Lucius Afranius (poet)

Lucius Afranius was a Roman comic poet who flourished in the 2nd and early 1st centuries BC. He is primarily known for writing fabulae togatae, Roman comedies that drew their subject matter and settings from Italian life, in contrast to the fabulae palliatae, which adapted Greek plays.

Afranius's works are only known through fragments preserved by later grammarians and writers, making it difficult to fully assess his style and quality. However, these fragments suggest that he aimed for realism and employed colloquial language, offering a glimpse into the daily lives and customs of ordinary Romans. He seems to have focused on domestic situations, romantic entanglements, and the humorous interactions between citizens of various social classes.

He is generally considered the most important writer of fabulae togatae. Though Ennius and Titinius also wrote in this genre, Afranius is better known and more highly regarded based on the surviving fragments and the comments of later authors. He was praised by Cicero for his portrayal of Roman life, and Quintilian ranked him alongside Terence. His plays were still being performed in the time of Nero.

While the titles and plots of many of his plays are lost, some known titles include Emancipatus (The Emancipated Son), Incendium (The Fire), Augur, Depositum (The Deposit), and Prodiga (The Spendthrift Woman). These titles offer some indication of the themes and characters Afranius explored in his comedies.

Due to the fragmentary nature of the evidence, scholars continue to debate the details of Afranius's life and works.