Menaechmi; Or, the Twin-Brothers by Plautus

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Considered to be Plautus’s greatest play, Menaechmi; Or, The Twin-Brothers is the story of two twin brothers, Menaechmus and Sosicles, who are separated at age seven when their father takes Menaechmus on a business trip. This classic play, which provided the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, draws heavily on the theme of mistaken identity.

MY OPINION:

This classic comedy is a quick read, but it is not much fun. I liked it all right, and I smiled a few times, but it did not make me laugh out loud.

The situations caused by mistaken identity are pretty amusing for their part. Unfortunately, my focus was diverted elsewhere from the comic elements by the topics of adultery and exploiting relationships between people. I cannot find people cheating and/or making advantage of other people funny, so that ruined some of the comedy for me.

I think I would have had more fun had I seen Menaechmi in a theatre. After all, being preformed is the point of plays, isn’t it?

RECOMMENDATION: Menaechmi is a classical comedy. As such it offers some thought-provoking topics concerning people’s behaviour alongside the central theme of mistaken identities.