CMRS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Demimonde, Hetaira, Isaeus

• School: U of S
• Department: Classical Medieval Renaissance
• Course: CMRS 110
• Professor: Porter John

Document Summary

Begin by reading the play and see what you make of it. A young man named moschion has raped the girl who lives next door (plangon) and gotten her pregnant. He is immediately repentant and expresses his fierce desire to marry the girl. As it happens, however, his adoptive father (the wealthy demeas) is out of town on an extended business trip, along with the girl"s father (niceratus, who, although somewhat poorer than demeas, is his friend). The fathers are away for such a long time that the girl"s baby is in fact born before they return. The women of the two households conspire, along with the family slaves, to keep the birth a secret until demeas and niceratus return and a marriage can be arranged. As a result, chrysis moved in with demeas to join in a loving relationship, but one that enjoyed no legal recognition or protections: she became his *pallak (concubine).