e
spectacle of a vaudeville "duo," entering from opposite wings and singing
perchance a burlesque of grand opera at each other.

3. Adventitious entrance.

This is of a piece with the above, but is usually due to a weakness of
composition, to the goddess {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH TONOS~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}, who is the presiding deity of
the plots of New Comedy.[132] However, there are times when appreciable
fun can be extracted from this, if the actor speak in a bland jocular
tone, taking the audience into his confidence, as _Trin._ 400 f.:

"PHILTO. But the door of the house to which I was going is opening. Isn't
that nice? Lesbonicus, the very man I'm looking for, is coming out with
his slave."

And _Aul._ 176 f.:

"MEGADORUS. I'd like to see Euclio, if he's at home. Ah, here he comes!
He's on his way home from some place or other."[133]

We believe that enough has been said to prove that the favorite devices of
the lower types of modern stage-production form the back-bone of Plautus'
methods of securing his comic effects. Let us pass on without more ado to
a discussion of points that establish equally well that he was careless of
every other consideration but the eliciting of laughter.

II. Evidences of Loose Composition Which Prove a Disregard of Technique
and Hence Indicate that Entertainment Was the Sole Aim

A. _Solo speeches and passages_.

1. Asides and soliloquies.

As it is often important for the audience to know the thoughts of stage
characters, the aside and the soliloquy in all species of dramatic
composition have always been recognized as the only feasible conventional
mode of conveying them. According to the strictest canons of dramatic art,
the ideally constructed play should be entirely free from this weakness.
Mr. Gillette is credited with having written in "Secret Service" the first
aside-less play. But this is abnormal and rather an affectation of
technical skill. The aside is an accepted convention. But in the plays of
Plautus we

have a profuse riot of solo speeches and passages that transcends the
conventional and becomes a gross weakness of composition, pointing plainly
to a poverty of technique and hence further strengthening the conception
of entertainment as the author's sole purpose. And often too, as we shall
point out, this very form can be used for amusement. To attempt a complete
collection of t