SOURCE: MacPherson, David C. “Chapman's Adaptations of New Comedy.” In English Miscellany: A Symposium of History Literature and the Arts Vol. 19, edited by Mario Praz, pp. 51-64. Rome: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 1968.

In the following essay, MacPherson examines the satiric aspects of All Fools and May-Day, asserting that Chapman was neither highly imitative of his classical sources nor was he overly influenced by the harsh “comicall satyre” of his peers.

Although George Chapman is best known for his translations of Homer and for his tragedies, his eight comedies are significant achievements also. Aside from their obvious value as delightful entertainment, the comedies repay study because, in the context of the times and the genre, they are surprisingly original¹. While Chapman was clearly interested in the tradition of New Comedy, he considered the Ancients and the Italians his guides, not commanders. It is true that Terence is the...