Titus Maccius Platus?

Question

I need short biography of Titus Maccius Platus....Can you help?

Answer 1

Titus Maccius Plautus (c.254 BC – c.184 BC), born at Sarsina, in Roman Umbria (modern Romagna, near Forlì), was a comedic playwright in the time of the Roman Republic.

Little is known of Plautus' life; even his birth and death dates are uncertain. Traditionally, he was supposed to have travelled to Rome when he was very young, becoming a theatre assistant. His talent as an actor was eventually discovered, and he adopted the names 'Maccius' (a clownish stock-character in popular farces), and 'Plautus' (a term meaning "flat-footed"). Tradition also says that he eventually made enough money to go into the shipping business, but that the venture collapsed. He then is said to have worked as a manual laborer and studied Greek drama – particularly the New Comedy of Menander – in his spare time. His studies led to the production of his plays, which were first produced between c.205 BC and 184 BC.

Plautus attained such popularity, that solely his name was a guarantee of theatrical success. This was exploited by numerous plagiators, so that shortly after his death 130 plays were known under his name. The ancient Romans were already trying to select the genuine Plautian core. This task was accomplished by M. Terentius Varro, who reached the number of 40 original plays. Today 21 of this selection survive.

Plautus' comedies, which are among the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature, are mostly adaptations of Greek models for a Roman audience and are often directly based on the works of the Greek playwrights. (Some might more properly be called 'adaptations').

Plautus' most original contribution to the dramatic arts was the recurring stock-character of the clever slave. He manipulates his master in various ways, reversing the master-slave dynamic expected of such relationships in the Roman world, and is deeply vainglorious. His machinations often drive the plot. (While there was some precedent for this sort of character in the Greek world, Plautus greatly expanded his scope, and even made a clever slave the main character in several plays.)

Most other characters in Plautus' plays are also stock characters, such as Senex (the old man). His work reflects the popular Roman taste for broad slapstick and bustling comedy, rather than introspection or careful character development. As a result, his critical reputation has fluctuated over the centuries, though he may have greater appeal to many readers today than other, more pretentious classical authors (such as Terence).

Plautus' work inspired many playwrights afterwards, including William Shakespeare, Molière, and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. His comedies Miles Gloriosus and Pseudolus were also the basis for the 1962 musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and he appears as a fictional character in Up Pompeii.

Answer 2

2 points