Plautus Menaechmi
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Menaechmi, a Latin-language play, is often considered Plautus' greatest play. The title is sometimes translated as The Brothers Menaechmus or The Two Menaechmuses. The Menaechmi is a comedy about mistaken identity, involving a set of twins, Menaechmus of Epidamnus and Menaechmus of Syracuse.
·(1) Mistaken identity: this happens several times, first when Menaechmus gets off the ship, Cylindrus mistakes him for the other twin and says he needs to wait that he is not done with dinner. Then Erotium mistakes him also for the other twin. Lastly while Erotium and Menaechmus II are together, Peniculus, thinks its his master and that he did him wrong and confronts who he thinks is his master.
(2) The working of chance: time and time again we see in this play that the brother Menchamus II leaves the people who thinks he is his brother, then the real Menaechmus comes in confused as to what he is being accused of. The instance with the wife asking to confess, Erotium thinking it is him and telling him she already gave him the dress and the bracelet, the father who brings the doctor, and the parasite who thinks he has been wronged.
(3) The trickery of characters themselves: Menaechmus II when asked by Erotium, thinking it is the real Menaechmus, asks him in for the banquet. He thinks he can get something out of it if he plays along with the story and ends up sleeping with her, he also gets the dress he can sell as well as the bracelet.
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Considered to be Plautus's greatest play, 'Menaechmi; Or, The Twin-Brothers' is the story of two twin brothers, Menaechmus and Sosicles, who are separated at age seven when their father takes Menaechmus on a business trip. This classic play, which provided the inspiration for Shakespeare's 'Comedy of Errors,' draws heavily on the theme of mistaken identity.
Published January 1st 2007 by Digireads.com (first published -206)
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Rating details
Feb 02, 2015Mehmet rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Recommends it for: Tiyatro, Latin Tiyatrosu, komedi, genel okur
Başrollerini Kemal Sunal ve Harika Avcı'nın oynadığı, 1978 tarihli bir O. Seden filmi olan İyi Aile Çocuğu filmini bilirsiniz.
Birisi bankada iyi aile çocuğu bir veznedar, diğer ise bir mafya babası olan ikizlerin hikayesini anlatan film, binlerce yıldır insanların aklını kurcalayan bir fenomen olan 'ikizliğin' mizaha vurulmuş şeklidir. Filmde Kemal Sunal'ın başarılı oyunculuğu yanında, yine binlerce yıl insanların kafasını karıştıran 'İkizler aynı şeyi mi hisseder?' gibi soruların da işlendiğini...more
Oct 02, 2014David Sarkies rated it liked itBirisi bankada iyi aile çocuğu bir veznedar, diğer ise bir mafya babası olan ikizlerin hikayesini anlatan film, binlerce yıldır insanların aklını kurcalayan bir fenomen olan 'ikizliğin' mizaha vurulmuş şeklidir. Filmde Kemal Sunal'ın başarılı oyunculuğu yanında, yine binlerce yıl insanların kafasını karıştıran 'İkizler aynı şeyi mi hisseder?' gibi soruların da işlendiğini...more
Recommended to David by: David Hester
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. 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...more
Aug 08, 2018نیلوفر رحمانیان rated it really liked it5 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. 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...more
Shelves: mythology, pluralism, democracy, greek, 2018-read, comedy, drama
اولین نمونهی پرولوگ.
پرولوگی که داستان را لو میدهد.
بدون همسرایان و بدون اینکه پرولوگ را خدایان روایت کنند.
در پرولوگ میگوید: این اتفاق در یونان نیافتاده و هرکجا که افاد رپایتش میکنم (که از این جهت برجستهست چون بعد از جنگ رم یا بونان، هر آنچه بد بوده را به یونانیان نسبت میدادهاند)
در عصر مدرن بویژه برای چپها، پرولوگی که داستان را لو بدهد برای مبارزه با تیرانی هژمونی کاپیتالیسم و جلوگیری از کاتارسیس به منظور تقویت نگریستن معقول استفاده میشده، در این نمایش هم چندان متفاوت از این نیست.
تیرانی نظمی گسترد...more
Aug 07, 2010David rated it liked it · review of another editionپرولوگی که داستان را لو میدهد.
بدون همسرایان و بدون اینکه پرولوگ را خدایان روایت کنند.
در پرولوگ میگوید: این اتفاق در یونان نیافتاده و هرکجا که افاد رپایتش میکنم (که از این جهت برجستهست چون بعد از جنگ رم یا بونان، هر آنچه بد بوده را به یونانیان نسبت میدادهاند)
در عصر مدرن بویژه برای چپها، پرولوگی که داستان را لو بدهد برای مبارزه با تیرانی هژمونی کاپیتالیسم و جلوگیری از کاتارسیس به منظور تقویت نگریستن معقول استفاده میشده، در این نمایش هم چندان متفاوت از این نیست.
