The Braggart Soldier and The Rufián in The Spanish Drama of Sixteenth Century

The braggart soldier has been a favorite character of comedy since early times. Livius Andronicus is said to have first introduced him on the Roman stage, and by the time of Plautus and Terence, the figure had become more or less stereotyped. He appears in six plays by Plautus, and has the principal role in Miles Gloriosus. A brief analysis of the character of Pyrgopolinices, the Miles Gloriosus in Plautus' play of that name, will serve to show the chief characteristics of the type.