The Pot of Gold and Other Plays (Classics)
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One of the supreme comic writers of the Roman world, Plautus (c.254-184 BC), skilfully adapted classic Greek comic models to the manners and customs of his day. This collection features a varied selection of his finest plays, from the light-hearted comedy Pseudolus, in which the lovesick Calidorus and his slave try to liberate his lover from her pimp, to the more subversive The Prisoners, which raises serious questions about the role of slavery. Also included are The Brothers Menaechmus, which formed the prototype for Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, and The Pot of Gold, whose old miser Euclio is a glorious study in avarice. Throughout, Plautus breathes new, brilliant life into classic comic types - including deceitful twins, scheming slaves, bitter old men and swaggering soldiers - creating an entertaining critique of Roman life and values.
About the Author
Titus Maccius Plautus was born in Umbria about 254BC. Little is known of his life, but it is believed he became an actor and translated Greek comedies for the Roman stage. He was rewarded by being granted Roman citizenship. According to Cicero he died in 184BC.
EF Watling was educated at University College, Oxford. His translations for the Penguin Classics include seven plays of Sophocles, nine plays of Plautus and a selection of Seneca's tragedies. He died in 1990.
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[lar appears, as Prologue, from the house of EUCLIO; he addresses the audience.] Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
[lar appears, as Prologue, from the house of EUCLIO; he addresses the audience.] Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Plautus' comedies were adapted from Greek `new' comedies, that is `romantic' comedies rather than political comedies like those of Aristophanes which have come down to us. Full of stock characters such as the miserly old man, the libertine son, the prostitute with a heart of gold, and the clever and wily slave, these have influenced later authors such as Molière and Shakespeare (The Comedy of Errors).
This is an old translation but, like the Penguins in general, it is extremely readable but not always particularly accurate to the Latin original. The introductions are rather sparse and there are no notes. This is great, then, for the general interested reader but rather misleading if you're looking for a Latin crib.
This is an old translation but, like the Penguins in general, it is extremely readable but not always particularly accurate to the Latin original. The introductions are rather sparse and there are no notes. This is great, then, for the general interested reader but rather misleading if you're looking for a Latin crib.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book to prepare me for a Latin course that involves translating one of Plautus' plays. I hadn't encountered this type of play before and was expecting heavy, dreary, unamusing hard work. You can imagine my delight when I read them to find that plays written over two thousand years ago are just as funny today. The plots are cleverly written and it is easy to see how they have inspired other playwrights. The characters are timeless.
There are introductions to each of the plays by the translator, E.F. Watling, which give you an overview of the play and some of the changes the translator has made and why. I found these interesting and as somebody new to Roman plays, very helpful.
I would recommend this book to anyone doing a Latin course or with an interest in the classics.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
A History Lesson in Funny
1 Mar 2006
Format:Paperback
Plautus is an important Roman comedian, because he preserves Greek works (The Swaggering Soldier is a re-telling of a lost Greek play, Alazon, or The Braggart), and he shows us some of the similarities between ancient Greek and Roman senses of humor, which are not far from contemporary Western senses of humor. Plautus also influenced other great playwrights. For example, The Brothers Menaechmus is generally considered a simpler template for Shakespeare's richer The Comedy of Errors.
In this selection, one will encounter some of Western society's earliest slapstick comedies and humorous, moral critiques of undesirable human behaviors. Plautus' penchant for wordplay is also showcased in this text. Plautus' plays are very easy and quick to read, and this 1965 translation definitely has a modern sensibility to it. For example, you will find that Plautus' characters like to cuss a lot, generally at the expense of women.
I recommend this book to readers of ancient Rome and readers interested in the history of the stage.
In this selection, one will encounter some of Western society's earliest slapstick comedies and humorous, moral critiques of undesirable human behaviors. Plautus' penchant for wordplay is also showcased in this text. Plautus' plays are very easy and quick to read, and this 1965 translation definitely has a modern sensibility to it. For example, you will find that Plautus' characters like to cuss a lot, generally at the expense of women.
I recommend this book to readers of ancient Rome and readers interested in the history of the stage.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful Plays!
1 Jun 2007
Format:Paperback
Plautus was an extraordinary Roman comic playwright. He adapted Greek comedy to Roman tastes and the Latin language. Like Shakespeare, who borrowed greatly from him, Plautus writes on both a pratfall/slapstick level and on a witty wordplay level. This author is guaranteed entertainment, and this is a very good translation. Still don't believe me? Just remember that Plautus' work was the basis for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Slice-of-life ancient history
22 Sep 2006
Format:Paperback
I agree with another reviewer that this collection of plays makes a good history lesson, but for me the lesson went beyond the development of people's sense of humor over time. Plautus avoids philosophy and politics, skipping right to slice-of-life stories about ordinary people, stories that today would be considered situation comedies. (Several of the plays in this book were amalgamated into the modern-day musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.") Reading this book gave me a sense of what life on the streets of ancient Rome was like.
A final comment about whether Plautus should be considered Greek or Roman. Plautus wrote in Rome more than 200 years after the classical Greek playrights Aeschylus, Euripides and Aristophanes and more than 100 years after the "new comedy" of the Greek Menander. He borrowed Greek plots and set his own plays in Greece, but I regard this as a convention (much as 20th century playwrights habitually set theirs in New York City) and to me the attitudes of Plautus' characters seem Roman more than Greek.
A final comment about whether Plautus should be considered Greek or Roman. Plautus wrote in Rome more than 200 years after the classical Greek playrights Aeschylus, Euripides and Aristophanes and more than 100 years after the "new comedy" of the Greek Menander. He borrowed Greek plots and set his own plays in Greece, but I regard this as a convention (much as 20th century playwrights habitually set theirs in New York City) and to me the attitudes of Plautus' characters seem Roman more than Greek.
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