Menaechmi: The Menaechmus Brothers

by Plautus, David Christenson (Editor)

The play "Menaechmi" provides an introduction to the world of Roman comedy from one of its best practitioners, Plautus. As with all Focus translations, the emphasis is on an inexpensive, readable edition that is close to the original, with an extensive introduction, notes and appendices.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Drama, Theatre, School, Comedy, Fiction

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 207

About the author

Titus Maccius Plautus (c. 254 – 184 BC), commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest works in Latin literature to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus. The word Plautine refers to both Plautus's own works and works similar to or influenced by his.

Reviews

[Mehmet]

Başrollerini Kemal Sunal ve Harika Avcı'nın oynadığı, 1978 tarihli bir O. Seden filmi olan İyi Aile Çocuğu filmini bilirsiniz.
Birisi bankada iyi aile çocuğu bir veznedar, diğer ise bir mafya babası olan ikizlerin hikayesini anlatan film, binlerce yıldır insanların aklını kurcalayan bir fenomen olan "ikizliğin" mizaha vurulmuş şeklidir. Filmde Kemal Sunal'ın başarılı oyunculuğu yanında, yine binlerce yıl insanların kafasını karıştıran "İkizler aynı şeyi mi hisseder?" gibi soruların da işlendiğini; ikizler arasındaki yer değişikliğinin bir evlilik içine sokularak aslında cinsel bir marjinalitenin; "kocasının ikiziyle birlikte olan kadın" konusunun da es geçilmediğini görürsünüz. Film, ikizlikle ilgili hemen her fenomeni bünyesinde barındırır.
M. Ö. 254 yılında doğan Latin tiyatro yazarı Plautus'un; dünyada Menaechmi adıyla bilinen bu yapıtı da ikizler fenomeni üzerinde durmuştur. Aristophanes'ten esinlenmelerin belirgin olduğu kitapta birbirinden habersiz aynı isimle yaşayan ikiz kardeşlerin aynı şehirde tesadüfen bulunması üzerinden işleyen mizah; bunların birbirlerinin yakınları tarafından karıştırılmaları merkezinde şekillenir. Oyunda izleyicinin kardeşleri birbirinden karıştırmaması için Plautus ustaca bir yöntem geliştirmiştir. İkiz kardeşlerin her biri sahneye çıkarken kendine özgü detayları ya iç ses ya da bir başkasıyla konuşarak belirgin eder. Böylece izleyici iki ayrı oyuncu tarafından canlandırılan karakterleri karıştırmasaydı dahi, bunları kafasında canlandırması gereken sıradan okuyucunun kafası karışmayacaktır.
Plautus, kitapta şehvani öğeleri kullanmak yerine daha çok tıpkı Grek komedyasındaki gibi maddi unsurları (altın, kıyafet) kullanarak izleyiciyi güldürmüştür. Yan rollerdeki karakterlerin kişilik hatları oldukça belirgindir ve kolaylıkla birbirlerinden ayırt edilebilirler.
Farklı olanların delilikle suçlanmasına örnek verilebilecek güzel bir "hekim" bölümü vardır. Burada okuyucu/izleyici karakterin yenilgiye uğrayacağını beklerken olay yerine ansızın gelen köle Messenio karakteri sürpriz bir şekilde akışı değiştirir ve okuyucu/izleyici şaşkınlığa uğrar.
16. yüzyılda Shakespeare tarafından yazılan Yanlışlıklar Komedisi bu kitaptan esinlenmiştir ve öyle ki, oyundaki Antifolus karakteri de bu oyundaki Menaechmi gibi Sirakuza'dan gelmektedir. Shakespeare'in On İkinci Gece kitabında da yine birbirine karıştırılan ikiz karakterler görülür.
Kitabın orjinal metni Yunanca yazılmıştır zira biliyorsunuz Roma'da elitlerin kullandığı dil aslında Latince değil, Yunanca idi. Türkçe'ye kazandıranlardan birisi Nurullah Ataç ki benim okuduğum baskıyı da o çevirmiş, ne yazık ki orjinal dilinden değil; Fransızca olan Naudet - Clouard çevirisinden yararlanmış.
Olsun, yine de şiirselliğinden pek ödün vermemiş.

