The Comedies (Penguin Classics)

My daughter needed it for class

Required for class. Interesting

Terence’s plays are rewritings of Hellenistic era Greek comedies for a Roman audience. As part of the history of theater arts, they are obvious precursors of many of Shakespeare’s plots and operatic characters like Figaro.But, as I understand it, the reason all of Terence’s plays were preserved was because of the exceptional quality of their Latin. And, while this translation may be excellent, you really cannot truly grasp the beauty of the Latin in an English translation.The actual plays are not comedies like those of Aristophanes that make you laugh out loud. Instead, they’re more like a sophisticated version of a modern sit-com. There are romantic misunderstandings, all looks like it will end in catastrophe, until a sudden change of events results in an ending where all couples are appropriately matched.So, while I can see their undoubted influence, I wouldn’t really recommend reading them in translation for pure enjoyment. With the loss of Terence’s Latin most of the reason for reading the plays is also lost. Of course, this is a matter of taste and others may have different theatrical preferences. But, in my opinion, unless you are deeply interested in the history of literature, reading a translation of Terence should be a fairly low priority even in a survey of the Western canon.

Wow. I've read plenty of dramas, but this was my first ancient comedy. My girlfriend and I read this together, and neither one of us expected to enjoy it very much. But to our surprise, within 2 pages we were laughing constantly. We usually pause to talk frequently when we read something together, but this one we read very quickly because the plots and situations engrossed us so much.If you are looking to read and enjoy something truly classical, I suppose there's no better place to start than this.I imagine the translator was not too strict, but she did a good job in the spirit that I imagine Terence would want: not too literal, but very enjoyable.

Terence's character development is superb. He takes stock characters of past Greek plays and turns them around so that the reader sees that people are not black or white. They are rather gray with good and bad qualities. His stories develop around his characters and in each comedy there is a message that is as timesless as the dialogue and interaction between characters in his plays. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised with the mastery with which Terence took Greek plays and adapted them for his Roman audience. The editing was good, and I think that there is a little something for all readers in the comedies of Terence. They are timeless classics that draw a quiet smile from the reader rather than an outright laugh.

The classic Roman theatre deserves to bemore well-known.Terence and Plautus were masters of comedyand anyone who has seen "A Funny thing happenedon the way to the forum" should appreciate them.

Arrived very quickly. Book in excellent condition. Something I had been seeking for some time. Very pleased.