Maii, cum specimine codicum nova editio stereotypa ictibus versuum notatis ex recensione car. As per comedic conventions, the characters are typical stock characters, and the jokes are derived by a combination of verbal wit and comedic situations. The roman playwright plautus wrote comedies that are the earliest latin literary texts to have survived in their entirety. The online blurb describes this as the first english commentary on plautus unabridged text.
Shakespeare adapted the plot for his comedy of errors, but his is not the only adaptation made since the renaissance. The word plautine refers to both plautuss own works and works similar to or influenced by his. The wit and rich literally tradition plautus is operating within rise the work from what i once thought was a lowly state, and intricate latin verse and incorporation of both epic and the amphitruo. This performance of plautus amphitruo is the product of my ancient drama and performance class at byu classical civ 340 r. Only one fragment of the lenones gemini the twin pimps survives, but it is not difficult to imagine the humorous confusion staged in that play. See the tradesmans prayer to him in the fasti of ovid, b. Of the roughly one hundred and thirty comedies attributed to him in.
Beare 1977 and above all duckworth 1994 remain indispensable. Mercury was the god of trading and merchandize, and was said to have received his name from the latin word merx. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. I found plautus latin a little difficult to tackle at first, so this book was very helpful during my second term in college. During his absence from home, jupiter, assuming his form, and mercury that of his servant sosia, present themselves to alcmena, as though just returned from. Its neat plot and witty, fastmoving dialogue often speak for themselves.
Unless you have read roman comedy before, plautus is likely to be the most difficult text to read this semester, if only because the language is archaic and the vocabulary unfamiliar. Amphitryon or amphitruo is a latin play for the early roman theatre by playwright titus maccius plautus. Whether or not we believe in arcellaschis theory, the amphitruo is certainly a late creation, and it is reasonably safe to say that it was composed between 190 and 185. Scenes from plautus amphitryo created by the north toronto c. Ann mahoney has produced a text and commentary of plautus amphitryo for students of latin intermediate courses. The readers are intended to have finished their textbooks in elementary courses and to have started reading latin literature. Students will find this an indispensable tool in reading and translating the play, which was enormously popular in antiquity and has inspired modern. The latin text is accompanied by notes explaining the irregularities of plautus syntax and metre, and citing relevant parallels and secondary sources. The linebyline verse translation aims to reproduce the sense and also to represent plautus linguistic liveliness and metrical variety, while the commentary explores the literary and dramatic qualities of the play in the light pdf of modern scholarship. What makes the text so helpful is the fact that it gives you exactly what you need to know in order to translate accurately and deal with the archaisms in the language. Plautus really does blur the two genres together in this text, and we have tragic figures and scenarios arising amidst an awfully farcical tragedy.
The captivi and the mostellaria of plautus, literally translated with notes, ed. Plautus amphitruo is the sole specimen of mythological burlesque in ancient comedy to come down to us in nearly complete form. This latin edition includes commentary in english, a supplement, written in the fifteenth century. So i try to find out books for reading much easily. In the menaechmi we find twin brothers separated at a young age, again with the same name. David m christenson plautus amphitruo is the sole specimen of mythological burlesque in ancient comedy to come down to us in nearly complete form. Amphitryo focus classical commentaries latin and english edition 9781585100910. Amphitryo, asinaria, aulularia, bacchides, captivi latin titus maccius plautus 345 downloads the captivi and the mostellaria titus maccius plautus 122 downloads displaying results 12. Gratwick provides a newly constituted text, a commentary for students giving help with language and context, and an introduction that sheds new light on the interpretation of the play and on plautus place in the development of european comedy. Amphitruo mercator by titus maccius plautus, 9780198146285, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
The dis exapaton fragment is given in text and translation. Watlings translation of the brothers menaechmus, from plautus. Plautus was one of ancient romes most popular playwrights. It includes an introduction discussing date, sources, revivals, manuscripts, metre, arguments and prologues. Rudens, stichus, trinumus, truculentus, fragmenta pristina, fragmenta a. Plautus plays are without exception new comedy palliatae, i.
This is commanded by amphitryon, who leaves his wife alcmena pregnant at his departure from thebes. A thorough and modern commentary on plautus classic comedy amphitryo, including the 15thcentury supplement for the lost scenes. This latin edition includes commentary in english, a supplement, written in the fifteenth century, in place of the scenes lost from the original, notes are on facing pages and in latin. While he was away, the god jupiter, struck by the beauty of amphitryons. The subject creon, king of thebes, being at war with the teleboans or taphians, under the command of ptereias, sends an army against them. Plautus amphitruo cambridge greek and latin classics book. Similarly, janne and halkin are absent from christensons list of works cited in. Plautus amphitryo is an excellent example of roman comedy. His mother was named either astydameia, the daughter of pelops and hippodamia, or laonome, daughter of guneus, or else hipponome, daughter of menoeceus.
In the bacchides plautus presents us with two sisters sharing the same name and profession. Delphi complete works of plautus illustrated by titus. An edition with introduction and linebyline commentary of the roman playwright plautus comedy amphitruo. Plautus amphitruo is represented here the prologue spoken by mercury, as is the lockout scene in shakespeares comedy of errors which owes much to a similar scene in plautus amphitryo, and the first scene of john drydens amphitryon, or the two sosias, 7 from which we get such delightful lines as the following mercury.
Mercury was the messenger of the gods, and, therefore, the patron of messengers. Amphitryon and his slave sosia are returning to their native city of thebes following a long period fighting a war abroad. In faciem uersus amphitruonis iuppiter, dum bellum gereret cum telobois hostibus, alcmenam uxorem cepit usurariam. This sex farce delighted roman audiences and readers for centuries and continues to inspire adaptations to this day.
The comedies of plautus, literally translated into english prose, with notes 2 volumes. This is the first edition of platus amphitruo to appear in english for approximately forty years. Comprehensive and straightforward bibliography listing books, articles, and some published theses dating to the mid19th century. I have compared plautus amphitruo and molieres amphitryon to focus on the process of adaptation in. The development of constructions as illustrated by plautus. Triumph songs, reversal and plautus amphitruo ramus. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in latin literature. Menaechmi is a broad farce that makes use of the comic possibilities of mistaken identity.
This sex farce delighted roman audiences and readers for centuries and. Amphitruo, in greek mythology, was a son of alcaeus, king of tiryns in argolis. Conte 1994 is essential orientation for undergraduates. Loosely adapted from lost greek plays, the works of plautus helped establish a truly roman drama in the latin language for the first time. It contains introductory essays, latin text and a linebyline commentary. While it is true that this is the first commentary which looks like achieving a wide circulation, i think some honour should go to adrian gratwick, whose oxford dissertation of 1968 surely constitutes the actual first english commentary. Plautus comedy menaechmi was the main inspiration for shakespeares the comedy of errors. On all these topics, christensons commentary is very good, and you should use it as needed. For brief introductions, see chiarini 2004 and wright 1982 as well as the general books on roman comedy listed in the oxford bibliographies online article latin drama. Note that jaimes interpretation of the play is so out of favour that in baier, t. Online books about this author are available, as is a wikipedia article plautus, titus maccius.
Plautus was a very successful dramatist parker 1996. The play is mostly extant, but includes several large missing sections in its latter portion. He wrote palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of latin literature, livius andronicus. Acci plauti quae supersunt comoediae cum fragmentis priorum editorum et novis angeli maii tomus iv. The amphitruo is a highly exceptional play given that it is the sole example of a comic treatment of a story from grecoroman mythology among plautuss works.
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