A Not So Clever Servus Callidus in Terence

Ortwin Knorr

Willamette University

The scheming slave Syrus in Terence's Heautontimorumenos enjoys the reputation of a "servus callidus par excellence, quick-witted, bold, full of ideas and never downcast" (Brothers 1988, 20; cf. Thierfelder 1936, 336; Büchner 1974, 205; Forehand 1985, 63; Kruschwitz 2004, 71). Yet Syrus' character is much more complex: his "amazingly complicated" intrigues (Norwood 1923, 46) are, in fact, harebrained and often achieve the opposite of what he intended.

On the surface, Syrus plays the part of the typical servus callidus well. He orders the slower-witted Dromo around (249-250), schemes to provide his young master, Clitipho, with money for Bacchis, a disreputable hetaera (327-328), and he literally "acts" the clever slave, as, e.g., in his thinking-aloud routine (676-679). In truth, however, Syrus is a bungler like Davus in Andria. Ordered to escort Clinia's beloved Antiphila to Chremes' house, he brings Bacchis too and risks exposing Clitipho's love to her. Even worse, Syrus' unauthorized action has the unintended effect that neither Clinia nor Clitipho can spend time together with his girlfriend (562-89). Prompted by Chremes, Syrus later concocts a plan to wheedle money out of Menedemus, but it is so bad that Chremes correctly predicts that Menedemus will reject the deal (611). Syrus claims that he hoped to hear this (optata loquere, 611), but he really is at a loss, and only the sudden news of Antiphila's recognition as Chremes' daughter saves him.

Clinia can now marry the freeborn Antiphila but that again threatens to expose Clitipho's forbidden love for Bacchis to his father, Chremes (668-78). Syrus comes up with a plan that involves Chremes agreeing to a fake marriage of his new-found daughter Antiphila with Clinia. Predictably (713-20), Chremes refuses to agree to this (779). Syrus then revives his earlier improbable story and actually persuades Chremes to give Clitipho money that Antiphila allegedly owes Bacchis (790-96). So Syrus succeeds in the end, but at a cost. Realizing that he has been duped, Chremes becomes so incensed that he disinherits Clitipho. Only Menedemus' intervention (1049-50) finally is able to reconcile Chremes with his son (who loses Bacchis, though), and this in turn saves Syrus' own skin (1067).

In conclusion, Syrus is not a typical servus callidus after all. Moreover, his surprising failures and the haphazard nature of his intrigues do not represent flaws in Terence's plot design (pace Lefèvre 1973, 450-452; 1994, 168-172) but they skillfully characterize Syrus as a bungling slave, comparable to Davus in Terence's Andria (on the latter, cf. Duckworth 1952, 173).