Volume 1: Amphitryon/Asinaria/Aulularia/Bacchides/Captivi

by Plautus, Paul Nixon (Translator)

Amphitryon/The Comedy of Asses/The Pot of Gold/The Two Bacchises/The Captives
Plautus (Titus Maccius), born about 254 BCE at Sarsina in Umbria, went to Rome, engaged in work connected with the stage, lost his money in commerce, then turned to writing comedies.
Twenty-one plays by Plautus have survived (one is incomplete). The basis of all is a free translation from comedies by such writers as Menander, Diphilus, and Philemon. So we have Greek manners of Athens about 300-250 BCE transferred to the Roman stage of about 225-185, with Greek places, people, and customs, for popular amusement in a Latin city whose own culture was not yet developed and whose manners were more severe. To make his plays live for his audience, Plautus included many Roman details, especially concerning slavery, military affairs, and law, with some invention of his own, notably in management of metres. The resulting mixture is lively, genial and humorous, with good dialogue and vivid style. There are plays of intrigue ("Two Bacchises, The Haunted House, Pseudolus"); of intrigue with a recognition theme ("The Captives, The Carthaginian, Curculio"); plays which develop character ("The Pot of Gold, Miles Gloriosus"); others which turn on mistaken identity (accidental as in the "Menaechmi"; caused on purpose as in" Amphitryon"); plays of domestic life ("The Merchant, Casina, " both unpleasant; "Trinummus, Stichus, " both pleasant).
Loeb Classical Library's edition of Plautus is in five volumes.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Fiction

592 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 186

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

[Rodrigo Souza e Raes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plato, philosophus praeclarus, in dialogo "Aulalaria" (quamquam hoc nomen non exstat in operibus eius, sed fortasse ad "Convivium" vel alium dialogum refertur), ingenium suum in explorandis notionibus amoris, pulchritudinis, et virtutis demonstrat. Sermo Socraticus, plenus interrogationum et responsionum, lectorem ad veritatem per rationem ducit. Personae, inter quas Socrates ipse, argumentis subtilibus et profundis utuntur, quae de natura humana et societate multa revelant. Stilus Plato est elegans et perspicuus, cum poeticis imaginibus et dialectica acumen. "Aulalaria" (si ita appellanda est) opus est quod ad contemplationem philosophicam invitat et mentem alit.

[Giorgia Saolini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non ne farò una recensione

[Nicolas Shump · Rating 1 out of 5]

Plautus' The Captives is a Roman comedy, but the Roman comedies pale in comparison to the work of Aristopanes. It does not have the humor of Aristophanes and if it is more of a tragi-comedy, it doe not have the seriousness, the gravitas of the Greek tragedies.
Intricate plots, Byzantine intrigues, but little drama or comedy. Shakespeare could take similiar material and work wonders with it. All in all, rather thin.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading this last year and somehow never updated my Goodreads! I love Plautus - one of these days, I should really try to teach some Plautus in school . . .

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The late 80s - early 90s sitcoms of the Republican Roman world.

Toga * (Night Court + Perfect Strangers) / Full House