Lar Familiaris: Significance of the Household God in Plautus' The Pot of Gold

Significance of Lar Familiaris

The Pot of Gold

Q. What is the significance of the Lar Familiaris or the household god in Plautus’ The Pot of Gold?

Answer: Lar Familiaris is the Household God in the family of Euclio. He draws the focus of the audience's concerns in the play The Pot of Gold. He is the first character to come on stage. Since he is playing the role of God, he is not seen in other characters in the play. Lar Familiaris refers to the prologue of a play, which sets the stage for the action that follows it. He reveals that he has not only been entrusted with the guardianship of Euclio's family, but also the secret of the gold hoard hidden by Euclio's grandfather.

Although the miserly Euclio does not worship the Lar Familiaris, his daughter Phaedria conducts all the ceremonies necessary to appease the living spirits of the family.

It is to be noted that miserliness runs in Euclio's family, and hidden wealth is valued by the blood bond that is father and son, and so Grandpa takes the secret pot of gold with him to the grave. His son manages to make a modest living, but lacks thoughtfulness and goodwill in making offerings to the family god, who, in turn, avenges himself by leaving an undisclosed source of wealth to Euclio's father who later dies a pauper.

When his time is up, it's Euclio's turn to run the house, and his greed and parsimony are no different from those of his ancestors. However, his daughter, Phaedria, shows great devotion and regularly bows to the Lar Familiaris, or household god. Satisfied with his homage, the domesticated family god decides that it is now appropriate to reveal the source of the wealth to Euclio, so that he can arrange the dowry required to marry off his daughter.

Through Lar Familiaris, the audience learns that Euclio's grandfather, who was also a very miserly man, hid a pot of gold in the central hall of his house. His compassion for Euclio's exhausted state and respect for Phaedria's devotion to him, a treasure never discovered before the Lar Familiaris, led Euclio to the treasure.

As the family god, Lar Familiaris was the one who influenced action. As he states in his prologue, he wants Megadorus to marry Phaedria. Megadorus had never been married before, so his sudden interest in marrying Phaedria offers a very simple explanation here.

Lar Familiaris also informs the audience in the prologue about Phaedria who tortured Lyconides and that Megadorus' nephew, and that she is now expecting their child. Lar Familiaris introduces the plot; He introduces the theme of the play to the audience. Hence, through all these methods, Lar Familiaris play an important role in the play The Pot of Gold.

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