Bachelor thesis | Griekse en Latijnse taal en cultuur (BA)
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In Plautus's Casina, the title character never once makes a physical appearance. Why does the play omit such a pivotal character from the stage, and what meaning does Casina's absence produce? I...Show moreIn Plautus's Casina, the title character never once makes a physical appearance. Why does the play omit such a pivotal character from the stage, and what meaning does Casina's absence produce? I argue that the play, in leaving an opening where Casina would be expected to be, creates a space used to develop the comedic female subversion of male power at its heart. Using gender theory, Wolfgang Iser's concept of the blank, and an analysis of the metatheatrical dimensions of the play, I show how the purposeful absence of Casina in the end leaves us with a commentary on the interaction of identity and stories, and the power implied in the knowledge thereof.Show less
