What do you think?
Rate this book
Pseudolus
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.
170 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 192
10 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
About the author
Plautus
1,880books112followersTitus 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 by his.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
January 17, 2025
“…And you have
no bitches.�
₊˚� 7 out of 10! ₊˚✧ ﾟ🖇️ .
� 🦢� 𝘋𝘈𝘛𝘌: 17/01/2025 (2 hours) ☂︎ � �
˚˖� 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 ¡!˚
Reading this for the EVAU (pre-college exams in Spain 😭), my Latin teacher says it’s actually pretty funny and I chose to trust him.
──── ‧� � 🗞 ›� ‧� ────
I didn’t trust anything coming out from ancient societies to be as good as everyone says (that’s rich coming from a humanist, I know, but I don’t mean it like that 😭). But the fact that this man chose to start his book by saying “You better stretch your legs and stand up because this Plautus� comedy we’re playing is long af 🙏🏻🔥� made me realize I was about to read a masterpiece. Mainly because it’s just 72 pages long, five of them being just an introduction. First click-bait ever? 🤨
I cannot believe this but I actually laughed reading this book. I actually laughed. Studying roman comedy I thought there was no way plays back then were so funny they made a dude named Plautus (💀) famous. Turns out they are. And that made me realize that, indeed, humans haven’t changed as much as most people believe. That’s why I chose the Humanism path, for stuff like this.
What makes this ten times funnier is that the only female character and romantic interest had to be played by a man (women weren’t allowed to act in Ancient Rome [or anywhere else after that for a long time, for that matter]).
Actually, thinking about it, is it fair to say this is Deadpool’s first appearance in history? Replace Pseudolus� name with Wade’s and I’m telling you, nothing changes. Breaking the fourth-wall, being absolutely unhinged, not caring about anything, come on. My favorite Marvel character is Deadpool, can you tell 🥰?
Always listening to my Latin teacher from now on, Vae Victis, I guess 🙌🏻
no bitches.�
₊˚� 7 out of 10! ₊˚✧ ﾟ🖇️ .
� 🦢� 𝘋𝘈𝘛𝘌: 17/01/2025 (2 hours) ☂︎ � �
˚˖� 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 ¡!˚
Reading this for the EVAU (pre-college exams in Spain 😭), my Latin teacher says it’s actually pretty funny and I chose to trust him.
──── ‧� � 🗞 ›� ‧� ────
I didn’t trust anything coming out from ancient societies to be as good as everyone says (that’s rich coming from a humanist, I know, but I don’t mean it like that 😭). But the fact that this man chose to start his book by saying “You better stretch your legs and stand up because this Plautus� comedy we’re playing is long af 🙏🏻🔥� made me realize I was about to read a masterpiece. Mainly because it’s just 72 pages long, five of them being just an introduction. First click-bait ever? 🤨
I cannot believe this but I actually laughed reading this book. I actually laughed. Studying roman comedy I thought there was no way plays back then were so funny they made a dude named Plautus (💀) famous. Turns out they are. And that made me realize that, indeed, humans haven’t changed as much as most people believe. That’s why I chose the Humanism path, for stuff like this.
What makes this ten times funnier is that the only female character and romantic interest had to be played by a man (women weren’t allowed to act in Ancient Rome [or anywhere else after that for a long time, for that matter]).
Actually, thinking about it, is it fair to say this is Deadpool’s first appearance in history? Replace Pseudolus� name with Wade’s and I’m telling you, nothing changes. Breaking the fourth-wall, being absolutely unhinged, not caring about anything, come on. My favorite Marvel character is Deadpool, can you tell 🥰?
Always listening to my Latin teacher from now on, Vae Victis, I guess 🙌🏻
April 28, 2015
The folly of boyhood love
10 November 2014
It was interesting to note that in the introduction they mentioned that the plot of this play was one of those really hackneyed plots in the Roman times. That may be the case, but the fact that it has survived suggests that Plautus' take on the subject was a superior version of this well worn plot, or it simply could be the first. It is sort of like Die Hard � an original idea that ended up spawning a bunch of copies that tried, and failed, to live up to the original. Mind you, Pseudolus is not a play about a cop being trapped in a skyscraper on Christmas Eve, painting the words 'now I have a machine gun, ho, ho, ho' on a dead body.
No, Psuedolus is about how the son (Calidorus) of an Athenian nobleman (Simo) falls in love with a woman who is sold as a slave. I initially thought that it may have been similar to the , where the woman was initially a free woman, however it turns out that the woman is a slave, meaning that she is basically a prostitute (well, that is probably not the best description because prostitutes are generally paid, and enter that profession willingly, where as slaves aren't). The problem is that Calidorus can't afford to purchase his love (and it sounds that Simo is not willing to give him the money � which is not surprising because I am sure Simo had other women in mind to be his wife).
