Plays to be studied in depth:

Plautus:

Pot of Gold; Prisoners; Brothers Menaechmus; Ghost; Swaggering Soldier; Rope; Amphityro

Terence:

Self-Tormentor; Brothers; Mother-in-Law.

 

Programme:

Autumn Term:

Week 1: From Greek to Roman

Weeks 2-4: The Techniques of Roman Comedy and Introduction to Plautus

Weeks 5-10: Plautine Plays

Spring Term:

Weeks 1-3: Plautine Plays

Weeks 4-5 : Introduction to Terence

Week 6 : Reading Week: No Class

Weeks 7-10 : Terentian Plays

Summer Term:

Weeks 1-: 2 Terentian Plays

Weeks 3-4: Revision

 

Seminars

Seminar 1 (Week 7):

Can a modern audience appreciate Plautus?

Seminar 2 (Week 10):

1. How Roman was Roman comedy?

2. A comparison of The Brothers Menaechmus and The Comedy of Errors.

Seminar 3 (Week 13):

1. Do Plautus' works work for the reader, or have we lost too much in terms of music and the visual aspect?

Seminar 4 (Week 19):

1. Are the characters of Terence more credible than those of Plautus?

2. Are there any signs that Terence's comedies have a message to impart?