The Comedies (Oxford World´s Classics New Edition)

• Terence is one of the founding fathers of European comic drama whose plays have influenced comic plotting to the present day. This new translation brings out their quality as works written for performance.
• Up-to-date Introduction helps the reader place Terence in the context of Latin literature and the history of comic drama as well as considering ancient attitudes to rape and its prominence in the plays.
• Helpful explanatory notes gloss allusions and stagecraft.
• The inclusion of marginal line-numbering to the Latin text makes the edition especially useful for students.

'I thought you'd do what the common run of slaves normally do, cheating and tricking me because my son's having an affair.'

Terence's comedies have provided plots and characters for comic drama from classical times to the present; the outstanding comic playwright of his generation at Rome, he has influenced authors from Molière and Wycherley to P. G. Wodehouse. Scheming slaves, parasites, prostitutes, pimps, and boastful soldiers populate his plays, which show love triumphing over obstacles of various kinds, and the problems that arise from ignorance, misunderstanding, and prejudice. Although they reflect contemporary tensions in Roman society, their insights into human nature and experience make them timeless in their appeal. Peter Brown's lively new translation does full justice to Terence's style and skill as a dramatist.

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Readership: Readers and students of classical literature, classical drama, history of drama, comedy.