poem unlimited: i.e., play which does not limit itself to the neo-classical rules which say that a serious drama should be limited to a single time and place. Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light: Seneca (4 B.C.E - 65 C.E.) was a famous Roman author of tragedies. Plautus (c. 254 - 184 B.C.E.) was a famous Roman author of comedies.