SOURCE: An introduction to The Eunuch by Terence, translated by Douglass Parker, in The Complete Comedies of Terence: Modern Verse Translations, edited by Palmer Bovie, Rutgers University Press, 1974, pp. 147-52.

In the essay below, Parker provides a survey of issues relating to The Eunuch, focusing especially on the influence of Plautus and Menander on Terence's work.

Success dies hard. The Eunuch was Terence's most successful play during his lifetime, earning an immediate second production and a considerably increased royalty. It has yet to be forgiven this by critics who, equating excellence with unpopularity, prefer the Hecyra's double failure as an index of attainment. Since this is not a universal standard, they find themselves faced with a thorny problem: The Eunuch is fast and funny, and, in fact, an excellent case can be made for its being Terence's best play. How to dispose of it? The answer is simple...