Plautus
Список книг автора Plautus
Menaechmi; Or, The Twin-Brothers
Considered to be Plautus's greatest play, «Menaechmi; Or, The Twin-Brothers» is the story of two twin brothers, Menaechmus and Sosicles, who are separated at age seven when their father takes Menaechmus on a business trip. This classic play, which provided the inspiration for Shakespeare's «Comedy of Errors», draws heavily on the theme of mistaken identity.
Selected Plays
This collection of plays captures the comedic genius of Plautus, one of the most important playwrights from classical Roman antiquity. Plautus adapted most of his plays from earlier Greek stories, making him essential in helping to preserve the history and integrity of Greek theatre. What makes Plautus extraordinary, though, is that he kept the essence of the Greek shows while evolving the language to fit contemporary Roman tastes. He refused to let the renovations of the story be compromised by ultimate life-lessons or other philosophical teachings; instead, Plautus focused on the everyday life of his fellow Roman citizens. His plays also contained some of the earliest examples of slapstick humor, making them significant in the history of comedic theatre. Through the use of clever wordplay and by drawing upon well-known archetypes, Plautus created a type of theater that would influence such future masters of the stage as Moliere and Shakespeare. Collected together here the reader will find a representative collection of eight plays in translations by Paul Nixon and Henry Thomas Riley.
The Pot of Gold and Other Plays
The ancient Roman writer Plautus is one of the most important playwrights in Western Civilization. «The Pot of Gold and Other Plays» captures his genius with a collection of famous plays performed in the Roman theatre. Plautus adapted most of his plays from earlier Greek stories, making him essential in helping preserve the history and integrity of Greek theatre. What makes Plautus extraordinary, though, is that he kept the essence of the Greek shows while evolving the wordplay and language to fit the more modern Roman tastes. He refused to let the renovations of the story be compromised by ultimate life-lessons or other philosophical teachings; instead, Plautus focused on the every-day life of the every-day man. The plays also contained some of the earliest slapstick humor, making them significant in the history of the theatre. The plays contain well-known archetypes as well, such as the clever slave and the lusty older man. The influence of his works was not lost during history, as both Shakespeare and Moliere cite Plautus as major influences on their writing style. The famous wordplay and comedic relationships that typify Shakespeare were directly inspired by Plautus' works. «The Pot of Gold and Other Plays» will not only entertain with humor and originality, but will expose the reader to an important part of Western history.