I was about to suggest that this play is similar to a very popular movie from the eighties:
however that happens to be a romantic comedy, and Richard Gere has no problem whatsoever paying for Julia Robert's services. Plautus is certainly not a romantic comedy, it is farce, and I am almost inclined to believe that such, boring, stories were not really written back then (though since we have a very limited sampling of Roman comedy I could quite well be wrong).
As is typical, especially with Plautus' plays, everything turns out good in the end, thanks to the shrewdness and cunning of the play's title character, a slave named Psuedolus. Obviously the slave's owner (referred to in the translation that I read as being a pimp) comes out second best, but then he was the one that was causing all of the problems in the first place. Still, as I suggested, the whole concept is ridiculous. The idea of wealthy son of a nobleman falling in love with a slave would be preposterous, though I am sure it happened quite a lot. I could quite well imagine the audience thinking 'yes, I remember when my stupid son fell is love with that slave, and after he got bored of her I swore that the next time I would not be giving him any more money' (which is probably why Simo didn't want to fork out the cash for his son in the first place.
10 November 2014
It was interesting to note that in the introduction they mentioned that the plot of this play was one of those really hackneyed plots in the Roman times. That may be the case, but the fact that it has survived suggests that Plautus' take on the subject was a superior version of this well worn plot, or it simply could be the first. It is sort of like Die Hard � an original idea that ended up spawning a bunch of copies that tried, and failed, to live up to the original. Mind you, Pseudolus is not a play about a cop being trapped in a skyscraper on Christmas Eve, painting the words 'now I have a machine gun, ho, ho, ho' on a dead body.
No, Psuedolus is about how the son (Calidorus) of an Athenian nobleman (Simo) falls in love with a woman who is sold as a slave. I initially thought that it may have been similar to the , where the woman was initially a free woman, however it turns out that the woman is a slave, meaning that she is basically a prostitute (well, that is probably not the best description because prostitutes are generally paid, and enter that profession willingly, where as slaves aren't). The problem is that Calidorus can't afford to purchase his love (and it sounds that Simo is not willing to give him the money � which is not surprising because I am sure Simo had other women in mind to be his wife).
I was about to suggest that this play is similar to a very popular movie from the eighties:
however that happens to be a romantic comedy, and Richard Gere has no problem whatsoever paying for Julia Robert's services. Plautus is certainly not a romantic comedy, it is farce, and I am almost inclined to believe that such, boring, stories were not really written back then (though since we have a very limited sampling of Roman comedy I could quite well be wrong).
As is typical, especially with Plautus' plays, everything turns out good in the end, thanks to the shrewdness and cunning of the play's title character, a slave named Psuedolus. Obviously the slave's owner (referred to in the translation that I read as being a pimp) comes out second best, but then he was the one that was causing all of the problems in the first place. Still, as I suggested, the whole concept is ridiculous. The idea of wealthy son of a nobleman falling in love with a slave would be preposterous, though I am sure it happened quite a lot. I could quite well imagine the audience thinking 'yes, I remember when my stupid son fell is love with that slave, and after he got bored of her I swore that the next time I would not be giving him any more money' (which is probably why Simo didn't want to fork out the cash for his son in the first place.
October 8, 2023
There's an astounding meta-theatrical quality to the drama, which even if present more or less in all of Plautus's other plays, is significantly more evident here. Of all the plays that I've read by him, this also features the wittiest protagonist.
Read
February 13, 2024UPDATE: Read in Latin for the first time for comps. I’m done with comedy/tragedy now, and I think this was my favorite of the plays I had to read.
***
[NOV �22] Read this in English for my students, but not sure how to find the English edition on here.
***
[NOV �22] Read this in English for my students, but not sure how to find the English edition on here.
Read
November 22, 2020Completamente sugestionada por la introducción de la obra pero quizás sí que es la mejor obra de plauto??
April 17, 2023
read for uni
no women !
no women !
May 21, 2018
3.5 stars. For a play with rather clichéd elements (the wily slave, the sleazy pimp, the well-worn plot of stealing back the maiden from sexual slavery), this is an entertaining read. It feels more fleshed out that Plautus’s early work, with a tighter plot (despite its longer length), fewer unnecessary scenes and characters we actually grow to care about by the end of the play. I wouldn't have minded reading more plays with the return of these characters, like watching a movie that will inevitably spawn sequels. Pseudolus is not Plautus's best work, but it might be the ideal play to introduce readers to his comedy.
January 5, 2024
Pierke Pierlala voor volwassenen
May 10, 2024
this was fun
March 10, 2021
Pseudolus is the most inventive of Plautus� clever slaves.
June 15, 2017
CALIDORO: Cuánto Ardo de rabia por las palabras de éste. ¿Qué la juventud ateniense tolere que este individuo habite aquí? ¿Dónde están, dónde se esconden los jóvenes llenos de vida que por amores acuden al rufián? (...)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MICO: ¿Podrías callarte? Al memorioso lo hace desmemoriada el que le recuerda lo que el memorioso memora.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MICO: ¿Podrías callarte? Al memorioso lo hace desmemoriada el que le recuerda lo que el memorioso memora.
