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The Pot of Gold and Other Plays (Penguin Classics) Paperback – September 30, 1965

by Plautus (Author), E. F. Watling (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 349 ratings
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Plautus's broad humor, shown in some of the earliest surviving Latin plays, reflects Roman manners and contemporary life. This briliant collection includes: The Pot of Gold (Aulularia), The Prisoners (Captivi), The Brothers Menaechmus (Menaechmi), The Swaggering Soldier (Miles Gloriosus), and Pseudolus.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    September 30, 1965
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    7.8 x 5.08 x 0.57 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    9780140441499
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0140441499
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Titus Maccius Plautus was born in Sarsina, Umbria, in about 254 BC, and was originally named, after his father, Titus. Little is known of his life, but it is believed that he went to Rome when young and worked as a stage assistant. His potential as an actor was discovered and he acquired two other names: Maccius, derived perhaps from the name of a clown in popular farce, and Plautus, a cognomen meaning ‘flat-footed’. Somehow Plautus saved enough capital to go into business as a merchant shipper, but this venture collapsed, and he worked (says the tradition) as a miller’s laborer, and in his spare time studied Greek drama. From the age of forty onwards he achieved increasing success as an adaptor of Greek comedies for the Roman stage. Much of his work seems to be original, however, and not mere translation. He was rewarded by being granted Roman citizenship. According to Cicero he died in 184 BC.

E.F. Watling was educated at Christ's Hospital and University College, Oxford. His translations of Greek and Roman plays for the Penguin Classics include the seven plays of Sophocles, nine plays of Plautus, and a selection of the tragedies of Seneca.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0140441492
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics (September 30, 1965)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780140441499
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140441499
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.8 x 5.08 x 0.57 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 349 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
349 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Norma Urban
5.0 out of 5 stars A Journey Into the Everyday Life of a Roman in the Heyday of Rome
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
Ever wonder what it was like to live in Rome during the Conquest Period? Were Roman slaves loyal? Why or why not? Reading the plays of the classic Roman period provide an excellent insight into the life and times of the Romans...the everyday life in Rome!
2 people found this helpful
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Tomi
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016
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A+++thanks
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Drew
4.0 out of 5 stars Translation is too clean, should be honest and dirty
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2020
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I read this book and was generally unimpressed by the rather sanitized and anglicized translation written in a sort of "dandy" late middle English style that is unbefitting of Plautus' excellent prose and comedy.
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The Ogdens
5.0 out of 5 stars Required for class. Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2015
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Required for class. Interesting
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Kurama
5.0 out of 5 stars needed to get it for class
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2013
So yes I had to buy this for class. It was cheaper than buying it from school and it arrived on time, so I'm happy.
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ninjasuperstar
5.0 out of 5 stars A History Lesson in Funny
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2006
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.
16 people found this helpful
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frumenty
3.0 out of 5 stars Proofreaders.
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2013
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The Kindle version of this Penguin Classics book is full of OCR (Optical Character Recognition) typos, like "dungs" for "things", "Unes" for "Lines". Don't publishers use proofreaders any more?
8 people found this helpful
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physics student
5.0 out of 5 stars Slice-of-life ancient history
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2006
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.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Tapas Soren
5.0 out of 5 stars The book itself is a pot of gold
Reviewed in India on September 6, 2017
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The Pot of Gold and Other Plays by Plautus is a collection of plays by the Roman dramatist reflecting on the Roman society through sarcasm,satire and humour. Although the characters bear Greek names but they are essentially Roman in their mannerism. One has to read Plautus to understand the evolution of comedy genre. The translator E.F.Watilng did a tremendous job in maintaining the fervor of the original plays.I received the book in excellent condition.
3 people found this helpful
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ellie
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2015
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The product arrived in immaculate conditions, there are only two irregularities which are hardly noticeable and have been handled professionally. I am extremely pleased with the product I received.
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Samuel
5.0 out of 5 stars Great product
Reviewed in India on October 18, 2020
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Delivered in good condition. Always happy to buy the new penguin classics books with better binding and quality.
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maria
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2017
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very happy with the book
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Brendon Urie
5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
Reviewed in India on October 3, 2020
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Arrived perfectly and is in a good shape. Definitely a good product.
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