Dulcitius (play)

Dulcitius is a Latin comedy written by Hrosvitha of Gandersheim, a member of the female Abbey of Gandersheim in Lower Saxony. Written between 935-973, Dulcitius is widely believed to be her most comic work. The play treats the figure of Dulcitius, governor of Thessalonica, as a subject for a comedy in the style of Terence. Although the play is dark - its plot depicts the imprisonment and martyrdom of the three sisters, Agape, Chionia, and Irena, at Dulcitius's hand - nevertheless its business is presumably deemed less grave because of the reward awaiting the Christian sufferers.

The Roman Emperor Diocletian wants to arrange marriages to members of his imperial court for Agape, Chionia, and Irena, who are three virgin sisters. He insists that first they must renounce their Christian faith and worship the Roman gods. When the sisters refuse, the emperor orders them imprisoned and examined by Governor Dulcitius. When Dulcitius sees how beautiful the sisters are, he declares that he is in love. He tells his soldiers to lock them in the kitchen so he "can visit them oftener". That night he hears the sisters singing hymns. He tells the soldiers to guard the doors while he goes in to have his way with them. In the darkness of the kitchen, Dulcitius embraces the pots and pans, thinking they are the women.

When he leaves the kitchen, Dulcitius is covered in soot and unrecognizable. The soldiers think he is possessed and run away from him. Not realizing he is covered in soot, Dulcitius goes to the palace to tell the imperial court how he has been insulted. He is beaten and denied admittance to the palace because the ushers do not recognize him.

When Dulcitius goes to his wife, he realizes what has happened. In retaliation for his embarrassment, he commands that Agape, Chionia, and Irena be stripped in public. However, the soldiers are unable to remove the robes from the women's bodies. Since Dulcitius is sleeping, the soldiers go to tell Diocletian what has happened. The enraged emperor orders Count Sisinnius to punish the sisters.

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