[Gutenberg 4977] • The McNaughtens

Jean-Francois Regnard (1655-1709) is considered by many critics to be the best writer of comedic plays in seventeenth-century French literature, excepting only Moliere. Regnard based many of his pieces on classical sources, and THE TWO MCNAUGHTENS is no exception, having been adapted from the Roman comedy, Menaechmi, by Plautus. The dramatist chose to adapt rather than simply translate this comedy, restaging it with a fresh British setting. Nonetheless, the basic premise--of twins and their lovers confounding each other in their bumbling attempts to inherit the estate of their uncle--closely follows the original source, save for actual names, places, and monetary denominations--and also manages to replicate the absolute hilarity of the earlier play. Great entertainment for a modern audience!