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Pseudolus
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Themes
The Inversion of Social Class
In Pseudolus, social status is indicative of intelligence, but not in the way one might think: slaves often exhibit wit and quick-thinking, whereas their masters fall for tricks and disguises. Calidorus, the son of Pseudolus’s master, Simo, begs Pseudolus for help freeing Phoenicium. Stating that it will “be the end of me, / Unless you can help” (60-61), Calidorus pleads with Pseudolus to let him “be worthless” (240), while Pseudolus does “the worrying for both of [them]” (232). That Pseudolus hasn’t “got the last bit of a plan” (397) is no barrier for Pseudolus: he promises to obtain the money for Calidorus, who complains frequently about his lack of resources. Pseudolus’s power over Calidorus—and Calidorus’s acceptance of it—is a departure from typical slave/master relationships.
Pseudolus proves Calidorus’s trust in him to be well-founded; he continuously remains one step ahead of Simo and Ballio. When he overhears Simo and Callipho speaking and discovers that Simo is “right on the scent of his son” (422), he quickly adjusts his plan. He demonstrates this same quick-thinking and resilience when he encounters Harpax: despite the suddenness of the meeting, Pseudolus successfully pretends to be Ballio’s slave, ultimately convincing Harpax to leave him the sealed letter. Using his “army of tricks” (572), he disguises Simia as Harpax and succeeds in obtaining Phoenicium before the real Harpax returns to claim her, earning even the begrudging admiration of Simo, who asks, “What mortal is more clever, cunning and crafty?” (1243).
Though Simo laments Pseudolus’s lack of respect for him—he complains to Callipho, “Just look at his attitude, Callipho!” (458) and asks the audience, “What should I do with him?” (1316)—there is no real effort to exert his power over him. He makes threats Pseudolus carelessly dismisses. Simo and Pseudolus seem to accept that despite their social position, the man with the power in the relationship is Pseudolus, not Simo.
Pseudolus is similarly unintimidated by Ballio, whom he insults freely and greets with a teasing, “Yoo-hoo, birthday boy, birthday boy, yes I mean you, birthday boy!” (245).Ballio, for all his strong language, in fact is wary of Pseudolus—at Simo’s advice, he is “on guard against” (898) him, fearing he will succeed in stealing Phoenicium. Pseudolus’s condemnation of Ballio’s caring “absolutely nothing of the gods we all revere!” (269) further demonstrates class inversion by showing the slave to be the more god-fearing of the two.
Calidorus’s languidness—his desire to be “worthless” (240), his embracing being “a fool” (239)—illuminates the contrast between the lives of slaves and their masters. Slaves like Pseudolus and Simia rely on their resourcefulness to survive. Calidorus, who has little to do but pine over his lost love, lacks sharpness of mind. Though the inversion of social class can be amusing, it reflects a deeper message at its core.
The Inversion of Morality
Spectators root for Pseudolus, who seeks to unite two lovers, as opposed to Ballio, the cruel, money-obsessed pimp who shows no mercy to a young man in love. Pseudolus’s success suggests a world in which good is more powerful than cruelty. This message is complicated by the fact that Pseudolus is a trickster and a thief, someone who reminds Calidorus, “You know full well what chaos I create / Once I’ve marked out my victim” (109-10). In the world of Pseudolus, a “good” person is not necessarily one who follows the rules. The inversion of morality is perhaps best illustrated by Calidorus’s assertion that Pseudolus, with his “trickery, treachery, and downright roguery” (705), is “the very picture of human perfection” (700). In looking for someone to help with his plan, Pseudolus tells Calidorus he seeks “[s]omeone unscrupulous” (724); in Simia, he finds someone with “tricks and lies” (928), someone “delightful” (931). Pseudolus believes Simia to be simultaneously “wickedly wicked” (939) and “a fine fellow” (943). Ironically, Pseudolus’s goodness is purer for his not following the rules, for he saves Phoenicium from the abusive Ballio, thus ensuring her and Calidorus’s happiness. On the other hand, Ballio, who whips his slaves, receives his just desserts when he is swindled by the slave Pseudolus. That spectators are satisfied by trickery and thievery illustrates how in Pseudolus, the most moral people can be the most subversive. Pseudolus is a story of underdogs who are rewarded for their subversion.
The Need for Creativity
When contemplating that he has no plan, yet will “bring that design to completion” (400), Pseudolus likens himself to a poet who “takes up his tablet and though / He looks for what doesn’t exist at all, he still finds it, and / Makes complete fiction seem like the truth” (401-03). He then boasts that there’s “[n]o need for fear, no cause for dread, when there’s a plan in [his] head!” (575). Pseudolus manages to convince Harpax he’s a slave named Surus; he also disguises Simia to trick Ballio into handing him Phoenicium. A man of creativity and imagination, he contrasts with Calidorus, who is unable, or unwilling, to devise a plan to save his love. By comparing himself to a poet, Pseudolus suggests trickery is an art form, thus reinforcing the inversion of morality in Pseudolus.
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