Preface

Summary

My fascination with Plautus began many years ago, when, as a college sophomore with little Latin and even less acting experience, I performed in a version of Amphitruo directed by Gerda Seligson at the University of Michigan. In graduate school I was disheartened to discover the extent to which Plautus, whose plays were so alive for me, had become largely marginalized in American classical studies (this despite the enduring influence of Erich Segal’s Roman laughter). With few exceptions, commentaries in English were terribly out of date, were devoted almost exclusively to technical matters, and expressed little interest in the comedies as theatrical productions. In short, there were very few inspiring pedagogical tools to introduce Latin students to Plautine theatre. In recent years Niall Slater’s Plautus in performance has breathed new life into Plautine studies in the United States and this resurgence of interest continues to be marked not only by new scholarly publications but also by performances of Plautus at many colleges and universities. This edition adheres to the conviction that Plautus can best be appreciated as a playwright who wrote for the stage – for a particular theatre and audience – and whose comedies at the same time serve as brilliantly self-conscious exemplars of the power theatre can exert over the human imagination. In keeping with the aims of the series, considerable attention is paid here to explicating Plautus’ delightful, if sometimes (to us) strangely archaic and colloquial Latin.