تیرانی نظمی گسترد...more
Shelves: fiction, read-2010, roman-literature, latin-textbooks
Plautus' Menaechmi, Shakespeare's inspiration for his Comedy of Errors, is a fine rebuttal for anyone who thinks that the Romans had no sense of humor. When one twin brother is lost at the fair at the age of seven, his other brother is given his name, Menaechmus, by his grieving grandfather. When this brother becomes an adult, he searches for his long lost twin and at last comes to the town where he lives. All sorts of confusion ensues as the townspeople mistake one Menaechmus for the other. The...more
tfw Shakespeare rips off your work and his work is more famous (terrific play)
Feb 08, 2019Angelique Casolino rated it liked it · review of another edition
Nov 27, 2017Anna rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Read for school, but honestly not my favourite play by Plautus
Mar 31, 2009Emily rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I read and translated this in a 300 level college course. Gratwick's restoration of the text is pretty standard and he clearly marks when he deviates from scholarly consensus. His footnotes are also helpful.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the classics and has some background on ancient comedy or for those with an interest in reading one of Shakespeare's source materials (A Comedy of Errors is an adaptation of Menaechmi, which itself is an adaptation of a no longer extant Greek...more
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the classics and has some background on ancient comedy or for those with an interest in reading one of Shakespeare's source materials (A Comedy of Errors is an adaptation of Menaechmi, which itself is an adaptation of a no longer extant Greek...more
Oct 02, 2013Yooperprof rated it liked it
Inspiration for Shakespeare's 'The Comedy of Errors.'
This is probably the best known surviving play by the ancient Roman playwright Plautus, who lived in the third century B.C.E. The Shakespeare play is one of his earliest, and is generally considered to be 'minor Shakespeare,' not one of his best. I gotta say that the Shakespeare play is much much better from the standpoint of modern theatre, either as an audience member or a player. It made me appreciate how innovative and superior to his mode...more
This is probably the best known surviving play by the ancient Roman playwright Plautus, who lived in the third century B.C.E. The Shakespeare play is one of his earliest, and is generally considered to be 'minor Shakespeare,' not one of his best. I gotta say that the Shakespeare play is much much better from the standpoint of modern theatre, either as an audience member or a player. It made me appreciate how innovative and superior to his mode...more
Typical Plautinian play. The long lost twin brother (called exactly like the first one) arrives in the city where the other brother lives. Everybody mistakes him for his brother. You can just imagine how this ends up. Plautus likes to play a lot with the twins concept (also seen in MIles Gloriosus with Philocomasia) and the results are really funny. It's nice to laugh at jokes 2200 years old, but still good. 3 stars and a half.
Sep 23, 2018Ivy-Mabel Fling rated it it was amazing
This is funny but the plot is rather thin - we know that there are twins involved and that that is leading to misunderstandings and misplaced rants. Molière, who also took up this aspect of Plautus, shortened these incidents (to just one scene) as they can be a bit tiresome. The farce aspect is entertaining (particularly when one can see the play on stage rather than reading it) but the audience are really just waiting for the secret to be revealed.
Jan 16, 2017Donna rated it really liked it
This Roman play from the third century BC is the likely source of Shakespeare's 'A Comedy of Errors.' Since I do not read Latin I can only assume the original is as funny as this translation. What a hoot! It should be performed.
Sep 06, 2016Melissa Jacobson rated it really liked it
Actual Rating 4.5
This was absolutely ridiculous and absurd and I found it pretty hilarious. Manaechmi is such a bizarre and quick play and it had me laughing out loud several times.
This was absolutely ridiculous and absurd and I found it pretty hilarious. Manaechmi is such a bizarre and quick play and it had me laughing out loud several times.
May 22, 2018Mike rated it liked it
The play that inspired Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors is a classic Plautine “switcheroo narrative.” (I want to claim that as a literary term of my own creation!) If it had been the first Plautus comedy I read, I think I would have liked it more, but since I’ve read about ten of his extant plays, it just feels like an average one that depends on a plot device that Plautus tends to overuse -- which is to say, it’s pretty much the only plot device he uses: the mistaken identity. As with his o...more
Feb 10, 2019Lua rated it liked it · review of another edition Shelves: 3-stars, a2019, bookshelf, clásicos, highschool, teatro, catalán
3,5.
Me gusta más la comedia que la tragedia, admitámoslo.
Me gusta más la comedia que la tragedia, admitámoslo.
While I appreciated this play in that thousands of year old jokes are still funny, the execution of this comedy of mistaken identity was more frustrating than amusing for me.
My favorite by Plautus. Had to read this for my Latin Lit and enjoyed it. I disliked all of the characters, really. However, the plot was humorous enough to make me not care!
