SOURCE: "The Plays of Terence," in Terence, Twayne Publishers, 1985, pp. 37-119.

In the following excerpt, Forehand provides an introduction to the plot, themes, and characters of The Mother-in-Law.

Plot. The play begins with a conversation between Philotis, a young courtesan, and Syra, an old woman in the household of Bacchis, another courtesan with an establishment in the neighborhood. Syra is advising the young woman against being too soft toward her clients, while Philotis wonders if it is right to treat all men the same. They are met by Parmeno, family slave of Laches, his wife, Sostrata, and their son Pamphilus. Pamphilus was an ardent lover of Bacchis when Philotis left Athens two years before; she is surprised to hear he is now married and coaxes Parmeno to tell her what has happened.

The slave explains that Pamphilus came under heavy pressure from his father to marry. He resisted...