Warenar
Encyclopedia
Warenar is a Dutch
play written by Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft
in 1617, based on the play Aulularia
by Plautus
. Nowadays we assume that Hooft did not write it by himself, but that he was helped by his good friends Samuel Coster en Gerbrand Bredero, who are famous writers as well.
, Warnar ('Ware Nar, or 'True Fool'), has inherited a pot of gold
from his father, who inherited it from his father (Warnar's grandfather). Warnar is stingy with the inherited fortune
, and keeps changing its hiding place, without spending any of the gold. Warnar's daughter, Claertje, is about to marry Warnar's neighbour, Rijckert. However, Claertje is pregnant from Rijckerts nephew
, Ritsaert. Ritsaert offers to marry Claertje, instead of having Rijckert marry her. Both Rijckert and Warnar agree. In the meantime though, Lecker, one of Rijckert's servants
who helped to prepare a meeting for marriage agreements, has stolen the pot of gold. Ritsaert finds out, and tells Warnar, though. In a sudden plot twist (the last part of the original story by Plautus was lost), Warnar betters his life and gives the money to Claertje and Ritsaert as a wedding
gift
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
play written by Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft - Knight in the Order of Saint Michael - was a Dutch historian, poet and playwright from the period known as the Dutch Golden Age.-Life:...
in 1617, based on the play Aulularia
Aulularia
Aulularia is a Latin play by the early Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus. The title has been translated as The Pot of Gold, and the plot revolves around a literal pot of gold that the miserly protagonist, Euclio, guards zealously...
by Plautus
Plautus
Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
. Nowadays we assume that Hooft did not write it by himself, but that he was helped by his good friends Samuel Coster en Gerbrand Bredero, who are famous writers as well.
Plot
The story's protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, Warnar ('Ware Nar, or 'True Fool'), has inherited a pot of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
from his father, who inherited it from his father (Warnar's grandfather). Warnar is stingy with the inherited fortune
Wealth
Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The word wealth is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem...
, and keeps changing its hiding place, without spending any of the gold. Warnar's daughter, Claertje, is about to marry Warnar's neighbour, Rijckert. However, Claertje is pregnant from Rijckerts nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
, Ritsaert. Ritsaert offers to marry Claertje, instead of having Rijckert marry her. Both Rijckert and Warnar agree. In the meantime though, Lecker, one of Rijckert's servants
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
who helped to prepare a meeting for marriage agreements, has stolen the pot of gold. Ritsaert finds out, and tells Warnar, though. In a sudden plot twist (the last part of the original story by Plautus was lost), Warnar betters his life and gives the money to Claertje and Ritsaert as a wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
gift
Gift
A gift or a present is the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is meant to be free. In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging money, goods, etc. may contribute to...
.