Rudens is a play by Roman author Plautus, thought to have been written around 211 BC. Its name translates from Latin as 'The Rope'. It is a comedy, which describes how a girl, Palaestra, stolen from her parents by pirates, is reunited with her father, Daemones, ironically, by means of her pimp, Labrax. The story is, however, far more complex; in particular, humour is derived from the interactions between slaves and masters, and the changes in friendships throughout. The play is set in Cyrene, in northern Africa, although the characters come from a range of cities around the Mediterranean, most notably, Athens.
“For true it is, good oft befalls us when we least expect it. And true it is, that when we trust in hope, we’re often disappointed.”
Nam multa praeter spem, scio, multis bona evenisse. At ego etiam qui speraverint, spem decepisse multos.
Rudens, Act II, scene 3, line 69
Rudens (The Rope)
“Patience, then, is the best remedy against affliction.”
Animus aequus optimus est aerumnae condimentum.
Rudens, Act II, sc. v, line 71.
Variant translation: Patience is the best remedy for every trouble. (translation by Henry Thomas Riley)
Rudens (The Rope)
“If you are wise, be wise; keep what goods the gods provide you.”
[S}i sapias, sapias : habeus quod di dant boni.
Rudens, Act IV, sc. 7, line 3; reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).
Variant translation: [A] word to the wise! Keep what the Gods have given you. (translation by Cleveland King Chase)
Rudens (The Rope)
