Critically evaluate the representation of women characters in The Pot of Gold?

Ans. If the whole plot of the play The Pot of Gold revolves round the old skinflint Euclio, the very
structure of the play is founded upon the concrete presence of the three women characters; they are
Staphyla, Eunomia and Phaedria (though she is not physically present in the play). Plautus here
deploys a number of female characters in the play to maintain the very structure of the play. According
to Ann R. Raia, female characters in Plautine comedies can be classified into five stereotypes: the
puella or young maiden, the matron or married woman, the matrix or courtesan, the ancilla or
handmaid, and the anus or old woman. At the very beginning of the play we get to see the terrible
psycho-somatic torture of Staphyla (Euclio's housekeeper) in the hands of Euclio. Plautus uses this
stock character to provide a sort of commentary on the play, much like a Greek chorus, and also to
act as a foil to the absurdity of the central characters. For instance, it is Staphyla who informs the
audience of Phaedria's pregnancy. Through the portrayal of Staphyla, Plautus actually tries to uphold
the miserable, pathetic condition of the Roman society and lacuna of the same.

The play opens with Staphyla's heart-rending cry as she is being beaten up by her master Euclio. This
scene evocatively provokes and touches our perturbed soul when we get to see Staphyla's mind
perturbed by the brutal behavior of her master, as she says:

"I (Staphyla) can't think what has happened to my master,

Nor why he is so mad: he beats me so,

And thrust me out of doors ten times a day."

(Act I, Scene - II)

This scene actually opens up plethora of expected interpretations in the minds of the readers. One
can assume that, this is how a master treats hisservant; this is how a woman is cocooned in the hands
of the patriarchy, this is how one gets the advantage of having the upper hand, specially, when
someone is below his social status.

The second important woman character in the play is Megadorus sister Eunomia. She cares for her
brother and tries to dominate him by imposing her ethics on him regarding the marriage. She wants
to see his brother getting married which the latter scornfully rejects. But when he agrees to marry the
daughter of his next door neighbour, Euclio, she becomes instantly happy. Again, after a point of time
we get to see her coming again to Megadorus to dissuade him from marrying the same woman as the
woman has been chosen by Eunomia's son Lyconides as his wife. Here lies the major dramatic irony
of the play. This act obviously shows the fickle-minded nature of Eunomia and unearths the fact that
even a woman treats another woman as a mere innocuous, innocent plaything; (as if) she (Phaedria)
has no right to choose her partner. Anyway, the scene between Megadorus and Eunomia evokes a
sense of laughter in the audience or the readers as she first persuades him to marry a girl and later
dissuades him from marrying the same girl, so that her son could marry her.

The next woman character in the play is Phaedria, who can be termed as a typical representation of a
silly girl. She does not physically appear in the play but we can feel her presence through everybody's
words. She becomes involved in an illegitimate relationship with Lyconides, and when we get to hear
that she is going to give birth to an illegitimate child we become shocked. When we hear Phaedria's
labour pain coming from the backstage we are inclined to look at her from a tragic angle. Needless to
say she is a very shy, passive and meek character in the play.

In conclusion, we may say that Plautus' Pot of Gold typically typifies the types of women of that time.
If Staphyla is the loyal and compassionate servant in the play, Eunomia is a married woman who tries
to control his brother (and her son to some extent). But the question is, why has Plautus excluded
Phaedria from the main action of the play and why he has not provided any dialogue to her? This
question is remained unanswered and it questions the utter hypocrisy of that time. This act actually
drags Plautus to the court as it silences the very agonized voice of a distressed woman. Because we all
know that voices are essential aspects of our humanity, and to be rendered voiceless is to be
dehumanized or excluded from one's humanity.