Papyrus Antinoopolis by Menander. Short summary

5 seconds

The hero tells his story, claiming that no one knew a worse misfortune than he did. He married at his father’s behest, but after the wedding he fell in love with his wife. The young man disassembles the box of her belongings.

1 minute

The young man tells his story, claiming that no one has known a worse misfortune than the one that happened to him. He had married at his father’s behest and had been legally married for five months. The hero did not spend a single night apart from his wife.

After the wedding he was captivated by her nobility and lack of pretense. The young man fell in love with his beloved. A servant girl comes in and hands him his wife’s box. The young man examines the inscription on one of his jewels. He asks the servant what they mean.

It transpires that it was his mother who kept the contents for him to identify the child. The hero orders that everything be put back and sealed. He says that now is not the time to sort this out. One day he will enter the house again and open the casket again.