Phormio (play)

[2] The play is named after the character Phormio, a cunning "parasite" (that is, a person who makes a living by performing services for richer people).

The plot is set in Athens, and revolves around the love affairs of two young men, Antipho and Phaedria, who are cousins.

[3] In both Plautus and Terence's plays the usual pattern is to begin each section with iambic senarii (which were spoken without music), then a scene of music in various metres, and finally a scene in trochaic septenarii, which were apparently recited to the accompaniment of tibiae (a pair of reed pipes).

In his book The Music of Roman Comedy, Moore calls this the "ABC succession", where A = iambic senarii, B = other metres, C = trochaic septenarii.

Geta explains how when the two brothers Demipho and Chremes went away separately on business he had been ordered to watch over their two sons; how Phaedria had immediately fallen in love with a lyre-player but had no money to buy her from her slave-dealer owner; and how meanwhile Antipho had fallen in love with a poor orphan girl whose guardian, an old nurse, refused to let him have her without marrying her since she was a free-born citizen.

Demipho enters in a furious mood, and not seeing Phaedria and Geta at first, he expresses his feelings in a soliloquy.

Phaedria tries to defend Antipho, and Geta also excuses himself on the grounds that as a slave he was not allowed to give evidence in court.

Pressured by Geta and Antipho, Dorio eventually agrees to let him have the girl if he can produce the sum of 30 minae by the following morning.

Demipho enters with his brother Chremes, who explains that when he went to the island of Lemnos to fetch his illegitimate daughter as a wife for Antipho he discovered that the girl and her mother had already departed for Athens.

Geta addresses Demipho and Chremes and tells them that Phormio is willing to marry the girl himself, for the sum of 30 minae.

Despite Demipho's protests, Chremes agrees and says he will take the money out of the rent of his wife's property on Lemnos which he went to collect.

Demipho is carrying a bag of money which he says he is going to take to the forum to pay Phormio in front of witnesses.

Sophrona, the nurse who has been looking after Chremes' daughter Phanium since her mother's death, comes out of Demipho's house and sings of her despair since she has heard that the boy's father is vehemently opposed to the marriage.

She addresses him as "Stilpo", the pseudonym he used on Lemnos, but he begs her not to use that name any more as he fears the anger of his Athenian wife.

Demipho comes out accompanied by Nausistrata, who is complaining that Chremes hasn't brought her all the rent money she is due from her estates on Lemnos.

Antipho now appears from the forum, reflecting on his own misery compared with his cousin's good fortune in getting the money he needs to buy his lyre-player.

He sees Antipho and at first teases him by taking his time to reveal the good news; but finally he informs him that his father now accepts the marriage.