A Calculated Comedy of Errors: The Structure of Plautus’ Menaechmi

Plautus’ Menaechmi consists of a two-part structure, built of parallel and balanced scenes, which emphasises the contrast between the two eponymous brothers. This contrast is shown by their relative acting ability, which directly contributes to their respective success and failure within the context of the play. Through his cunning and increasingly elaborate performances, Menaechmus of Syracuse comes over the course of the play to embody the festival spirit, and hence achieves his goal and finds his long lost brother. Menaechmus of Epidamnus in contrast fails to succeed at all until he also shows cunning, whereupon he achieves his own dream of escaping from the burdens of married life and duty in Epidamnus.