However, Tranio fails miserably at his task, as Philolaches and his friend Callidamates lead a dissolute life of indulgence and corruption, even spending a large sum of money on a mistress. However, when Theuropedis unexpectedly returns home, it is up to Tranio to get his young master, whom is to intoxicated to do much of anything, out of trouble. This is when the role of the slave as the aid of the young master becomes a bit more complicated, as Tranio unintentionally causes more trouble for his Philolaches. Tranio tells Theuropedis that his home is haunted (after telling his young master and his friend to remain hidden inside). He then has to explain what was done with the money that Philolaches spent on his mistress, and comes up with the story that his master, looking to make a wise investment, purchased the house next door. While Tranio remains true to form as the helpful servant, his plan quickly falls apart when Theuropedis gets to the bottom of all of his lies. This example of the young master-servant relationship illustrates how a playwright can manipulate the roles. In the case of Mostellaria, Tranio was initially intended to watch out for his young master, however, when this failed, he took on the role of schemer in order to get his master out of trouble. Unfortunately, his attempt only led to more chaos for both him and Philolaches-all the while providing a humorous situation for the audience to watch. This play contrasts significantly with the later scripted Italian drama, Mandragola, by Machiavelli, in which the servant, Siro simply acts as an aid in helping his master, Callimaco, get what he desires-in this case, a woman. However, neither Siro nor Callimaco formulate a plan to get the lady he is after, so the servant in this relationship simply aids in the plan, developed by the parasite Ligurio, as a means of serving his young master. Thus, while both of the plays exhibit variations of the young master-servant relationship, both work in perpetuating the comedic aspect of the plays, thus further propagating the use of this pair in future plays.
