There are two accounts from the Roman Empire are that are frequently cited to demonstrate masters’ fears of their own slaves. First is a letter from Pliny, in which he gives some rather gory details of a master who was murdered by his own slaves. Second is an anecdote in the philosopher Seneca. Seneca reports that at one point the Roman Senate debated making all slaves wear a particular ribbon. The motion is defeated when another senator points out that such a ribbon would encourage slaves to work together to overthrow their masters. It seems safe to safe that owning slaves produces a type of anxiety.
Such anxiety makes the figure of the clever slave in Roman comedy all the more interesting. The Romans understood this figure to be an archetype, the callidus servus, and occurs in basically all Roman comedies. What it does is vary the amount of power this slave has. In some plays, such as the Epidicus or the Mostellaria, the callidus servus basically controls all the actions. But because he is merely a slave, he controls the action on behalf of his masters, rather than his own desires. Notice that I said “masters”, because one of the obstacles that the callidus servus has to confront is the conflicting desires of the father and the son. The clever slave’s plans, along with some circumstance thrown in by the playwright, resolve the conflicting desires by the end of the play. Sometimes the slave is rewarded with manumission because of his loyal service.
There are some exceptions to these slaves working on behalf of their masters. In Miles Gloriousus, the slave Palaestro actively plots against his master, Pyrgopolynices. However Plautus ensures that such animosity is well deserved: his master is a blowhard soldier who blithely assumes his superiority over everybody else. However, such antagonistic plans are also examples of loyalty to a master. Palaestro, prior to Pyrgopolynices buying him, was owned by Pleusicles. Through his machinations, Paleastro ensures that his master is able to buy him from Pyrgopolynices. The play implies that later own Palaestro will be manumitted.
Such anxiety makes the figure of the clever slave in Roman comedy all the more interesting. The Romans understood this figure to be an archetype, the callidus servus, and occurs in basically all Roman comedies. What it does is vary the amount of power this slave has. In some plays, such as the Epidicus or the Mostellaria, the callidus servus basically controls all the actions. But because he is merely a slave, he controls the action on behalf of his masters, rather than his own desires. Notice that I said “masters”, because one of the obstacles that the callidus servus has to confront is the conflicting desires of the father and the son. The clever slave’s plans, along with some circumstance thrown in by the playwright, resolve the conflicting desires by the end of the play. Sometimes the slave is rewarded with manumission because of his loyal service.
There are some exceptions to these slaves working on behalf of their masters. In Miles Gloriousus, the slave Palaestro actively plots against his master, Pyrgopolynices. However Plautus ensures that such animosity is well deserved: his master is a blowhard soldier who blithely assumes his superiority over everybody else. However, such antagonistic plans are also examples of loyalty to a master. Palaestro, prior to Pyrgopolynices buying him, was owned by Pleusicles. Through his machinations, Paleastro ensures that his master is able to buy him from Pyrgopolynices. The play implies that later own Palaestro will be manumitted.