Sexism in A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum

In A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, several jokes are made at the expense of women, female sexuality, and female intelligence and worth. On several occasions women are highlighted as unintelligent and worthless for anything other than sex. However we do see that similar jokes are made at the expense of the men in the film. The concept of masculinity is fragile as the men search for potions to give them passion, dress as women to get themselves out of tricky situations, and try to kill themselves in outlandish ways with barely any proof of reason. So while women are always portrayed poorly throughout the film, men are not always portrayed wonderfully either. Overall the film was amusing and gave an entirely different perspective on Roman life that didn't focus exclusively on the nobility and instead followed the life of the common people. This different perspective is the reason I believe that A Funny Thing is still a relevant film to watch for modern audiences. So often we see Roman life shown exclusively through the eyes of kings, queens and other noble individuals, that the perspective of slaves and brothel owners is a refreshing take on Roman life. While the scenes may not be entirely historically accurate, they take the essence of Roman life and put a spin on it that can be useful to audiences interested in the history of Rome and its portrayal in film over time.

"Casina v Braggart soldier"

Both plays offered different levels of entertainment and had their own levels of value I enjoyed Casina more. The Braggart soldier offers a more precise description of the surroundings and uses very descriptive language to fully engage me and explain what is happening but in twice the amount of words as needed. In Casina the dialogue and script in general is filled with fun whited blurbs and makes it more enjoyable to read with its tone of humor.

Casina vs. The Braggart Soldier

Between the two plays, I much prefer Casina to The Braggart Soldier. I prefer it because Casina's storyline is much easier to follow. First of all, the names are all easier to pronounce in Casina and for the most part, don't start with the same letter, both of these elements help me to follow the plot. Whereas in The Braggart Soldier, all the names are long and hard to pronounce/read and practically all start with the letter 'P'. Second of all, the Casina's plotline is rather simple, just a bunch of fun drama. In contrast, while the concept of both plays are similar, The Braggart Soldier had a more serious tone and came across as more complex.

Casina vs. The Braggart Soldier

I preferred Casina over The Braggart Soldier. They both had amusing plots, good connections with the audience and twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. Both plays were comedies, however Casina, personally, was respectfully the better comedic play. Casina's story line picked up quicker than that of The Braggart Soldier. The hate love affair between the man and wife in Casina was intriguing, and this theme flowed throughout the play as characters showed much hatred towards each other. Threats, name calling, and insults were thrown across the script between rivals and lovers in Casina. In Casina the main characters used trickery to attempt the progress of their own agenda or to crash someone else's plan. In The Haggart Soldier, this back and forth of cunning insults and deceit was not as present. As seen in The Haggart Soldier longer monologues or soliloquies ,and few had rhythmed, were said while in Casina more often were the characters statements short.The Haggart Soldier's plot was very well thought out and intelligent, however Casina was more relatable and entertaining to me personally. 

Casina vs. The Braggart Soldier

     Both plays are great in their own ways but I personally preferred Casina. Casina brings up so much drama between family members. It's also interesting to see how the ones you are suppose to be closest to, your family, go behind your back. I really enjoyed the extremely elaborate plots that the characters would come up with just to get what they wanted. One example of this is when Lysidamus plans to marry Casina to Olympio so that he can have all the sex he wants with her because she would hold the name of one of his servants, and all of this being done behind Lysidamus' wife, Cleostrata's back. What I didn't like in "The Braggart Soldier" was not anything really with the story but the confusion of names. It seemed like every single name in the play started with a P. I was constantly forced to go back and reread so I could understand who exactly was doing what. In an actual play setting, on an actual stage this wouldn't be an issue because you could put a face to the name but it made reading it very difficult. Other than that I have no real complaints, both were great plays that enjoyed thoroughly.

Casina vs. The Braggat Soldier

Both of the plays written by Plautus are very enthralling and fun to read. However I personally preferred Casina. I preferred Casina because, I feel that Casina was the comedy of a true play writing genius. Plautus lays out multiple enthralling conflicts. The first conflict is between father and son. Specifically Lysidamus and his son. However the conflict then shifts when Lysidamus sends his son away. The conflict then becomes a conflict between husband and wife. Lysidamus wants Casina for himself but his wife wants her to marry Chalinus a family slave. So Lysidamus try's to hatch a clever plot but fails when his wife finds out. To add to the hysteria of the entire play Lysidamus is caught in the act of trying to seduce 'Casina'. The way the plot is depicted in Casina makes me personally feel that it is the superior of two plays. However one could also make a strong argument for the Braggett soldier which in it's own right paints a similar picture to the one in Casina. The art of deception is employed once again to rescue the courtesan Philocomasium who is abducted by the Braggart Soldier. While the play itself is very dramatic, it's not nearly as theatrical or funny as Casina is. I also don't like the fact that the servants are the ones used to rescue the courtesan from the clutches of the soldier not Pleusicles himself. For these reasons I prefer Casina.

Casina vs The Braggart Soldier

I preferred "Casina" over "The Braggart Soldier" because I was more entertained whilst reading "Casina." The funniest part of either plays is the scene in which Olympio goes into the dark room to have sex with Casina and confirm the marriage yet to his surprise there is a man that beats him up as he feels him up. Cleostrata, the wife of  Lysidamus, is the master behind all the mockery which seems very taboo for such an early time period. The most important factor in determining my like or dislike of these comedies was I actually found "Casina" funny