'Menander has so blended his diction that it suits every nature, every disposition, every age.' With these words Plutarch summed up the achievements of this most distinguished writer of New Comedy. The blend of amusement and perceptive human sympathy has made Menander's works as accessible to the modern reader as they were to the audience of his day.This book is designed to be read alongside the Penguin translations of Old Cantankerous, The Girl from Samos, The Arbitration, The Rape of the Locks, The Shield, The Sikyonian, The Man She Hated and The Double Deceiver. With detailed analysis of Menander's dramatic genius, and particularly good insights into dramatic values, characterisation and structure, Stanley Ireland's commentary will form an essential companion to the translations for many years to come.