Plautus wrote upwards of fifty plays, of which twenty have survived.

This anthology includes his best plays and also seeks to give some idea of his range. His forte was farce, and these selections exemplify at least two of his favorite farcical devices: mistaken identity (Amphitryon) and the lecherous old codger (Casina). The Pot of Gold reveals what Plautus could do with the subtler humor to be evoked from character.