Translated by Henry Thomas Riley
The play takes place on the streets of Athens and revolves around the beautiful girl, Casina, who is being fought over by two men. In her infancy, she was abandoned at the door of Lysidamus and his wife Cleostrata, and has been raised as a servant. Euthynicus, son of Lysidamus, has fallen in love with Casina and wants to marry her. As the wedding approaches, however, Lysidamus desires Casina for himself, and devises an elaborate ruse to remove Euthynicus to the country and have Casina marry his servant Olympio instead. Lysidamus would then be able to have sex with Casina whenever he wanted, and she would be the wife of his servant in name only: she would in effect become his concubine, without his own wife Cleostrata finding out. Cleostrata opposes his plan and wants Casina to marry her slave Chalinus, who would stand in for Euthynicus until his return from the country.