Plautus: Menaechmi (Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics) [Paperback]

Plautus (Author), A. S. Gratwick (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 1993 | Series: Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics

Plautus' comedy Menaechmi was the main inspiration for Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. In this edition Dr. 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. Central to Dr. Gratwick's treatment is an analysis of the various meters employed by Plautus, which challenges many conventional views but also offers the student practical assistance with the technical problems involved.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The commentary is lengthy and detailed. Teachers and graduate students will want to consult this edition...." Religious Studies Review

"Professional classicists will be impressed not just by the quantity of information presented on its pages, but by the quality and originality of the author's scholarship, the amount of painstaking labor that he has invested in every sophisticated analysis, and the graceful precision of his writing." Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Language Notes

Text: Latin, English --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (June 25, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521349702
• ISBN-13: 978-0521349703
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,116,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Plautus: Menaechmi, November 3, 2006

By 

M. Folch "Reviewer" (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plautus: Menaechmi (Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics) (Paperback)

This is a first class commentary and a must for anyone interested in the history of Roman comedy. The introduction is clear; the explanation of meter is advanced but insightful; the discussion of the Greek origins of the comedy of errors is useful; and the commentary is tailored to the mid- to upper-level Latin student. I used this text for an advanced Latin course and found it quite good. The single drawback is the play itself - its crafting, structure, and sense of humor can appear clumsy and foreign to the tastes of modern students.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A generally good source, March 12, 2007

By 

John F. Hawley (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plautus: Menaechmi (Paperback)

Having just completed teaching this text in a course, I'd say there is one main difficulty. This looks like an old typescript done in courier font that's been put into book form. It would benefit from a reset of the font and a more readable design. Other than that, maybe an update with more recent articles on the play would be in order. I'll use it again, but hope Bolchazy Carducci will do a remake. Otherwise a very usable book.

3.0 out of 5 stars fell apart on me, May 28, 2011

By 

boris (Perth, Western Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Plautus: Menaechmi (Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics) (Paperback)

A well-presented, scholarly edition, with copious notes, but the binding on my copy was old and brittle, and fell apart almost instantly. I managed to glue it back together, but with some difficulty, and with the break still being somewhat conspicuous. If you don't want to take that risk, don't get it, because I may not be alone, but if you should get lucky and get a sturdy one, it is marvellous, and the notes are thorough. It is not for the fainthearted, but then that could be said for Latin as a whole, so if you think you are ready for unadapted texts with more trouble spent on scholarship that pedagogy, go for it. There is no vocab section, so you will rely on a dictionary, or less, if you are really clever. If you want more of a beginners' edition, go for Lawall and Quinn instead.