Three ComediesThe special genius of the Roman comic poet Plautus is the wedding of native Italian farce with the mature and polished constructions of Greek comedy. The three plays translated in this book all contain that almost inevitable kernel of Greek comic plot: the love affair. But they have little else in common. In the first, a self-inflating soldier tries to live up to his image of himself as a lover. In the second, a beautiful maiden is rescued from an evil pimp. And in the third, an ill-starred husband fancies himself in love with his wife's young housemaid. Clever, or at least ambitious, slaves tend to move the action, in which the rudeness of farce merges with exuberant wit, satire, and parody. |
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Common terms and phrases
ACROTELEUTIUM ALCESIMUS Alcesimus's house altar AMPELISCA ARTOTROGUS Athenian Athens audience CARIO Casina CHALINUS CHARMIDES CLEOSTRATA cloak comedy comes DAEMONES dinner Diphilus door ears Enter Ephesus Exit eyes fellow slave fool gesturing girl give gods Greek Greek New Comedy GRIPUS guest hand hear Hello Hercules husband inside keep kissing LABRAX lady listen look lost lover LURCIO LYSIDAMUS Lysidamus's house maid marry master mean MILPHIDIPPA mistress MYRRHINA nice OLYMPIO PALAESTRA PALAESTRIO PARDALISCA PERIPLECTOMENUS Periplectomenus's house PHILOCOMASIUM pimp pimp's Plautus Plautus's plays PLESIDIPPUS PLEUSICLES pointing pretend priestess PTOLEMOCRATIA PYRGOPOLYNICES Pyrgopolynices's house quiet rope SCELEDRUS SCEPARNIO ship shouting soldier someone speak stage left stage right suppose sure sword talking tell temple of Venus there's thing told TRACHALIO trouble trunk Turbalio and Sparax wait walking watch what's who's wife woman women young