Hecyra
Hecyra ( Latinized ; Greek Ἑκυρή Hekyrḗ "mother-in-law") is the title of a comedy by the Roman poet Terence . It was created around 165 BC. And achieved great success after two performances without a price (165 and 160 BC). The subject matter of the piece goes back to the Epitrepontes of Menander via the Hekyra of the Greek comedy poet Apollodor von Karystos .
action
The old Laches married his son Pamphilus against his will to Philumena, the daughter of the neighbor Phidippus. Pamphilus complies, but ignores his wife for the first months after the wedding and continues to cling to the hetaera Bacchis, with whom he is in love. Philumena secretly gives birth to a child under the care of her mother Myrrina - at a time when the child cannot possibly have come from Pamphilus. Pamphilus is initiated by Myrrina and learns that Philumena, even before he was married to her, was raped by an unknown person who stole a ring from her. Pamphilus wants to expel Philumena, but wants to keep her secret, which is why he cannot provide any reasonable reason for his intention to separate and is suspected of simply wanting to return to his beloved. Bacchis tries to mediate, but then Myrrina discovers her daughter's ring on her hand. Bacchis confesses to having received this ring from none other than Pamphilus, who is exposed as a libertine and keeps his wife.
Tradition and translation
The first edition of the Terence Comedies (Paris 1470) was followed by an anonymous translation into German as early as 1499: Terentius the highly gelerted and all-brittle poet . The most common German title in translations since the 19th century is Die Schwiegermutter .
literature
- Richard Mellein: Hecyra , in: Kindlers Literaturlexikon , Volume 3, Sp. 1545–1547