Plautus

Extract

Of all Latin writers whose works have come down to us there is none so live as Plautus, and none more calculated to give a modern reader the real ‘feel’ of Latin. He is worth reading for this alone, apart from the fun to be got out of his comedy, and there is much to be said for using him judiciously in the elementary stages of Latin teaching. But unfortunately not all his plays are of equal merit, and for most people selection is desirable. For that reason attention in this article will be confined to five plays—Rudens, Mostellaria, Aulularia, Miles Gloriosus, and Menaechmi—which in themselves are worth reading for sheer entertainment, and which also incidentally illustrate the influence of Plautus on modern drama. Any reader who masters these may be sure that he has got nearly all that is best and most characteristic in Plautus, and will have enjoyed himself into the bargain.