Andria (comedy)

Andria (English: The Woman from Andros) is a Roman comedy adapted by Terence from two Greek plays by Menander the first being Samia and the other being Perinthia.

[1] By the time of Cicero, roughly a century later (56 BC), the play had become well-known as the source of (or along with) the line "Hinc illae lacrimae!"

"; act 1, scene 1, v. 126), as the orator made use of this latter in a speech (Pro Caelio) defending his erstwhile student Marcus Caelius Rufus; and even thirty-six years thence—in 20 BC—the play and the phrase were evidently still popular enough that Horace could quote it in his Epistulae I and expect the allusion to be recognized.

[2] Another part of the Perinthian apparently used by Terence was the dialogue in the first scene, with the substitution of the freedman Sosia for the old man's wife.

Pamphilus has a secret relationship with Glycerium (the eponymous but unseen girl from Andros) and has made her pregnant.

However, following Pamphilus' behaviour at the funeral of Glycerium's sister Chrysis, a woman of loose morals, Chremes withdraws his permission for the union.

Wishing to publicly shame his son for his dalliance with a woman of low birth, Simo pretends that not only will the match still go ahead but that it is scheduled for that same day.

Pamphilus, on the advice of the cunning slave Davus, who has learnt of Simo's scheme, accepts the proposal willingly in order to wrong-foot his father.

Davus faces the three-way wrath of Pamphilus (for his advice), Charinus (for causing the loss of his beloved) and Simo (for double-dealing between him and his son).

She had been left in her family's care when her uncle Phania, while searching for his lost brother, was shipwrecked on Andros and died.

He gives Glycerium's hand in marriage to Pamphilus which leaves Philumena free to marry Charinus and absolves Davus from fault.

When Sosia enquires as to the purpose of the sham, Simo tells him of Pamphilus' shameful secret attachment to Glycerium, the sister of a harlot.

He also reveals that in order to curry favour with Simo, Glycerium has concocted a story that she is a free-born citizen of Athens who was shipwrecked as a child on Andros and thus is not of base birth.

Mysis leaves her mistress' house to make some preparations for this when she overhears Pamphilus bemoaning the fact that his marriage to Philumena is still going ahead.

Charinus declares his love of Philumena and as he is unsure why Pamphilus is going ahead with the match he vows to go and beg him at least to delay.

Davus tells them that in fact the planned nuptials are a ruse and that he has checked Chremes' house and there is no sign of preparations.

Simo and Davus overhear Mysis and Lesbia, who in the course of their conversation reveal that Pamphilus has made a pledge to support Glycerium's child.

Charinus on hearing that the wedding will proceed believes that his friend has betrayed him taking Philumena only because he had revealed his love of the girl.

Crito arrives in Athens, and on learning of Chrysis' death berates his ill fortune because, as Glycerium is in reality an orphan, he is Chrysis' closest relative and will need to take a case to law to claim her estate ahead of Glycerium who will no doubt be defended by some gallant protector.

Simo mollifies his rage saying what he saw was a ruse orchestrated by Glycerium and that Davus had even warned him beforehand that this would be attempted in order to break the wedding off.

Pamphilus responds that he will indeed break his word but that his father ought to listen to Crito's story before he scolds him.

Crito tells all present that Glycerium is the niece of an Athenian nobleman shipwrecked on Andros while searching for his brother.

In the end, in both plays the two old men are placated, a long-lost daughter is found, and the young man of the house gets to keep his girlfriend.

Thornton Wilder, an American writer, wrote The Woman of Andros, a novel based on Terence's Andria, which presents a fable about the emptiness of the classical world on the brink of profound changes provoked by the birth of Jesus.