Little is known about Plautus' early life. When Plautus was young, he built stages for plays. He also helped change the scenes. This might be when he started to love the theatre. People noticed that he was a talented actor. He called himself "Macchius" (a clownish character in popular farces), and "Plautus" (a term meaning "flat-footed"). Tradition also says that after some time, he made enough money to start working in the shipping business. He started something, but he was not successful. He then is said to have worked as someone who worked with his hands. He learned about Greek drama – particularly the New Comedy of Menander – in his free time. His studies led to his plays being shown. The plays were first shown between c. 205 BC and 184 BC. Plautus' comedies are mostly adaptations of Greek plays for Roman people. They are usually based on the works of the Greek playwrights.