Roman Comedy: Five Plays by Plautus and Terence by Plautus; Terence; Christenson, David;

English translations of five plays by two of its best practicioners of Roman comedy, Plautus and Terence. The plays, Menaechmi, Rudens, Truculentus, Adelphoe, and Eunuchus, provide an introduction to the world of Roman comedy.

This anthology contains English translations of five plays by two of the best practitioners of Roman comedy, Plautus and Terence. The plays, Menaechmi, Rudens, Truculentus, Adelphoe, and Eunuchus, provide an introduction to the world of Roman comedy. As with all Focus translations, the emphasis is on a handsomely produced, inexpensive, readable edition that is close to the original, with an extensive introduction, notes and appendices.

....Christenson’s translations ... Are lucid and engaging. Perusal of this volume will give students and the general audience alike a cogent sense of Terence’s elegance, and frequent glimpses into the wild wordplay of Plautus....

In this volume, Christenson offers teachers of Roman literature an excellent collection of approachable, enjoyable versions of key works the corpus of the comoedia palliata. The text is clean and mostly

typo-free, and the book is both well-manufactured and eminently affordable. With its introduction and commentary that connect the plays to other authors, cultural context, and wider socio-historical developments, this book will serve well as a staple for classes ranging from surveys of Roman civilization and Western literature to courses on ancient humor and the history of theater, independently or in combination with Christenson’s prior collection.

Reviewed by T. H. M. Gellar-Goad, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2010.11.16