Cistellaria

Cistellaria

Cistellaria, which means The Casket, is a fun old Latin play from the late 3rd century BC. It was written by a Roman playwright named Titus Maccius Plautus.

The story happens in a Greek town called Sicyon. It is about a girl named Selenium. She was left as a baby and raised by a kind woman named Melaenis. Selenium learns that her real mother lives next door. This lets her marry a young man named Alcesimarchus, who loves her very much.

The play was based on an earlier story by a writer named Menander, called Synaristosai or The Women Who Lunched Together. Cistellaria is thought to be one of Plautus's first plays.

In the play, there is a happy moment when people hope the war with Carthage will soon end well for the Romans. This war is called the Second Punic War. The play might also talk about a friendship made with the Aetolian League around that time.

The play has many interesting characters. Selenium is a young woman raised by Melaenis after being found as a baby. Selenium meets Alcesimarchus, who falls in love with her. There are also other characters like Gymnasium, a friend of Selenium, and several parents and servants who help tell the story.