Early Roman Theater: Origins, Authors, and Plays
Early Roman Theater: Origins and Development
The earliest forms of Roman theater were very primitive, consisting of simple improvisations without written text. Music, singing, and gesticulation played a significant role in these performances.
The Influence of Greek Theater
In 204 BC, Livius Andronicus wrote and presented the first theatrical work in the Greek style. By this time, Greek theater had already developed into two distinct genres: tragedy and comedy. The quality and quantity of Greek theatrical productions made earlier Latin performances seem crude in comparison.
Livius Andronicus and his successors imitated and adapted Greek theatrical works, translating Greek authors while incorporating elements of early Latin theater, such as gestures, music, and sung parts by the chorus and actors.
Classification of Roman Plays
Tragedy
Tragedies starred gods or heroes and were characterized by a solemn tone and elevated language. Initially, they were adapted translations of Greek works, featuring Greek subjects, actions, and characters. Later, Roman tragedies emerged with Roman subjects, actions, and characters.
Comedy
Comedies focused on ordinary people and everyday life, employing a casual and sometimes even rude language. Like tragedies, comedies also underwent a transformation from Greek adaptations to original Roman works.
Only the comedies of Plautus and Terence, and the tragedies of Seneca, have been preserved in their entirety. Fragments remain of other works.
Major Roman Playwrights
Plautus
Plautus, who is said to have worked as an actor before becoming a playwright, achieved great success with his comedies. He adapted works from Greek authors, taking liberties in his writing by adding sung parts, deleting scenes, and modifying customs to strengthen the plot.
Plautus’s primary aim was to make his audience laugh. He did not hesitate to use lurid scenes, dirty jokes, and obscene allusions, as his audience was typically not highly educated. With works like Miles Gloriosus (The Braggart Soldier), Mostellaria (The Haunted House), Captivi (The Captives), and Aulularia (The Pot of Gold), Plautus became the most popular playwright of all Latin theater.
Terence
Terence belonged to a later generation of playwrights. Born in Africa, he came to Rome as a slave but was granted freedom due to his intelligence. He gained entry into high society and wrote six comedies, including Adelphoe (The Brothers), Hecyra (The Mother-in-Law), and Eunuchus (The Eunuch).
Terence catered to a more exclusive audience. His works were less focused on pure entertainment than Plautus’s and featured more complex plots and better-developed characters. Terence’s plays often had a moral purpose, aiming to evoke a smile rather than outright laughter.
After Terence, the popularity of comedy declined, replaced by pantomime and mime, which were considered more obscene, fun, and easier to understand. Comedy became relegated to a select minority audience.
Seneca
Seneca, a Hispanic philosopher born in Cordoba a century and a half after Terence, is considered one of the greatest philosophers of ancient Rome. He educated and ruled alongside Nero until the emperor reached adulthood. Seneca wrote ten tragedies, which are the only complete Roman tragedies that have survived. Nine are based on Greek themes, and one, Octavia, focuses on Nero’s wife.
Seneca’s tragedies present some novel features. They appear to have been composed for reading rather than performance. While imitating the Greek classics, they incorporate philosophical and political elements not found in the originals.