TERRANCE BIOGRAPHY
Full Name: Publius Terentius Afer
Born: 195 BC
Birthplace: Carthage
Died: 159 BC
Place of Death: Greece
From Slavery to success
A LIST OF HIS WORKS
Andria - 166 BC
Hecyra (The Mother-in-Law) - 165 BC
Heauton timoroumenos (The Self-Tormentor) - 163 BC
Eunuchus (The Eunuch) - 161 BC
Phormio - 161 BC
Adelphi (The Brothers) - 160 BC.
ANDRIA
FAMOUS PASSAGE
SI. interea mulier quaedam abhinc triennium ex
Andro commigravit huc
viciniae,
70 inopia et cognatorum
neglegentia coacta, egregia forma atque aetate
integra. SO. ei, vereor nequid Andria adportet
mali! SI. primo haec pudice vitam parce ac
duriter agebat, lana ac tela victum
quaeritans;
75 sed postquam amans
accessit pretium pollicens unus et item alter,
ita ut ingeniumst omnium hominum ab labore
proclive ad lubidinem, accepit condicionem,
de(h)inc quaestum occipit. qui tum illam
amabant forte, ita ut fit,
filium
80 perduxere illuc, secum ut una
esset, meum. egomet continuo mecum "certe
captus est: habet". observabam mane illorum
servolos venientis aut abeuntis: rogitabam
"heus puer, dic sodes, quis heri Chrysidem
habuit?" nam Andriae 85 illi id erat nomen.
SIMO Meanwhile, three years ago, a certain woman from
Andros removed hither into this neighborhood, driven by
poverty and the neglect of her relations, of surpassing
beauty and in the bloom of youth.
SOSIA Ah! I'm afraid that this Andrian will bring some
mischief.
SIMO At first, in a modest way, she passed her life with
thriftiness and in hardship, seeking a livelihood with her
wool and loom. But after an admirer made advances,
promising her a recompense, first one and then another;
as the disposition of all mankind has a downward
tendency from industry toward pleasure, she accepted
their proposals, and then began to trade upon her beauty.
Those who then were her admirers, by chance, as it often
happens, took my son thither that he might be in their
company. Forthwith I said to myself, " He is surely caught;
he is smitten."9 In the morning I used to observe their
servant-boys coming or going away; I used to make
inquiry, "Here, my lad, tell me, will you, who had Chrysis
yesterday?" for that was the name of the Andrian touching
SOSIA on the arm .
EUNUCHUS
FAMOUS PASSAGE
Colax Menandri est; in ea est parasitus Colax, Et miles gloriosus; eas se non negat
Personas transtulisse in Eunuchum suam ex Graeca; sed eas fabulas factas prius
Latinas scisse sese id vero pernegat. Quod si personis iisdem uti aliis non licet, Qui
magis licet currentes servos scribere, Bonas matronas facere, meretrices malas,
Parasitum edacem, gloriosum militem, Puerum supponi, falli per servum senem,
Amare, odisse, suspicari? Denique Nullum est iam dictum, quod non dictum sit prius.
Quare aequum est vos cognoscere atque ignoscere Quae veteres factitarunt si faciunt
novi. Date operam, et cum silentio animadvertite, Ut pernoscatis quid sibi Eunuchus
velit.
That so it is, you will now be enabled to judge. The Colax is a Play of Meander's;
in it there is Colax, a Parasite, and a braggart Captain: he does not deny that
he has transferred these characters into his Eunuch from the Greek; but
assuredly he does deny this, that he was aware that those pieces had been
already translated into Latin. But if it is not permitted us to use the same
characters as others, how can it any more be allowed to represent hurrying
servants, to describe virtuous matrons, artful courtesans, the gluttonous
parasite, the braggart captain, the infant palmed off, the old man cajoled by
the servant, about love, hatred, suspicion? In fine, nothing is said now that
has not been said before. Wherefore it is but just that you should know this,
and make allowance, if the moderns do what the ancients used to do. Grant
me your attention, and give heed in silence, that you may understand what
the Eunuch means.
