The Pot of Gold and Other Plays (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Plautus (Author), E. F. Watling (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: September 30, 1965

One of the supreme comic writers of the Roman world, Plautus (c.254-184 BC) skilfully adapted classic Greek comic models to the manners and customs of his day. This collection features a varied selection of his finest plays, from the light-hearted comedy "Pseudolus", in which the lovesick Calidorus and his slave try to liberate his lover from her pimp, to the more subversive "The Prisoners", which raises serious questions about the role of slavery. Also included in this title are "The Brothers Menaechmus", which formed the prototype for Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors", and "The Pot of Gold", whose old miser Euclio is a glorious study in avarice. Throughout, Plautus breathes new, brilliant life into classic comic types - including deceitful twins, scheming slaves, bitter old men and swaggering soldiers - creating an entertaining critique of Roman life and values.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Titus Maccius Plautus was born in Umbria about 254BC. Little is known of his life, but it is believed he became an actor and translated Greek comedies for the Roman stage. He was rewarded by being granted Roman citizenship. According to Cicero he died in 184BC. EF Watling was educated at University College, Oxford. His translations for the Penguin Classics include seven plays of Sophocles, nine plays of Plautus and a selection of Seneca's tragedies. He died in 1990.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (September 30, 1965)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140441492
• ISBN-13: 978-0140441499
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,596 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > Classical & Early
  • #38 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > Greek & Roman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A History Lesson in Funny, March 1, 2006

By 

ninjasuperstar (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pot of Gold and Other Plays (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Plautus is an important Roman comedian, because he preserves Greek works (The Swaggering Soldier is a re-telling of a lost Greek play, Alazon, or The Braggart), and he shows us some of the similarities between ancient Greek and Roman senses of humor, which are not far from contemporary Western senses of humor. Plautus also influenced other great playwrights. For example, The Brothers Menaechmus is generally considered a simpler template for Shakespeare's richer The Comedy of Errors.

In this selection, one will encounter some of Western society's earliest slapstick comedies and humorous, moral critiques of undesirable human behaviors. Plautus' penchant for wordplay is also showcased in this text. Plautus' plays are very easy and quick to read, and this 1965 translation definitely has a modern sensibility to it. For example, you will find that Plautus' characters like to cuss a lot, generally at the expense of women.

I recommend this book to readers of ancient Rome and readers interested in the history of the stage.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Plays!, June 1, 2007

By 

Lori "MagistraK" (Fredericksburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pot of Gold and Other Plays (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Plautus was an extraordinary Roman comic playwright. He adapted Greek comedy to Roman tastes and the Latin language. Like Shakespeare, who borrowed greatly from him, Plautus writes on both a pratfall/slapstick level and on a witty wordplay level. This author is guaranteed entertainment, and this is a very good translation. Still don't believe me? Just remember that Plautus' work was the basis for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slice-of-life ancient history, September 21, 2006

By 

physics student (Livermore, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pot of Gold and Other Plays (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

I agree with another reviewer that this collection of plays makes a good history lesson, but for me the lesson went beyond the development of people's sense of humor over time. Plautus avoids philosophy and politics, skipping right to slice-of-life stories about ordinary people, stories that today would be considered situation comedies. (Several of the plays in this book were amalgamated into the modern-day musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.") Reading this book gave me a sense of what life on the streets of ancient Rome was like.

A final comment about whether Plautus should be considered Greek or Roman. Plautus wrote in Rome more than 200 years after the classical Greek playrights Aeschylus, Euripides and Aristophanes and more than 100 years after the "new comedy" of the Greek Menander. He borrowed Greek plots and set his own plays in Greece, but I regard this as a convention (much as 20th century playwrights habitually set theirs in New York City) and to me the attitudes of Plautus' characters seem Roman more than Greek.