October 18, 2020
Me encantó esta edición del libro. Al ser una traducción dirigida a alumnos de ESO y Bachillerato, se decidieron por un lenguaje coloquial, que hace que los diálogos te sorprendan y acrecienten aun mas el humor en esta comedia latina.
March 11, 2021
kinda didn't like it
i think i'd like seeing a production of it live better bc it'd be more comedic
and then i wouldn't fall asleep during it lmao
i think i'd like seeing a production of it live better bc it'd be more comedic
and then i wouldn't fall asleep during it lmao
November 15, 2024
es fácil hacer una comedia cuando tenés un tan buen protagonista. Plauto inversor
January 15, 2025
Lowkey me ha hecho gracia
Read
September 9, 2021idk it was cliche but still a good time I laughed once or twice
April 26, 2024
I forgot I was reading this til today 😭
March 15, 2014
As my first roman play, it was pretty damn good. Pseudolus had very sneaky and cunning qualities, and I do love the cunning slave and dumb master storyline in ancient plays, it was very like the Frogs. Pseudolus also reminded me of Odysseus because he always knew the best ways to get himself out of trouble.
March 8, 2015
Being a theatre major, I have learned about Greek and Roman theatre only about 500 times and Romans are notorious for their pretty crappy plays. However, this one was very witty, fast-paced, and enjoyable!
January 8, 2017
Le letture (e traduzioni) obbligatorie sfiancano. Specie se sei alla boh, terza rilettura?
End of the story.
End of the story.
April 8, 2025
surprisingly meta
January 4, 2025
Mi è stato impossibile distrarmi o annoiarmi: la scorrevolezza e la semplicità del contesto caratterizzano questa commedia in modo particolare e bizzarro; ammetto di avere avuto basse aspettative per questo libro soprattutto perché mi aspettavo un contesto a me lontano, quando in realtà l'astuzia e la scaltrezza, tipica del protagonista pseudolus, sono tanto attuali quanto fonte di comicità. Non c'è bisogno di conoscere particolarmente la storia greca antica e le usanze romane (per questo la commedia in questione si chiama palliata): il testo si presenta abbastanza intuitivo, però di solito il libro può presentare un'introduzione. Penso sia adatto soprattutto a coloro che vogliono affacciarsi al mondo antico in modo carino e divertente🫶
November 2, 2017
Tremendously clever and enjoyable, "Pseudolus" follows the titular slave as he attempts to help his master's son, the lovelorn Calidorus, raise enough money to purchase Calidorus' lady love, the prostitute Phoenicium, from her pimp, the greedy Ballio. Along the way, Pseudolus makes a wager with his master (also Calidorus' father), the miserly Simo. Through trickery and wordplay, Pseudolus proves that even the poorest and most looked-down upon members of society can triumph in the end, and they can, at least in the world of Plautus' self-aware stage, have a rollicking good time while doing so.
August 29, 2019
Una delle commedie più amate e quasi certamente la più nota di Plauto, in cui lo schiavo astuto trionfa ma, soprattutto, si fa archetipo di tutta quella molteplicità di commedie distanti anche secoli che vedranno schiavi, servi e servette avere la meglio, grazie ad acume ed intraprendenza, su antagonisti infidi e spietati, su padroni avari o senza cuore, sulla vita stessa.
Un caposaldo della letteratura e del teatro europei.
Un caposaldo della letteratura e del teatro europei.
November 1, 2023
Read this for introduction to Roman Life and Literature with instructor Professor E. Cova.
This was the second play by Plautus that we read in class. Pseudolus was hard to follow. Honestly Plautus, there are too many characters and it takes away from the main characters creating the action of the story. At least he warned us in the Prologue that this play was going to be a long one.
But anyway, you’re dead so you’re not gonna read this. And you couldn’t even try because this is in English.
This was the second play by Plautus that we read in class. Pseudolus was hard to follow. Honestly Plautus, there are too many characters and it takes away from the main characters creating the action of the story. At least he warned us in the Prologue that this play was going to be a long one.
But anyway, you’re dead so you’re not gonna read this. And you couldn’t even try because this is in English.
April 25, 2024
Relatively easy to follow and understand. I Plautus' subtle mockery of Greeks and how he employs it where it is most potent for comedy. Ballio is a classic stupid villain and, in my opinion, creates unity in the comedy through being the common hatred of all other characters.
April 4, 2025
Funciona bien, buena historia, buenos chistes y buen final feliz donde, como ha hecho otras veces, Plauto ridiculiza al proxeneta.
No es como el Cautivo que es más innovador, es el típico Plauto pero mostrando la mejor versión de cada uno de los aspectos característicos
No es como el Cautivo que es más innovador, es el típico Plauto pero mostrando la mejor versión de cada uno de los aspectos característicos
March 22, 2018
Love how this play subverts social norms - the final scene shows the master kneeling to the slave in awe of his cunning. Full of sass and smutty wit. Offers an interesting peek into Roman values.
November 16, 2018
Solid example of the Roman tricky slave trope.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.