Roche's translations of Amphitryon, Miles Gloriosus, and The Prisoners clearly illustrate how Plautus' writing has withstood the test of time. Includes an analysis of Plautus' approach to comedy and background on the social and political customs of his times.

The rollicking comedies of Plautus, who brilliantly adapted Greek plays for Roman audiences c. 205--184 bce, are the earliest Latin works to survive complete and are cornerstones of the European theatrical tradition from Shakespeare and Moliere to modern times. This fifth volume of a new Loeb edition of all twenty-one of Plautus's extant comedies presents Stichus, Three-Dollar Day, Truculentus, The Tale of a Traveling-Bag, and fragments with freshly edited texts, lively modern translations, introductions, and ample explanatory notes."

The rollicking comedies of Plautus, who brilliantly adapted Greek plays for Roman audiences c. 205-184 bc, are the earliest Latin works to survive complete and are cornerstones of the European theatrical tradition from Shakespeare and Moliere to modern times. This fourth volume of a new Loeb edition of all twenty-one of Plautus's extant comedies presents The Little Carthaginian, Pseudolus, and The Rope with freshly edited texts, lively modern translations, introductions, and ample explanatory notes.

The rollicking comedies of Plautus, who brilliantly adapted Greek plays for Roman audiences c. 205 184 BCE, are the earliest Latin works to survive complete and are cornerstones of the European theatrical tradition from Shakespeare and Moliere to modern times. This second volume of a new Loeb edition of all twenty-one of Plautus s extant comedies presents "Casina, Cistellaria, Curculio, Epidicus, "and" Menaechmi "with freshly edited texts, lively modern translations, introductions, and ample explanatory notes.

The rollicking comedies of Plautus, who brilliantly adapted Greek plays for Roman audiences c. 205-184 BCE, are the earliest Latin works to survive complete and are cornerstones of the European theatrical tradition from Shakespeare and Moliere to modern times. This first volume of a new Loeb edition of all 21 of Plautus's extant comedies presents Amphitruo, Asinaria, Aulularia, Bacchides, and Captivi with freshly edited texts, lively modern translations, and ample explanatory notes. Accompanying the plays is a detailed introduction to Plautus's oeuvre as a whole, discussing his techniques of translation and adaptation, his use of Roman humor, stage conventions, language and meter, and his impact on the Greco-Roman comedic theater and beyond.

The ideal single-volume introduction to the greatest masterpieces of ancient comedy
From the fifth to the second century B.C., theatrical comedy flourished in Greece and Rome. This new anthology brings together four essential masterworks of the genre: Aristophanes? bold, imaginative "The Birds"; Menander's "The Girl from Samos," which explores popular contemporary themes of mistaken identity and sexual misbehavior; and two later Roman comic plays?Plautus's "The Brothers Menaechmus," the inspiration for Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors"; and Terence's bawdy yet sophisticated double love plot, "The Eunuch." Together, these four plays capture the genius of classical comedy for students, theatergoers, actors, lovers of satire, and anyone interested in the ancient world.

The rollicking comedies of Plautus, who brilliantly adapted Greek plays for Roman audiences c. 205 184 BCE, are the earliest Latin works to survive complete and are cornerstones of the European theatrical tradition from Shakespeare and Moliere to modern times. This third volume of a new Loeb edition of all twenty-one of Plautus s extant comedies presents "The Merchant," "The Braggart Soldier," "The Ghost," and "The Persian "with freshly edited texts, lively modern translations, introductions, and ample explanatory notes.

This modern translation presents, in a form suitable for the modern stage, The Ghost (Mostellaria), The Rope (Rudens), A Three-Dollar Day (Trinummus), and Amphitruo.

"The works of Plautus," writes Palmer Bovie, "mark the real beginning of Roman literature." Now Bovie and David Slavitt have brought together a distinguished group of translators for the final two volumes of a four-volume set containing all twenty-one surviving comedies of one of Western literature's greatest dramatists.

Born in Sarsina, Umbria, in 254 B.C., Plautus is said to have worked in Rome as a stage carpenter and later as a miller's helper. Whether authentic or not, these few details about the playwright's life are consistent with the image of him one might infer from his plays. Plautus was not "literary" but rather an energetic and resourceful man of the world who spoke the language of the people. His dramatic works were his way of describing and portraying that world in a language the people understood.

Since Plautus's career unfolded against the background of the Second Punic War, it is not surprising that his prologues often end with a wish for the audience's "good luck against your enemies" or that the plays have their share of arrogant generals, boastful military captains, and mercenary adventurers. But other unforgettable characters are here as well -- among them Euclio, in the Aulularia, the model for Molire's miser. In these lively new translations, which effectively communicate the vitality and verve of the originals, the plays of Plautus are accessible to a new generation.

Plays and translators:

Volume 4: Persa, Palmer Bovie. Menaechmi, Palmer Bovie. Cistellaria, R. H. W. Dillard. Pseudolus, Richard Beacham. Stichus, Carol Poster. Vidularia, John Wright.