Download Roman Comedy

Roman Comedy
Plautus (254-184 BC)
52 plays written, 20 survive
First complete work in Latin
 wrote in style of New Comedy
Style notes by quick action, crude
humor, stock characters
Terence (195-159)
Freed slave from North Africa
Style more refined than Plautus, with
sophisticated plot and character
development
Not as popular during his life in
comparison to Plautus, but later became
more influential
 6 plays survive
Historical Context
period of Roman expansion after Punic
Wars
Preoccupation with Greece and Hellenistic
culture
Surge of wealth among Roman citizens
Political figures: Scipio Africanus, Cato the
Elder
Increase in foreign businessmen,
diplomats, and educated slaves in Rome
Ancient Comedy
Comedy emerges from religious
festivals
 New Comedy focuses on everyday
situations, love and marriage, and
father-son relationships
241 BC – Ludi Romani
Comedy and tragedy staged at
Rome publicly for the first time
The Stage
Set up on temple grounds or a temporary
stage for an annual drama festival
55 BC- Pompey the Great build first
permanent theatre
 set: city street with 3 houses with doors
Stage right exits to forum, stage left to
the port or country
Stock costumes
Spoken prologue
Fabulae Palliatae
Fabulae: written plot
Palliatae: in Greek dress (palla)
Feature stock new to Roman society
Political and literary references
Include laws and customs of Rome
Emphasis on entertainment value, use
of music
Rhythm and Meter
Comedy was sung, or a
combination of speaking and song
Dialouge: iambs  ---Recitative: trochaics ---- 
Song: irregular and complex meters
Song accompanied by wind
instruments
Language
Older spellings
U instead of I in superlatives
(paucissuma)
-os nominative singlar and –om acc singl
(servos/servom instead of
servus/servum)
-ce of –c to demonstratives (illic)
Quoi = cui
Quom = cum