Terence

Terence (Publius Terentius Afer) (tĕr`əns), b. c.185 or c.195 B.C., d. c.159 B.C., Roman writer of comedies, b. Carthage. As a boy he was a slave of Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, who brought him to Rome, educated him, and gave him his freedom. Six comedies by him survive—Andria, Heautontimorumenos, Eunuchus, Phormio, Adelphi, and Hecyra. All are adapted (with considerable liberty) from Greek plays by Menander and others. The writing is polished and urbane, the humor broad, and the characters realistic.

Bibliography

See G. E. Duckworth, The Complete Roman Drama (1942); W. G. Arnott, Menander, Plautus, and Terence (1965).

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Terence

 orig. Publius Terentius Afer

(born c. 195, Carthage, North Africa—died 159? BC, in Greece or at sea) Roman comic dramatist. Born as a slave, he was taken to Rome, where he was educated and later freed. His six extant verse plays are The Woman of Andros, The Mother-in-Law, The Self-Tormentor, The Eunuch, Phormio, and The Brothers. Produced between 166 and 160 BC, they were based on Greek originals (including four by Menander); Terence eliminated their original prologues, used contemporary colloquial Latin, and introduced a measure of realism. He influenced later dramatists such as Molière and William Shakespeare.

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Terence

Latin name Publius Terentius Afer. ?190--159 bc, Roman comic dramatist. His six comedies, Andria, Hecyra, Heauton Timoroumenos, Eunuchus, Phormio, and Adelphoe, are based on Greek originals by Menander