Nov 05, 2018Sara rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Jan 12, 2017Zara Shepherd rated it liked it · review of another edition
I actually quite enjoyed this, which is strange since I did it for college
Started reading for Latin Reading Group in college. Finished reading in grad school. Two identical twin masters with identical twin slaves get separated as children. A couple decades later one master brother goes looking for the other and brings his slave with him. Unfortunately, he runs into his twin's acquaintances before he runs into his twin. Much mistaken identity ensues, including the wrong slaves getting paired with the wrong masters, before they figure out what's going on.
Jul 29, 2015Francine Maessen rated it it was amazing
I really liked this play. I had a bit of a prejudice that all classic comedies are a bit... vulgair, but this was actually really decent, and funny! Just from the weird situations, and not because of especially dirty jokes. My translation however was a downside: is was done by J. Hemelrijk sr (No, I'm not gonna registrate a book every time it's not on Goodreads. I'm saving that for a very rainy day). The translation was supposed to be very modern, to make it appeal to a modern audience, but they...more
Sep 09, 2015Alana added it · review of another edition
I noticed this phenomenon in this play and Comedy of Errors (I'm reading them together for a class.)
We know Menaechmus I& II as well as Antipholus& Dromio of Syracuse (the twins of Ephesus may or not be aware of their respective brothers).
If I were searching the world for my long lost identical twin sister of the same name, and I stumbled upon a town where everyone knew my name and someone claimed to be my spouse, I would guess that I found the home of my twin. Of course, that wouldn't b...more
We know Menaechmus I& II as well as Antipholus& Dromio of Syracuse (the twins of Ephesus may or not be aware of their respective brothers).
If I were searching the world for my long lost identical twin sister of the same name, and I stumbled upon a town where everyone knew my name and someone claimed to be my spouse, I would guess that I found the home of my twin. Of course, that wouldn't b...more
Apr 13, 2012Pepca rated it liked it
This classic comedy is a quick read, but it is not much fun. I liked it all right, and I smiled a few times, but it did not make me laugh out loud.
Read full review on my blog, Beyond Strange New Words.
RECOMMENDATION: Menaechmi is a classical comedy. As such it offers some thought-provoking topics concerning people’s behaviour alongside the central theme of mistaken identities.
Read full review on my blog, Beyond Strange New Words.
RECOMMENDATION: Menaechmi is a classical comedy. As such it offers some thought-provoking topics concerning people’s behaviour alongside the central theme of mistaken identities.
Aug 29, 2012Faith Bradham rated it liked it · review of another edition
Welp, I don't exactly think Plautus is a highmark of literature, but he is the first extant Roman comedian we have, and Shakespeare did take an alarming amount of inspiration from his works, so I can't write him off.
As far the Menaechmi goes, while I find the humor a little underwhelming, my mind is boggled by the parallelism of the plot structure--so clever, Plautus!
As far the Menaechmi goes, while I find the humor a little underwhelming, my mind is boggled by the parallelism of the plot structure--so clever, Plautus!
Jul 28, 2011Mark Woodland rated it really liked it · review of another edition
This is a very, very funny play, and one that anyone interested in the history of the theatre should read. This is Roman comedy at its best. It's also precisely the play that Shakespeare lifted The Comedy of Errors from, and an old musical called The Boys from Syracuse was also adapted from this play. All worthy
Nov 20, 2015Cristina MacKinnon rated it really liked it
Of the three Plautine plays that I read this semester, the Menaechmi was the only one to truly make me laugh at loud. With a theme somewhat like the Amphitruo, involving the confusing doubling of characters, the twin brothers in Menaechmi find each other at long last through a serious of slapstick escapades.
Jan 08, 2014Wolf rated it liked it
It was fairly amusing, but not the most hilarious thing I've read. I enjoyed it and the dialogue was funny. It showed aspects of Roman culture that were interesting to see as commonplace ideas within the setting.
All in all I wasn't terribly impressed or inspired by it. It was pretty short and I didn't take away any new lessons - but if you want a few (mild) laughs this is perfect.
All in all I wasn't terribly impressed or inspired by it. It was pretty short and I didn't take away any new lessons - but if you want a few (mild) laughs this is perfect.
Mar 28, 2015Anna C rated it liked it
'The Menaechmi' is a little-known Roman play whose sole claim to fame is that it serves as the source material for Shakespeare's 'A Comedy of Errors,' which is, itself, a little-known play. We're being really hipster here, guys.
Mar 18, 2010Juliet_CM rated it really liked it · review of another editionRecommends it for: those interested in classical comedies and in shakespeare
Recommended to Juliet_CM by: Latin Literature teacher
Shakespeare based his 'The Comedy of Errors' on this play by Plautus. It's entertaining, easy, quick and pleasant to read. Very near to our time, it could be easily performed today as characters and plot haven't changed too much.
Sep 08, 2015Aimee rated it it was ok
An okay play, better than 'The Swaggering Soldier' but having too many similarities to feel like anything fresh after having read that prior.
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Titus Maccius Plautus (c. 254 – 184 BC), commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest works in Latin literature to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus. The word Plautine refers to both Plautus's own works and works similar to or influenced b...more
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