGinn

has a difficult time imagining pleasant conditions for any
prostitute, even the brothel worker. McGinn suggests that
based on Roman literature, rape may have been an
omnipresent threat for a prostitute. In addition, forced entry to
 a brothel is a theme with a long history in Roman literature,
even in Plautus. Persa 569:

At enim illi noctu occentabunt ostium, Those men in the night will serenade the
exurent fores: gate, they will burn the doors.

ii. Unlike in Greece, no evidence for freedwomen as prostitutes.

1. Though the elegiac love interest (puella docta) may have

modeled herself on the Greek hetaira.

III. Who were prostitutes in Plautus?

Socially speaking, she will be a meretrix, very well cared for, and sometimes even
have her own slaves (cf. Truculentus).

Literarily speaking, when a prostitute is given a significant speaking role, she will
fall into one of the following categories:

a. The good faith prostitute: prostitutes who are sincere and truly love the
adulescens. Hookers with a heart of gold. These are rare in Plautus.

Philocomasium in Miles Gloriosus uses deceit to escape becoming the

possession of the miles and so is able to stay with the adulescens.

b. The pseudo-hetairai: prostitutes revealed to be citizens and thus able to be

wed. Always good faith (high class = good person).

Plautus Cistellaria has a Pseudo-hetaira who has only ever had sex with
the adulescens.

c. The bad faith prostitute: lies about her feelings and intention to everyone
in order to get what she wants. Hooker whose heart is set on gold.
Plautus known for creating this type.

Baddest of the bad is Phronesium in the Truculentus. In this play Phronesium has three
lovers, an adulescens, a miles, and a rusticus. Diniarchus, the adulescens, reveals that
Phronesium has borrowed a baby to pass off as her own in order to extort child support
from the miles.

peperisse simulat sese, ut me extrudat

foras vosmet iam videtis, ut ornata incedo:
atque ut cum solo pergraecetur milite; puerperio ego nunc med esse aegram
(86-88) adsimulo.
(463-64)
She pretends that shes the one who gave
birth, so that she can push me out her Yall see me now, how Im decked out:
house and so that she can act-a-Greek Now Im pretending that Im sick from
with just her soldier. my delivery.

Lepide ecastor aucupavi atque ex mea

sententia, In my opinion, by god, Ive played
meamque ut rem video bene gestam, (them) well, and as I see that my affairs
vostram rursum bene geram: are well taken care off, I will well take
romabo si quis animatust facere, care of yours, too: If anyone wants me
faciat ut sciam. to do him, let him act so that I might
Veneris causa adplaudite: eius haec in know. Clap for Sex! This play is under
tutelast fabula. Venus care. Goodbye, spectators, be
spectatores, bene valete, plaudite aroused and clap!
atque exurgite.
(964-68)

This is an interesting ending in that the actor playing Phronesium addresses the audience,
but the actor stays in character as a prostitute in doing so, promising to stay in character
even after the play is complete. Her bad faithness is that strong.

(If time to discuss) Based on the evidence found outside of Roman comedy
of the poor conditions for prostitutes, Plautus seems to be conflating Greek ideals of
prostitution with the Roman reality.
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