Titus Maccius Plautus
c.254-184 BC
Sometime around 254 B.C., in the tiny mountain village of Sarsina high
in the Apennines of Umbria, ancient Rome's best-known playwright was
born--Titus Maccius Plautus. Born "Plautus" or "splay-foot", he apparently
managed to escape his backwoods village at a young age--perhaps by joining
one of the itinerant theatrical troupes which commonly traveled from
village to village performing short boisterous farces.
We know, however, that at some point the young Plautus gave up his
acting career to become a Roman soldier, and this is probably when he
was exposed to the delights of the Greek stage, specifically Greek New
Comedy and the plays of Menander. Sometime later, he tried his hand
as a merchant, but rashly trusted his wares to the sea and at the age
of 45, he found himself penniless and reduced to a wandering miller,
trudging through the streets with a hand-mill, grinding corn for householders.
Meanwhile, translations of Greek New Comedy had come into vogue and
Plautus--who remembered the comedies of Menander from his days as a
soldier in Southern Italy--decided to try his hand at writing for the
stage. His earliest plays, Addictus and Saturio, were written while
he still made a living with his hand-mill. Soon, however, his comedies
began to suit the public taste and Plautus was able to retire his hand-mill
and devote himself to writing full-time.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Plautus plays were no mere translation
of Menander. He adapted the rough and tumble colloquy of the environments
he knew best--the military camp and the marketplace--wild and boisterous
like the Roman farces he may have performed in as a young man.
In those days, plays were never performed alone. They were presented
at public celebrations and had to compete with chariot races, horse
races, boxing matches, circuses, etc ... Since a close translation of
a play by the refined Menander would hold little interest for a rowdy
Roman crowd, Plautus quickly parted company with the Greek original.
He generally took only the outline of the plot, the characters, and
selected segments of dialogue--then stepped out on his own. His objective
was to entertain. At all costs, he kept the pot of action boiling, the
stream of gags and puns and cheap slapstick flowing. Anything to make
the audience laugh and keep them from peeking in on the boxing match
nextdoor! To this end, Plautus often included scenes in song and dance.
Unfortunately, the musical accompaniments to his plays have now been
lost.
In all, Plautus composed approximately 130 pieces--21 of which have
survived to this day. He was eventually granted citizenship and given
permission to assume three names like a true-born Roman. The name he
chose for himself was Titus Maccius ("clown") Plautus.
He continued to some extent the social satire of Aristophanes. His
Miles Gloriosus refers to the imprisonment of the poet Naevius for satirizing
the aristocracy. His Cistellaria alludes to the conflict with Carthage.
Epidicius and Aulularia refer to the repeal of the puritanic Oppian
Laws. And Captivi and Bacchides mention the wars in Greece and Magnesia.
For the most part, however, he preferred the style of the more recent
Greek writers like Menander. Along with his younger Roman counterpart,
Terence, Plautus kept Greek New Comedy alive for later generations of
theatregoers.
http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc21.html
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