Analysis Of Jacobus Pontanus's 'Stratocles Or War'

Through Stratocles or War, Jacobus Pontanus presents his audience with a message that one should not abandon school for war, in a humorous fashion. seems to present an anti-war propaganda through the medium of a play. I found the first part of the play confusing because the main character, Stratocles, appeared to fell that he was smarter than his professor, Eubulus, and treating him quite rudely. However, Eubulus expressed a great love for him depite his disrespect. Stratocles’s arrogance was shown when he was explaining why he wanted to go to war. He stated, “I no longer feel like learning. I much prefer to fight…Have I made myself clear enough?” (106-110) He also said in an aside with reference to Eubulus, “Whatever he does, he thinks everyone

Stratocles does not change his mind and sets out for (where he went) with his cousin, Polemius. Along the way they ran into two deserters, Tremonius and Misomachus. The role of these deserters appeared to be to dissuade Stratocles from his mission to go to war. They gave vivid details of the atrocities of the battle field and of army life. I found the deserters’ accounts to be very similar to Eubulus’s description of war, the only difference being that the soldiers gave firsthand account of the experience. I thought it was interesting that Stratocles changed his mind about war after talking to the soldiers, despite his earlier resistance to opposition. It could be the grisly eyewitness accounts of war struck a chord with Stratocles, who abandoned his idea to become a soldier and headed back to his homeland. I thought the ending of the play was quite humorous and Pontanus might have intended it to serve as comic relief following the dark portrayal of war and life at the

His arrogance is also shown through his asides to the audience. It is strange that after Stratocles’ rant and his basic belitting of his teacher of many years, Eubulus expresses great warmth toward Stratocles and begs Stratocles fervently to stay and not go to war, through a plausible and convincing argument. From here, the play takes on a much more humorous tone as the characters of (nae the two solders that had desserted). It appears that Pontanus intended for these characters to function to convinve Stratocles and his cousin Plemius, not to go off to war as they detail the horrible atrocities of te battlefield and army life. The desserters’ accounts are similar to the diescription of Eubulus but, being an eyewitness account, it is more grisly and seems to strike a chord with Stratocles and Polemius who change their minds and go back to their homeland. I think the ending of the play might serve as comic relief following the dark portrayal of war and life at the battlefront. It is humorous that Faustina bears her husband and calls him names for essentially abandoning his family. I think it is interesting that Faustina initially disowned him and was bold enough to beat her husband even though, from her husband’s words, it was much more customary for the husband to beat his wife. Overall, I found the play to be a humorous yet direct way of sending a message that young men with