Terence’s Phormio

Terence’s Phormio, staged during the Ludi Romani in 161 BC, is named after its manipulative, parasitical character, Phormio. This dramatic comedy, reputed for its structural excellence, takes place inAthens and focuses on the romantic escapades of cousins Antipho and Phaedria. The street setting features entrances to three residences: those of Antipho’s father Demipho, Phaedria’s father Chremes, and a slave merchant Dorio. As the narrative commences, both fathers are absent from Athens on business. Despite their pivotal roles in the plot, the young men’s love interests never make a stage appearance. The play is an adaptation of a lost work by Apollodorus of Carystus called Epidikazomenos.