M. Baran
02.02.2015
https://agacingovdesi.com/2021/03/10/...

[David Sarkies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comedy of errors
5 October 2014

If it wasn't for the fact that this play was written over 1500 years before The Comedy of Errors I probably would have jumped up and cried that this guy had ripped off Shakespeare, however as it turns out it is probably the other way around, especially since it is well known that Shakespeare was hardly original with his writings. Still, it was good that I finally got around to reading one of the sources that Shakespeare used for his play (though he also added a number of elements to it, including having twin slaves as well as twin brothers).

Anybody who is familiar with A Comedy of Errors will already know the basic plot of this play: two identical twin brothers are separated when they are really young, and then one of them later on in life decides to go on a quest to locate his missing brother. He then arrives in town and everybody mistakes him for his twin (even though he has no idea, until the end, that his twin lives in this town) and then when his twin appears his twin is accused of doing the things that the other twin did, and as such a farcical comedy ensures as everything runs around confused.

Like the Shakespearian play, there is also the love triangle present where the wife of one of the twins tries to seduce the other twin (without knowing his identity) and the other twin loves all the attention that he is receiving. However, because the first twin is unaware of the existence of the other twin, and everybody else thinks that he is the other twin, they all begin to think that he is mad. They are even on the verge of dragging one of the twins off to the ancient Roman version of a mental asylum because they all think that he is mad – no wonder Shakespeare called his version 'A Comedy of Errors'.

The thing that is present in this play, that is not present in Shakespeare, is the mistress. So, the twin that lives in the city is not only married, but also has a mistress. This is something that was not necessarily frowned upon in those days because, well, the women couldn't chastise the husband for sleeping around (and apparently there was a lot of that happening). I guess that is what happens in the era before women's rights (because the women couldn't sleep around, but then again it has always been skewed in that way because a woman can be caught out in a number of ways whereas it has always been believed that men could get away with it, though when you throw in late nights and clothes smelling of perfume, circumstantial evidence can end up being the man's downfall).

There is also only one slave, who is owned by the visiting twin, though pre-Shakesprian plays tended to be a lot less complex plot-wise (even though Plautus does have side plots in his plays, he generally only uses one, whereas Shakespeare's can be incredibly complex at times, with many different threads being weaved together). It is also interesting that in Shakespeare the slaves are referred to as servants, however, there was probably an understanding that the servants were free in name only – but that is probably because the servant is economically bound to the master as opposed to being legally bound, as in the case of a slave.

Still, this is quite an amusing play, and having a lot less complexity does add to the enjoyment of the play. However, it is also evident that while it is not necessarily one of those plays that defined a genre, having had a Shakespearian play based upon it does give it that aura that sets it apart from many of Plautus' other plays.

[Emma Ann]

UPDATE: Reread for comps.

***

Can I count this toward my reading goal if I had to read most of it for school? 😭

[Batman Roberts]

My man spends six years searching for his long lost twin brother and then can't figure out why everybody thinks they know him? 🤔

[emma ꪆৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i always feel like i'm losing 20 thousand neurons while reading plautus

[نیلوفر رحمانیان · Rating 4 out of 5]

اولین نمونه‌ی پرولوگ.
پرولوگی که داستان را لو می‌دهد.
بدون همسرایان و بدون اینکه پرولوگ را خدایان روایت کنند.
در پرولوگ می‌گوید: این اتفاق در یونان نیافتاده و هرکجا که افاد رپایتش می‌کنم (که از این جهت برجسته‌ست چون بعد از جنگ رم یا بونان، هر آنچه بد بوده را به یونانیان نسبت می‌داده‌اند)
در عصر مدرن بویژه برای چپها، پرولوگی که داستان را لو بدهد برای مبارزه با تیرانی هژمونی کاپیتالیسم و جلوگیری از کاتارسیس به منظور تقویت نگریستن معقول استفاده میشده، در این نمایش هم چندان متفاوت از این نیست.
تیرانی نظمی گسترده دارد، نظمی که تنها با ورود برادر دوم (کائوس- هرج و مرج) شکسته می‌شود. برادر دوم برخلاف باقی نمایش‌ها و داستان‌های از این دست از طبقه‌ی متفاوتی نیست، بلکه سمل کثرت‌گرایی است که بند تیرانی را می‌شکند.
می‌گویم هژمونی چون مادامی که برادزر دوم به رسمیت شناخته نشده، غلامی که میخواهند آزادش کنند می‌گوید حتا بعد از آزادی هم فارغ از این اسم به کار غلامی ادامه خواهد داد.
اقلیت‌ها، غلامان، زنان، روسپیان و همجنسگرایان د این هژمونی تیرانیک، به جایگاه خود قانعیند، شکایاتی دارند اما تنا در پرتپ کیرت‌گرایی (دموکراسی) است که چنین شکستی محقق می‌شود.

[charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

hmm i now see the historical root of shakespeare's obsession with twins and mistaken identity
a little funny at times, but largely almost maddeningly dull and drawn-out. i think ancient greek/roman comedy is not my thing

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so silly😭

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plautus' Menaechmi, Shakespeare's inspiration for his Comedy of Errors, is a fine rebuttal for anyone who thinks that the Romans had no sense of humor. When one twin brother is lost at the fair at the age of seven, his other brother is given his name, Menaechmus, by his grieving grandfather. When this brother becomes an adult, he searches for his long lost twin and at last comes to the town where he lives. All sorts of confusion ensues as the townspeople mistake one Menaechmus for the other. The play is all fun and games, with little literary depth (although I am sure some would argue otherwise). That is not to say there is no cultural value, for there is a lot that can be learned about slaves, prostitutes, the dowry and laws governing it, and, of course, Roman theater.

As a commentor, Gratwick does a suitable job, though readers below a college level will probably not find him very helpful. Early readers may want to find a copy of the text with vocabulary help.

[Keely · Rating 3 out of 5]

tfw Shakespeare rips off your work and his work is more famous (terrific play)

[Illiterate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rollicking good comedy of errors.

[Reme Weasley · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨Los Menecmos✨

Puntuación: 3⭐️

Obra teatral de enredo donde esta vez el poeta Plautus intenta engañar al público poniendo en escena a dos gemelos.

Los protagonistas de esta historia saben que existen el uno y el otro, pero el resto de personajes no sabrán de la existencia de dos hermanos gemelos dándose así una situación hilarante dejando en entredicho el poco conocimiento de las personas cercanas hacia sus seres queridos.

Plauto utilizará al público para guardar el secreto mientras que en escena todos pensarán que Menecmo está loco, que intenta engañar a su mujer o que busca el beneficio para salir airoso de sus líos de falda.

A pesar de ser una historia que lleva la comicidad a los extremos del teatro, en esta ocasión, esta obra plautina me ha dejado un sabor de boca un poco raro. Me ha faltado humor y un giro de guion que hiciera que el público se riera con ganas.

Aún así, esta pieza teatral sigue la estructura, el ritmo y los personajes a los que nos tiene acostumbrados Plauto, pero no todo puede ser perfecto. Siempre habrá algo que guste más que otros. Y en esta ocasión, Menecmo ha sido de los que dejan que desear.

[Tamoghna Biswas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's sad that even after borrowing from this one, Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors still comes nowhere close. There's a grounded-ness even in the over-the-top silliness, and not incorporating a couple of pairs of twins allows us to focus on the characterization of the only two brothers. While still not my go-to genre, this play is nothing less than a revelation in its entertainment quotient alone.

[Oliwia · Rating 5 out of 5]

STOPPP that was the funniest thing i have ever read AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to participate in a staged reading of this play today. Lots of fun!! Really interesting to see where Shakespeare got his idea for "Comedy of Errors."

[Maya Joelle]

Read in translation spring 2023. Read in Latin spring 2024. Read in translation again April 2024.

Much funnier in Latin than English. I think comedy just doesn't translate well. (Not that anything does.) Interesting questions of identity, relationship, societal roles, etc. I don't know that I'd recommend it highly unless you can read it in Latin.

[Rohina Mahadik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another day of posting my required readings to meet my challenge for this year. Menaechmi was the OG comedy of errors, and while the trope is overdone in popular culture today, it fascinated me to see how much of it has been borrowed by writers like Plautus from Ancient Greece. The Shakespeare plagiarism allegations might be onto something...

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read and translated this in a 300 level college course. Gratwick's restoration of the text is pretty standard and he clearly marks when he deviates from scholarly consensus. His footnotes are also helpful.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the classics and has some background on ancient comedy or for those with an interest in reading one of Shakespeare's source materials (A Comedy of Errors is an adaptation of Menaechmi, which itself is an adaptation of a no longer extant Greek play).

[Yooperprof · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiration for Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors."

This is probably the best known surviving play by the ancient Roman playwright Plautus, who lived in the third century B.C.E. The Shakespeare play is one of his earliest, and is generally considered to be "minor Shakespeare," not one of his best. I gotta say that the Shakespeare play is much much better from the standpoint of modern theatre, either as an audience member or a player. It made me appreciate how innovative and superior to his models Shakes was even at the beginning of his career.