REVIEW OF TERRANCE’S LEGACY
We have over six-hundred Terence manuscripts, some of great antiquity and
accuracy, dating from many different periods of the Middle Ages and
Renaissance. Compared to Plautus whose plays survived medieval times
on the slenderest of threads, the existence of so many copies of
Terence's work is a remarkable tribute to his endurance as an artist. All
in all, it is hard to find any age in which Terence's work has not been
praised and imitated and his name not widely known, except our own, of
course. On whom that will reflect more—Terence or us?—only the future
can say.
-Mark Damen
PLAUTUS
BIOGRAPHY
Full Name: Titus Maccius Plautus
Born: 254
Place of Birth: 254 BC
Died: 184 BC
Place of Death: Rome
From Humble Beginnings to Timeless Fame
A LIST OF HIS WORKS
While Plautus produced a wealth of plays, 52 are known, many have been partly or
completely lost.
Plays surviving in their entirety:
Amphitryon
Asinaria
Aulularia
Bacchides
Captivi
Casina
Cistellaria
Curculio
Epidicus
Mercator
Miles Gloriosus
Mostellaria
Persa
Pseudolus
Rudens
Stichus
Trinummus
Truculentus
AMPHITRYON
FAMOUS PASSAGE
MANAECHMI
FAMOUS PASSAGE
MENAECHMUS SOSICLES to himself . O ye
immortal Gods! on what man ever have you
conferred more blessings in one day, who
hoped for less? I've been breakfasting,
drinking, feasting with a mistress; and I've
carried off this mantle, of which she shall no
more be owner after this day.
PENICULUS Isn't he now talking about me,
and my share of the repast? I can't well hear
what he says.
MENAECHMUS SOSICLES to himself . She
says that I secretly gave her this, and that I
stole it away from my wife. When I perceived
that she was mistaken, at once I began to
assent, as though I really had had
acquaintanceship with her. Whatever the
woman said, the same said I. What need of
many words? I was never entertained at less
expense.
PENICULUS apart . I'll accost the fellow; for I
quite long to have a row.
MEN. Pro di immortales, quoi homini
umquam uno die boni dedistis plus, qui
minus speraverit? prandi, potavi,
scortum accubui,
apstuli
hanc, quoius
heres numquam erit post hunc
diem. PEN. Nequeo quae loquitur
exaudire clanculum; satur nunc loquitur
de me et de parti mea. MEN. Ait hanc
dedisse me sibi, atque eam meae uxori
surrupuisse.
quoniam sentio
errare,
extemplo, quasi res cum ea esset
mihi, coepi adsentari: mulier quidquid
dixerat, idem ego dicebam. quid multis
verbis <opust>? minore nusquam bene
fui dispendio.
PEN. Adibo ad
hominem, nam turbare gestio.
REVIEW OF HIS LEGACY
Plautus' works have been adapted by many later playwrights. His Amphitryo was the
basis for Giraudoux's Amphitryon 38. Menaechmi or The Menaechmus Twins
inspired, among others, Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors and Rodgers' and
Hart's The Boys from Syracuse. The Pot of Gold became Moliere's The Miser. And
Pseudolus, Casina and several other plays were combined in Stephen Sondheim's
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
-HUMANITIES I: GST 201-B
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.comp.dit.ie/dgordon/lectures/hum1/040310/040310hum.htm
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0101%3Aact%3D3%3Ascene%3D2
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22188/22188-0.txt
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/poetsplaywrightswriters/g/Terence.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/587857/Terence
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romeancientrome/ig/Ancient-Rome/Terence--Latin-Poet.-3yA.htm
http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/ClasDram/chapters/143terence.htm
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cio_Plauto.jpg/200pxTito_Maccio_Plauto.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphitryon_(play)&h=238&w=200&sz=9&t
bnid=PzjzV9VtrFG0UM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=76&prev=/search%3Fq%3Damphitryon%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3
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dur=284