Casina vs The Braggart Solider - Kai M.D.

 While having very different plots, I find that both Casina and The Braggart Soldier share the same themes, tropes, and essential message/purpose. They are both about lust-driven masters who fall head-over-heels for a young woman, allowing one (or more) of their slaves to manipulate them and gain more power for themselves. The plays also have similar senses of humor; making the audience laugh with awkward, unconventional situations and dialogue. It seems to me that the only major difference between these two works, other than the plot, is the style in which they're written. Casina's dialogue reads more casual and comedic, as if every line is meant to make the audience laugh. The Braggart Soldier's language and dialogue is more akin to Shakespeare, which makes sense, since apparently Plautus inspired some Shakespearean works. All that to say, The Braggart Soldier is written with more formal language, making it feel more melodramatic and serious to the audience, despite the humor interlaced throughout. Another thing to note - despite both plays' slave characters seizing power by the end, the story is still told from the master's perspective. This more or less makes the audience feel bad or laugh at the master for allowing someone as lowly as a slave to gain power over them, rather than serving as an empowering storyline. 

Personally, I think The Braggart Soldier is technically more well-written than Casina, and therefore deserves a movie adaptation as well. However, Casina would make for a more entertaining and culturally relevant movie, especially if the filmmakers changed some of the character's relationships and interactions. For example, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Cleostrata serve as a stabilizer for the household. This allowed her to be more than a 'nagging housewife', a trope that is still pretty popular to this day. Still, this could be taken further in a film adaptation. Cleostrata could have a closer relationship with Casina (who would hopefully actually appear in the movie), perhaps wanting to protect her rather than expel her from the household. Additionally, I think it would be better to tell the story from either Cleostrata or Chalinus' perspective, as they ultimately have the most influence on other characters. This would also serve to further satirize and make fun of characters like Lysidamus and Olympio, who frequently objectify women; and so, the film adaptation could be a satirization of men's lust and unearned power over women. This would make the story more socially and culturally relevant to today, and subvert the audience's expectations even more. 


- Kai Makino-Dilloway

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