author
Titus Maccius Plautus
-254–-184
A giant of Roman comedy, he turned Greek-inspired plots into fast, funny Latin plays packed with clever servants, mistaken identities, and lively wordplay. More than two millennia later, his stagecraft still feels quick, theatrical, and full of energy.
2 Audiobooks
The Captivi and the Mostellaria
by Titus Maccius Plautus
About the author
Little is known for certain about his life, but Plautus is generally placed around 254–184 BCE and is associated with Sarsina in Umbria. He wrote during the Roman Republic and became the earliest Latin playwright whose works survive complete.
Plautus is best known for comic plays that adapted Greek New Comedy for Roman audiences. His work helped shape Roman drama in Latin, and 21 plays are usually accepted as genuine, including Miles Gloriosus, Menaechmi, Aulularia, and Amphitruo.
What keeps his writing alive is its sheer theatrical spark: brisk plots, musicality, slapstick, verbal wit, and unforgettable stock characters. His influence reached far beyond ancient Rome, inspiring later European comedy and especially playwrights drawn to disguise, confusion, and exuberant farce.