Roman Theater: Architecture, Key Elements, and Playwrights
Roman Theater: Stage Design and Key Elements
The first significant Roman theater was the Theater of Pompey, but the Theater of Marcellus, built by Augustus, is considered more important. Roman theaters did not represent a fixed space; instead, they used wooden tables. A common space was the circus (like the Colosseum in Rome).
Key Architectural Components
- Orchestra: The semicircular space between the cavea and scena, originally for the choir in Greek theater.
- Cavea: The part of the theater with bleachers for spectators, semicircular in shape.
- Cuneus: Sections of the auditorium divided by rows of seats, wedge-shaped, and separated by a corridor or praecinctio.
- Proedia: Seats of honor reserved for priests and notables, located around the orchestra.
- Tribunalia: Stands atop the side corridors, sometimes including boxes on each side of the orchestra.
- Maximus Aditus: Large side access points to the vaulted orchestra, providing access to the Senate stands.
The Scene (Scaena)
The scene of the theater is formed by a group of rooms located across the orchestra, reserved for actors and theatricals.
- Proscaenium: The raised body of the scene, the front where actors recited.
- Scaenae Frons: The wall forming the back of the proscaenium, with three doors. It was the monumental facade of the end wall of the scene, high with a sloping roof (sounding board) for sound and protection, adorned with statues and columns.
- Pulpitum: The wooden platform in front of the proscaenium where the chorus sang.
Roman Playwrights
Plautus
Plautus was the most popular early Roman poet specializing in the comic genre. His works, known as palliata, are based on the Greek New Comedy. They feature repeated types and situations, creating a comedy of entanglement with multiple complications and comic situations. Plautus adapted Greek models with freedom, mixing fragments from different authors (contaminatio) to create a totally different play. His purpose was to entertain, aiming for comic effect in each scene. He used contradictions and improbable characterizations to achieve this.
Terentius
Terentius’s life was marked by its brevity and close ties to the aristocracy. His success came with The Eunuch. He faced criticism from other playwrights and writers. The prologue was a key element in his plays, used to defend his work. Terentius adhered to the prevailing taste and maintained the Greek environment in his plays. His comedy hinges on characterization, using inconsistencies and contrasts to create a moderate hilarity. His works are linguistically sophisticated, but lack comic force, often leaning towards pity, tenderness, and melancholy.
Seneca
Seneca is known for the only complete tragedies that have been retained.