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Titus Maccius Plautus
Titus Maccius Plautus commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus. The word Plautine /ˈplɔːtaɪn/ refers to both Plautus's own works and works similar to or influenced by his.
Not much is known about Titus Maccius Plautus' early life. It is believed that he was born in Sarsina, a small town in Emilia Romagna in northern Italy, around 254 BC. According to Morris Marples, Plautus worked as a stage-carpenter or scene-shifter in his early years. It is from this work, perhaps, that his love of the theater originated. His acting talent was eventually discovered; and he adopted the names "Maccius" (a clownish stock-character in popular farces) and "Plautus" (a term meaning either "flat-footed" or "flat-eared", like the ears of a hound). Tradition holds that he made enough money to go into the nautical business, but that the venture collapsed. He is then said to have worked as a manual laborer and to have studied Greek drama—particularly the New Comedy of Menander—in his leisure. His studies allowed him to produce his plays, which were released between c. 205 and 184 BC. Plautus attained such a popularity that his name alone became a hallmark of theatrical success.
Books by Titus Maccius Plautus
Miles Gloriosus; The Braggart Captain
Pleusicles loves Philocomasium, but she is kidnapped by Pyrgopolinices. Palaestrio, faithful servant to Pleusicles, witnesses this and goes to tell his master, but is captured by Pirates and ends up a servant to Pyrgopolinices as well. Palaestrio sti...
Bacchides: or, The Twin Sisters
Twin sisters, separated at birth to different lands. Later, Mnesilochus falls in love with one of them, only to see his friend Pistoclerus apparently with her. Great complications abound. Eventually all is explained and everyone joins together to car...
Stichus; or, The Parasite Rebuffed
"Antipho, a wealthy and jovial old gentleman of Athens, has two daughters, Pilumena and Pamphila. They are married to two brothers, Epignomus and Pamphilus, who, having run through their property in the company of idlers and Parasites, have, with the...
Menaechmi; or, The Twin Brothers
The story revolves around twin brothers who were separated at birth and raised in different cities. One of the brothers, Menaechmus, travels to the city where his brother is living and is mistaken for his twin. This leads to a series of mistaken iden...
Aulularia; or, The Concealed Treasure
The play is set in Athens and revolves around a miserly old man named Euclio who has discovered a large pot of gold buried in his house. The play follows Euclio's attempts to keep the treasure hidden from his greedy neighbors and relatives. The play...
Asinaria; or, The Ass-Dealer
In the lively and comedic play "Asinaria; or, The Ass-Dealer" by Titus Maccius Plautus, ancient Athens becomes the backdrop for a tale of greed, love, and mistaken identities. Meet Euclio, a poor old man who stumbles upon a fortune in gold, setting o...
Curculio; or, The Forgery
Step into the lively streets of ancient Athens and experience a world of comedic chaos, cunning schemes, and mistaken identities in "Curculio; or, The Forgery" by Titus Maccius Plautus. A treasure hunt ensnares an unlikely cast of characters, led by...
Mostellaria
Plautus is the vaudevillian of Roman Comedy. Pratfalls, puns, double entendres, gag men, and the victorious downtrodden, i.e.,slaves who save the day, all make up the texture of Plautine comedies. Here a spendthrift son, a good hearted prostitute, an...
Pseudolus: or, The Cheat
About two dozen comedies of the Roman playwright Plautus have survived the years, with many of them ending up rewritten and recast by other playwrights such as Moliere. This one, Pseudolus, was part of the source for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way...
Trinummus: The Three Pieces of Money
Buried treasure, reckless son, exile, young love, betrayal, detection - all as relevant today as when this comedy was written 2200 years ago. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Luxury: Sonia Poverty: Availle Charmides, an Athenian merchant: ToddHW Lesbo...
Captives
Though with some of Plautus's usual comic elements (including people in disguise, clever servant, etc), this is a rare serious play by him looking at slavery and prisoners of war among the various Greek states. From the Prologue: "Really, it wil...
Amphitryon; or, Jupiter in Disguise
The gods Jupiter and Mercury take the forms of Amphitryon and Sosia to visit Alcmena just before her husband Amphitryon returns from the war. Then the real Amphitryon and Sosia arrive. Claims and counter- claims of infidelity ensue. We also have a pl...
Rudens; or The Fisherman's Rope
A comedy - although with human trafficking. Also a tempest, a shipwreck or two (described by the actors but invisible to the audience - and thus perfectly adapted to an audioplay), a wallet with special trinkets lost at sea, and a special fishing li...
Mercator; The Merchant
Unaware that the woman Pasicompsa is his son's mistress, since the son says that he has brought her home to be his mother's attendant, an aged Athenian falls desperately in love with her. Rather than bring her into his house and have his wife find ou...