Roman Theater: From Ancient Greece to Renaissance Influence
The Origins of Roman Theater
In ancient Greece, the term drama designated a literary genre that included comedy, tragedy, and satirical drama. Traditionally, Livius Andronicus is considered the introducer of the genre in Rome. He was the first author to represent a tragedy translated from Greek in the Ludi Romani of 240 BC. In Rome, the theater was always considered a show, and representations took place in the context of large public festivals, such as the Ludi Romani, organized in September in honor of Jupiter. Initially, there were no stable theaters in Rome, and actors flocked to where the festivals were held. However, theaters were built of wood until 55 BC when Pompey commanded the construction of the first Roman stone theater.
The theater companies, called greges, were professional and led by an empresario. Both male and female roles were represented by men, using transvestism, wigs, or masks. Usually, the actors were slaves. The performances were free, subsidized by public officials.
Types of Roman Drama
Roman dramatic literature is classified into two main types: tragedy and comedy.
- Tragedy: Usually starring gods, heroes, or mythical characters. It raises problems of human passions and presents a serious action, high-pitched, characterized by a solemn language.
- Comedy: Staged common characters, in many cases with little psychological complexity, with more virtues and vices than with poor language and often with a typical happy ending. The goal was especially to delight.
Types of Roman Comedy
- Fabula Palliata: Greek environment. The actors wore the Greek costume, called a pallium.
- Fabula Togata: Roman atmosphere, and the actors wore the toga of citizens.
Plautus: The Master of Roman Comedy
Plautus was the most famous and prolific playwright of his time. He presented middle-class society, moving passions, and amorous desires. His comedies are “palliatae motoriae.” He did not limit himself to copying or imitating the Greeks, but his work is open to comic improvisation and reflects Roman customs. Jokes, anecdotes, proverbs, and word games abound.
Characteristics of Plautus’s Comedies
- The main purpose of his works is to seek laughter from the public.
- His comedies are dominated by intrigue and plot.
- His characters are rather types that hardly differ from one play to another: a young man in love, honest or very shameless maidens, a despicable father, serious midwives, an informed and intriguing slave who helps his young master in his love affairs, etc.
- The themes are often very similar: a young man from a wealthy family falls in love with a slave girl of unknown origin; a clever and intriguing slave helps him in his affairs; a random sample unexpectedly reveals that she is born free, and all are happy.
Notable Works of Plautus
Of the 21 comedies of Plautus that have survived, we distinguish:
- Aulularia (The Pot of Gold): A man finds a pot of gold. A young man in love with his daughter makes her a slave to steal it and return it so that the man will give his daughter in marriage.
- Pseudolus (The Liar): A young man falls for a prostitute who belongs to the owner of a house of ill fame. Pseudolus is the slave of the young man, and his deceptions will get the young man the girl.
- Amphitruo (Amphitryon): The god Jupiter becomes infatuated with the young Alcmene, wife of General Amphitryon. When Amphitryon goes to war, the god impersonates him to maintain a relationship with Alcmene.
The Lasting Influence of Plautus
The plot is typical of Latin comedy. In the Latin text, the language is colloquial, with vulgar jokes, obscene words, and proverbs, all of which provoke laughter.
Plautus’s Influence on Later Writers
- Plautus’s comedies were highly appreciated by the Italian humanists of the Renaissance, such as Petrarch and Machiavelli.
- The influence of the Latin playwright is also perceived in the work of other Spanish dramatists, such as Lope de Rueda.
- In England, it was usual to represent the works of Plautus, and the presence of both his subjects and their contents is well known in the plays of William Shakespeare, such as The Comedy of Errors.
- In France, his works were copied by Cyrano de Bergerac and Moliere, whose The Miser is a brilliant recreation of Aulularia.