George Fredric Franko is Professor of Classical Studies at Hollins University, USA.

Franko’s Mostellaria offers students and scholars valuable summaries of some of the biggest issues, both social and theatrical, running throughout the Plautine corpus and provides performers with numerous approaches specific to the play.

• PrefacePlaybillSummary and HighlightsCharacter Names and MeaningsSynopsis and Arcs1 Why Plautus? Why Mostellaria?Ghostly Greek Comic AncestorsGhastly Roman Renovations? Translation, the Odyssey, and Versatile Plautus 2 Foundations and framesVenue and DateRoman SlaveryThe Traffic in WomenExpenses of Monstrous ScaleRural Roman Conservatism and Urban Greek Liberality Paratheatrical Performances and the Roman ForumGhosts, Haunted Houses, and Superstition3 Staging MostellariaThe Roman ScaenaMasks, Characterization, and ActorsCostumes and PropsEmbedded Stage DirectionsMonologues, Asides, and EavesdroppingMetatheaterImprovisationMeterFarce and Low Resolution4 Afterlife and ghost lightsThe postmortem ScriptsThree Early Modern English ReincarnationsA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumTranio Trickster Appendix 1: Pliny’s “Haunted House”Appendix 2: A Doubling ChartAppendix 3: Character Line CountsAppendix 4: A Selective ChronologyNotesEditions and English TranslationsBibliographyIndex

George Fredric Franko is Professor of Classical Studies at Hollins University, USA.

Franko’s Mostellaria offers students and scholars valuable summaries of some of the biggest issues, both social and theatrical, running throughout the Plautine corpus and provides performers with numerous approaches specific to the play.

• PrefacePlaybillSummary and HighlightsCharacter Names and MeaningsSynopsis and Arcs1 Why Plautus? Why Mostellaria?Ghostly Greek Comic AncestorsGhastly Roman Renovations? Translation, the Odyssey, and Versatile Plautus 2 Foundations and framesVenue and DateRoman SlaveryThe Traffic in WomenExpenses of Monstrous ScaleRural Roman Conservatism and Urban Greek Liberality Paratheatrical Performances and the Roman ForumGhosts, Haunted Houses, and Superstition3 Staging MostellariaThe Roman ScaenaMasks, Characterization, and ActorsCostumes and PropsEmbedded Stage DirectionsMonologues, Asides, and EavesdroppingMetatheaterImprovisationMeterFarce and Low Resolution4 Afterlife and ghost lightsThe postmortem ScriptsThree Early Modern English ReincarnationsA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumTranio Trickster Appendix 1: Pliny’s “Haunted House”Appendix 2: A Doubling ChartAppendix 3: Character Line CountsAppendix 4: A Selective ChronologyNotesEditions and English TranslationsBibliographyIndex

George Fredric Franko is Professor of Classical Studies at Hollins University, USA.

Franko’s Mostellaria offers students and scholars valuable summaries of some of the biggest issues, both social and theatrical, running throughout the Plautine corpus and provides performers with numerous approaches specific to the play.

• PrefacePlaybillSummary and HighlightsCharacter Names and MeaningsSynopsis and Arcs1 Why Plautus? Why Mostellaria?Ghostly Greek Comic AncestorsGhastly Roman Renovations? Translation, the Odyssey, and Versatile Plautus 2 Foundations and framesVenue and DateRoman SlaveryThe Traffic in WomenExpenses of Monstrous ScaleRural Roman Conservatism and Urban Greek Liberality Paratheatrical Performances and the Roman ForumGhosts, Haunted Houses, and Superstition3 Staging MostellariaThe Roman ScaenaMasks, Characterization, and ActorsCostumes and PropsEmbedded Stage DirectionsMonologues, Asides, and EavesdroppingMetatheaterImprovisationMeterFarce and Low Resolution4 Afterlife and ghost lightsThe postmortem ScriptsThree Early Modern English ReincarnationsA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumTranio Trickster Appendix 1: Pliny’s “Haunted House”Appendix 2: A Doubling ChartAppendix 3: Character Line CountsAppendix 4: A Selective ChronologyNotesEditions and English TranslationsBibliographyIndex