Erin K. Moodie presents a rigorous yet accessible guide to Plautus' satirical play Poenulus for use in the contemporary classroom. Likely written and staged in the years following the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, Poenulus tells the tale of a young Carthaginian, the adopted son and heir of the man who purchased him as a slave when he was a child, who is in love with a female Carthaginian slave and prostitute. The comedy, especially Plautus' portrayal of his main character, compels the reader to consider Rome's relationship with Carthage, its former enemy; Plautus'...

Erin K. Moodie presents a rigorous yet accessible guide to Plautus' satirical play Poenulus for use in the contemporary classroom. Likely written and staged in the years following the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, Poenulus tells the tale of a young Carthaginian, the adopted son and heir of the man who purchased him as a slave when he was a child, who is in love with a female Carthaginian slave and prostitute. The comedy, especially Plautus' portrayal of his main character, compels the reader to consider Rome's relationship with Carthage, its former enemy; Plautus'...