TERENCE The Eunuch

When first performed, The Eunuch was a great success. Today, with its larger-than-life characters (particularly the boastful soldier Thraso and the toady Gnatho), its farcical and exaggerated humour and its vigorous action, it strikes the modern reader as the funniest and most Plautine of Terence's six comedies. It is also a play of effective and entertaining contrasts, particularly that between the two brothers Phaedria and Chaerea. Their very different attitudes to love and romance provide one of the play's chief points of interest, while Thais presents yet another picture of love, that of the professional courtesan. The fact that Thais, Thraso and the slave Parmeno are not quite the stereotypes we might expect to find in this type of play adds yet more to an amusing and thought-provoking comedy.

A.J. Brothers is Senior Lecturer in Classics, University of Wales, Lampeter. Editor of Terence The Self-Tormentor Aris and Phillips 1988.

224pp; cl 512 7 $59.95 / £35 pb 513 5 $28 / £16.50 (2000)

CONTENTS Preface INTRODUCTION: I. Greek New Comedy II. Comedy at Rome III. The Life and Works of Terence IV. Terence and his Critics V. The Eunuch and its Relationship to Menander VI. The Eunuch as a Roman Comedy VII. The Text Bibliography List of Metres PARALLEL LATIN TEXT AND ENGLISH TRANSLATION COMMENTARY Index

SOME COMMENTS BY REVIEWERS
"B. has clearly chosen to follow the course favoured by Terence at Eun. 7­8 by offering a translation that is lively and readable..." BMCR

"The notes are full and very clearly written and the translation reads well." Greece and Rome

"The heart of any Aris & Phillips edition is the translation and commentary based upon it. readers will count themselves fortunate in being presented with a version that combines precision with eminent readability ­ a rare achievement ­ capturing well the spirit of this, the most popular of Terence's comedies with contemporary audiences. No less skilfully produced are the more than fifty pages of commentary which provide detailed examination of the play, giving greater focus to many of the topics raised in the Introduction. Topics are treated with clarity for those new to the genre, but also incorporate observations that established scholars will find of interest. B. has produced an edition that in so many ways eminently suits the student of today." The Classical Review

RELATED BOOKS
See other books by TERENCE in the series:
The Mother-in-Law, S. Ireland (1990)
The Brothers, A.S. Gratwick (New edition 2000)