Dulcitius

Dulcitius is a Latin play written by Hrosvitha of Gandersheim, a member of the female abbey of Gandersheim in Lower Saxony, probably between 935 and 973. Its original title, Passio sanctarum virginum Agapis, Chioniae et Hirenae (The Passion of the Holy Virgins Agape, Chionia and Irena), has given way to the name of the governor who drives its comic scenes, and it is widely regarded as her most comic work.

The plot follows three Christian sisters who refuse to marry members of the court of Emperor Diocletian or to worship the Roman gods. Placed in the custody of the governor Dulcitius, he locks them in the kitchen, hoping to visit them more often; in the dark he embraces the pots and pans, believing them to be the women, and leaves covered in soot. The farcical scenes end with the sisters' martyrdom and the heavenly reward awaiting them, which softens the grimness of the story.

Hrosvitha states in her preface that she wrote these works as an alternative to Terence, whose style she admired but whose unchaste subjects she rejected, replacing sensual love with the chastity of holy virgins. Her plays were probably read aloud in the convent rather than staged, and they form a link between classical drama and the later medieval morality plays.