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ratings: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Genre: Drama / Classics / Comedy

Book Review:
This Penguin Classics collection brings together four sparkling comedies from Plautus, the man who essentially invented Roman comedy and, in doing so, shaped the entire Western comic tradition. Written over 2,000 years ago, these plays are still irresistibly funny—full of clever slaves, stupid masters, mistaken identities, and outrageous farce. The Rope is a romantic comedy of shipwreck and recognition that could easily be a Shakespeare plot; The Ghost is a brilliant farce about a slave trying to cover up his master's wild spending; Amphitryo is a hilarious account of how Jupiter disguised himself to sleep with a mortal woman (and then blamed it on her husband). E. F. Watling's translations are lively and actable, capturing the wit and energy of the originals. If you think classics are dusty and boring, this collection will prove you gloriously wrong. Plautus is pure fun—a reminder that people haven't changed much in two millennia.