Introduction

This introductory chapter of A Companion to Terence begins with the biography of Terence. An important aspect of Terentian artistry studied in the scholarship is Terence's language. The essays in the first section of this Companion address the relationship between Terence and his Greek models from Middle and New Comedy, his precursors and contemporaries on the Roman stage, Terentian contaminatio, and the influence of other genres, such as Roman epic and tragedy. In the second section, the essays examine the socio-political background that shapes the themes, characters, structures, and political concerns in Terence's comedies. In the third section, a thorough analysis of the six Terentian plays is offered, not as a mere summary of each play but as an engaging discussion of the key issues that make each play unique. The fourth and last section examines the long reception of Terentian plays from antiquity to modern times.