THIS VOLUME IS THE FIRST BOOK-LENGTH INTRODUCTION TO PLAUTUS' _CISTELLARIA_ (_THE JEWELRY BOX_), OFFERING AN INCISIVE OVERVIEW FOR BOTH STUDENTS AND SCHOLARS COMING TO IT FOR THE FIRST TIME. This play is a story of young lovers defying social norms and disapproving parents in order to be together, featuring a memorable cast of characters and moments of both high humor and drama. This classic mistaken-identity plot includes witty interchanges and a lively conflict of values and ideals. Drawing on performance and cultural studies, gender and sexuality, and philology and intertextuality, Ariana Traill combines a lucid exploration of _Cistellaria_'s setting, characters, plot and themes, with detailed analyses of its literary and socio-cultural contexts. Readers are able to appreciate the play both as a literary artifact, with its attendant issues of generic conventions and variations, and language and imagery, and as a performance script written for a rich tradition of acting, singing and stage movement at Rome, with its conventional costumes, masks and venues. With its majority female line-up (seven of the twelve roles are female), _Cistellaria_ offers an unusual focus on women's thoughts and feelings as they struggle for their economic and social existence, making it a fascinating source for the study of women and gender in ancient Rome. The play continues to cast a shadow in the western dramatic tradition through its history of reception and adaptation.