So, the twin that lives in the city is not only married, but also has a mistress. The thing that is present in this play, that is not present in Shakespeare, is the mistress. They are even on the verge of dragging one of the twins off to the ancient Roman version of a mental asylum because they all think that he is mad – no wonder Shakespeare called his version 'A Comedy of Errors'. However, because the first twin is unaware of the existence of the other twin, and everybody else thinks that he is the other twin, they all begin to think that he is mad. Like the Shakespearian play there is also the love triangle present where the wife of one of the twins tries to seduce the other twin (without knowing his identity) and the other twin loving all the attention that he is receiving.
He then arrives in town and everybody mistakes him for his twin (even though he has no idea, until the end, that his twin lives in this town) and then when his twin appears his twin is accused to doing the things that the other twin did, and as such a farcical comedy ensures as everything runs around confused. Still, it was good that I finally got around to reading one of the sources that Shakespeare used for his play (though he also added a number of elements to it, including having twin slaves as well as twin brothers).Īnybody who is familiar with A Comedy of Errors will already know the basic plot to this play: two identical twin brothers are separated when they are really young, and then one of them later on in life decides to go on a quest to locate his missing brother. If it wasn't for the fact that this play was written over 1500 years before A Comedy of Errors I probably would have jumped up and cried that this guy had ripped off Shakespeare, however as it turns out it is probably the other way around, especially since it is well known that Shakespeare was hardly original with his writings. Still, it was good that I finally got around to reading one of the sources that Shakespeare used for his play (though he also added a num A comedy of errors A comedy of errors 5 October 2014 If it wasn't for the fact that this play was written over 1500 years before A Comedy of Errors I probably would have jumped up and cried that this guy had ripped off Shakespeare, however as it turns out it is probably the other way around, especially since it is well known that Shakespeare was hardly original with his writings.
These fundamental societal concerns gave Plautus' Menaechmi an enduring role in the classical tradition, which is also examined here, including notable adaptations by William Shakespeare, Jean François Regnard, Carlo Goldoni and Rodgers and Hart. The book analyzes the power dynamics at play in the various relationships, especially between master and slave and husband and wife, in order to explore the meaning of freedom and the status of slaves and women in Roman culture and Roman comedy. Each encounter with a misidentified twin destabilizes the status quo and provides valuable insight into Roman domestic and social relationships. A gluttonous parasite, manipulative courtesan, shrewish wife, crotchety father-in-law, bumbling cook, saucy handmaid, quack doctor, and band of thugs comprise the colourful cast of characters.
Plautus menaechmi t series#
Menaechmi is a tale of identical twin brothers who are separated as young children and reconnect as adults following a series of misadventures due to mistaken identity.
This new volume in the Bloomsbury Ancient Comedy Companions series is perfect for students coming to one of Plautus' most whimsical, provocative, and influential plays for the first time, and a useful first point of reference for scholars less familiar with Roman comedy.
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