Captivi

Captivi is the Latin plural noun meaning "the captives" or "prisoners." It derives from captivus, a person captured in war or taken as a slave. In Classical Latin, captivi could refer to slaves, dependents, or prisoners of war, and the term appears in legal, military, and literary texts to denote status relative to a master, family, or state. It is declined as a second-declension noun; nominative plural captivi, genitive captivorum, dative captis, accusative captivos, ablative captivis.

In literature, Captivi is the title of a Latin comedy traditionally attributed to Plautus, known in English as The Prisoners or The Captives. The play survives as a Plautine comedy, although some scholars debate sole authorship or propose later revision. It is analyzed for its linguistic style, dramatic structure, and social themes—especially the representation of captivity, social mobility, and the interactions between slaves, freedmen, and free citizens within a marketplace setting.

Scholarly reception: The play's text survives in Latin manuscripts and is frequently included in editions of Plautus. It is used in classics curricula to illustrate Plautine techniques, such as rapid dialogue, mistaken identity, and the negotiation of freedom within upper-class households.