[Denis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Plautinian play. The long lost twin brother (called exactly like the first one) arrives in the city where the other brother lives. Everybody mistakes him for his brother. You can just imagine how this ends up. Plautus likes to play a lot with the twins concept (also seen in MIles Gloriosus with Philocomasia) and the results are really funny. It's nice to laugh at jokes 2200 years old, but still good. 3 stars and a half.

[Ivy-Mabel Fling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is funny but the plot is rather thin - we know that there are twins involved and that that is leading to misunderstandings and misplaced rants. Molière, who also took up this aspect of Plautus, shortened these incidents (to just one scene) as they can be a bit tiresome. The farce aspect is entertaining (particularly when one can see the play on stage rather than reading it) but the audience are really just waiting for the secret to be revealed.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Roman play from the third century BC is the likely source of Shakespeare's "A Comedy of Errors." Since I do not read Latin I can only assume the original is as funny as this translation. What a hoot! It should be performed.

[Melissa Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating 4.5

This was absolutely ridiculous and absurd and I found it pretty hilarious. Manaechmi is such a bizarre and quick play and it had me laughing out loud several times.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for school, but honestly not my favourite play by Plautus

[Alexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I appreciated this play in that thousands of year old jokes are still funny, the execution of this comedy of mistaken identity was more frustrating than amusing for me.

[ЯӨЦЯΣ✮ · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok mañana💜

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For, wandering into the country--to tell you the truth--
Where torrents of rain had been falling, not far from the the town, the
Epidamnian stepped in a freshet, and thought himself still able
To cross as of old. None the less, as he got out of breath,
The current caught quickly the kidnapper's feet, and pulled down the
Epidamnian--down to the place where they act his third syllable.
So from him the young man inherits a whale of a fortune,
And there is the house where the rich kidnapped twin is now dwelling.

The other twin, living in Syracuse--pray don't importune,
For I've not forgotten it--comes with his slave now today
To seek out his twin brother here, as you've just heard me telling.
This town's Epidamnus in the present play,
In other plays the city's changed straightway;
So with the families in these two houses,
Where now Menaechmus dwells and now he souses.

There's Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors--and then there's the source: Plautus' The Menaechmi. Two identical twins with the same name, separated around the age of seven, endure a series of unbelievable cases of mistaken identity as they go about attempting to practice deceit on those around them. In fact, the play has no character without devious intentions or a shady background. It's as interesting for what it says about Roman society as for what it dramatically presents.

Though the trope of identical twins reuniting is ripe after so many centuries, the play is still funny. The pacing is quick and the whole drama is played for laughs; there's no serious attempt at attaching a deep moral lesson to anyone or to any of the action.

Definitely worthy of a read--followed by a re-read of Comedy of Errors...

[Giulia Zito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quest’antico testo mi è stato d’ispirazione, mi ha fatto riflettere: nonostante presenti una remota data di creazione, può esser considerato estremamente attuale. Scrivere una commedia non risulta un lavoro semplice, Plauto è stato molto astuto e preparato nel farlo: lo scrittore è riuscito a creare un legame con il pubblico (che al tempo assisteva alla messa in scena dell’opera) e con i lettori stessi. Riuscire a rallegrare, far ridere o semplicemente creare o scaturire una risata, un’emozione all’interno della mente di chi sfoglia questo libro, risulta impressionante nonostante i tempi di creazione. Lo trovo ben pensato ed innovativo, forse la trama non risulta tra le più originali, ma allo stesso tempo racconta di un prezioso amore fraterno perso, che andrà a ricomporsi e ritrovarsi, nonostante tutti i simpatici intoppi. Consigliato per chi cerca una lettura formativa, non troppo impegnativa ma poco scorrevole.

[Marimar Martín · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cómo me río con estos libros...mucho más divertido que la historia es cómo se expresaban. nada divertido el trato a las mujeres, pero agradecida de leerlo con ojos q se indignan y de que eso en gran medida haya cambiado, así como sorprendida de que a su vez haya otros muchos aspectos sociales que siguen exactamente igual q en el 215 a.C.

[Madelein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plautus this was terrible and I am mad I had to read it. Imagine that you read all of the beautiful Ancient Greek plays and then you were like "I'm a Roman I'm better let me write my NEW COMEDY"

Go kick a rock.