Dulcitius (play)

Dulcitius is a Latin comedy written by Hrosvitha of Gandersheim, a member of the female Abbey of Gandersheim in Lower Saxony. Written between 935-973, Dulcitius is widely believed to be her most comic work.[1] The play treats the figure of Dulcitius, governor of Thessalonica, as a subject for a comedy in the style of Terence. Although the play is dark - its plot depicts the imprisonment and martyrdom of the three sisters, Agape, Chionia, and Irena, at Dulcitius's hand - nevertheless its business is presumably deemed less grave because of the reward awaiting the Christian sufferers.[2]

Plot

Agape, Chionia, and Irena depicted in the Menologion of Basil II

The Roman Emperor Diocletian wants to arrange marriages to members of his imperial court for Agape, Chionia, and Irena, who are three virgin sisters. He insists that first they must renounce their Christian faith and worship the Roman gods. When the sisters refuse, the emperor orders them imprisoned and examined by Governor Dulcitius. When Dulcitius sees how beautiful the sisters are, he declares that he is in love. He tells his soldiers to lock them in the kitchen so he "can visit them oftener".[2] That night he hears the sisters singing hymns. He tells the soldiers to guard the doors while he goes in to have his way with them. In the darkness of the kitchen, Dulcitius embraces the pots and pans, thinking they are the women.

When he leaves the kitchen, Dulcitius is covered in soot and unrecognizable. The soldiers think he is possessed and run away from him. Not realizing he is covered in soot, Dulcitius goes to the palace to tell the imperial court how he has been insulted. He is beaten and denied admittance to the palace because the ushers do not recognize him.

When Dulcitius goes to his wife, he realizes what has happened. In retaliation for his embarrassment, he commands that Agape, Chionia, and Irena be stripped in public. However, the soldiers are unable to remove the robes from the women's bodies. Since Dulcitius is sleeping, the soldiers go to tell Diocletian what has happened. The enraged emperor orders Count Sisinnius to punish the sisters.

Sisinnius has Agape and Chionia brought to him, believing that the younger Irena will change her views if she is no longer influenced by her older sisters. He orders Agape and Chionia to sacrifice to the Roman gods, but they refuse. Sisinnius has them burned alive. Their spirits leave their bodies, but their bodies and clothes miraculously are not burned.

Sisinnius has Irena brought to him. He tells her if she continues to persist, she will die like her sisters. Sisinnius continues to threaten her, but she refuses to renounce her faith. He orders the soldiers to "drag her to the lowest brothel you can find".[2] However, the soldiers quickly return and tell Sisinnius that Irena has escaped to a mountaintop. Two well-dressed men came to them on the way to the brothel, and told them that Sisinnius instead wanted her taken to the top of a mountain. Sisinnius and the soldiers go to the mountain, but are unable to go up it. As Irena stands at the top, Sisinnius orders one of the soldiers to shoot her with an arrow. She dies looking forward to heaven.

Characters

A bust of Diocletian

The characters in the play, in order of appearance:

Background and writing

Hrosvitha of Gandersheim

Most theatre historians agree that there is little information on Hrosvitha's life and background. From information provided by Hrosvitha in Carmen de Primordiis Coenobii Gandersheimensis, we know she was born a long time after the death of Otto the Illustrious (November 30, 912), and that she was older than the daughter of Henry, Duke of Bavaria, Gerberga II (born after the year 940). Based on this information, Hrosvitha was born between 912 and 940, though historians generally agree that her date of birth is closer to 935.[3][4]

Hrosvitha divided her work into three books: Liber Primus, Liber Secundus, and Liber Tertius. The first book is poetry, the second book has the six plays she is largely known for (including Dulcitius), and the third book is more poetry and is also the text from which historians have been able to deduce her approximate year of birth.[5]

Much has been said on the playwright Terence's influence on Hrosvitha. She copied his style in the praising of virgins. In Hrosvitha's preface to her collection, she acknowledges Terence's influence, noting that her plays provide an alternative read for those who appreciate Terence's style. Her take substitutes "the laudable chastity of holy maidens" for his "unchaste actions of sensual women".[6] This relationship between Terence and Hrosvitha represent a link between classical drama and the medieval morality plays.[7]

Analysis

Title and genre

The play’s original title was Passio Sanctarum Virginum Agapis Chioniae Et Hirenae, but has become more commonly known as Dulcitius because it is he who serves as the central character in the comedic scenes. Dulcitius is considered to be Hrosvitha's most comedic work. However, only 56 lines out of 286 lines in the play are considered to be comedic and Dulcitius is only present in the first part of the play. As this division is the case, some have criticized Hrosvitha for creating no connection between the plotline of Dulcitius' adventures and that of the martyrdom of the three girls.[8]

Portrayal of women

Thought to be intended for reading as opposed to performance, Hrosvitha's plays are believed to be aimed towards the Christian ideal of the virginal woman. Her intention was likely for her plays to be read aloud by the Sisters of her convent. However, some scholars dismiss the solely Christian context of Hrosvitha's writings, instead claiming that her plays provided women opportunities for female integrity thus changing the views of women's roles from negative to positive.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Zarrilli, Phillip B.; McConachie, Bruce; Williams, Gary Jay; Sorgenfrei, Carol Fisher (2006). Theatre Histories: An Introduction. New York: Routledge. p. 73. ISBN 0-415-22727-5.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Plays of Roswitha: Dulcitus". Fordham University. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ Butler, Mary Marguerite (1960). Hrotsvitha: The Theatricality of Her Plays. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan. p. 62. ISBN 1-258-18180-0.
  4. ↑ McDonald, Irving T. (June 22, 1929). "The Strong Voice of Gandersheim". American Press Inc.: 259 – via JSTOR.
  5. ↑ Zeydel, Edwin H. (1947). "A Chronological Hrotsvitha Bibliography Through 1700 with Annotations". The Journal of English and Germanic Philosophy. 46: 290 – via JSTOR.
  6. ↑ Wailes, Stephen L. (January 2001). "Beyond Virginity: Flesh and Spirit in the Plays of Hrotsvit of Gandersheim". Speculum. 76 (1).
  7. ↑ Wilson, Katharina M. (Autumn 1982). "The Old Hungarian Translation of Hrotsvit's Dulcitius: History and Analysis". Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature. 1 (2).
  8. ↑ Cole, Douglas (October 1960). "Hrosvitha's most 'Comic' Play: Dulcitius". Studies in Philology. 57 (4).
  9. ↑ Case, Sue-Ellen (December 1983). "Re-Viewing Hrotsvit". Theatre Journal. 35 (4).
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