Titus Maccius Plautus was born in Umbria about 254BC. Little is known of his life, but it is believed he became an actor and translated Greek comedies for the Roman stage. He was rewarded by being granted Roman citizenship. According to Cicero he died in 184BC.
EF Watling was educated at University College, Oxford. His translations for the Penguin Classics include seven plays of Sophocles, nine plays of Plautus and a selection of Seneca's tragedies. He died in 1990.