⚡️Greek and Roman Comedy Unit 7 – Roman Comedy: Origins & Influences

Origins of Roman Comedy

• Emerged in the 3rd century BCE as a distinct genre of theater in ancient Rome
• Developed from a fusion of Greek New Comedy and native Italic traditions (Atellan farce, Fescennine verses)
• Early Roman comedies were adaptations and translations of Greek plays, particularly those of Menander and his contemporaries
  • Livius Andronicus, a Greek slave, translated Greek comedies into Latin (240 BCE)
  • Gnaeus Naevius, a Roman playwright, began writing original Latin comedies (235-204 BCE)
• Performed during religious festivals, such as the Ludi Megalenses (Megalesian Games) and Ludi Romani (Roman Games)
• Reflected the cosmopolitan nature of Roman society, with characters and themes drawn from everyday life
• Incorporated elements of music, dance, and improvisation alongside scripted dialogue
• Addressed contemporary social issues and satirized Roman customs and institutions

Key Playwrights and Works

• Titus Maccius Plautus (c. 254-184 BCE)
  • Wrote over 100 plays, with 20 surviving to the present day
  • Notable works include Menaechmi, Miles Gloriosus, and Pseudolus
  • Known for his witty dialogue, clever wordplay, and energetic plots
• Publius Terentius Afer, known as Terence (c. 195-159 BCE)
  • Wrote six surviving plays, including Andria, Hecyra, and Adelphoe
  • Refined the style of Roman comedy, focusing on character development and psychological realism
  • Adapted works from Greek New Comedy playwrights Menander, Apollodorus, and Diphilus
• Lucius Afranius (fl. 2nd century BCE)
  • Wrote comedies set in Roman settings (comoediae togatae) rather than Greek settings (comoediae palliatae)
  • Fragments of his works survive, but no complete plays
• Titus Quinctius Atta (died 77 BCE)
  • Wrote comedies depicting Roman life and characters (comoediae togatae)
  • Only fragments of his works survive

Influences from Greek New Comedy

• Roman comedy heavily influenced by the Greek New Comedy of the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE
• Greek playwrights such as Menander, Diphilus, and Philemon served as models for Roman comedic writers
• Adapted plots, characters, and themes from Greek originals to suit Roman tastes and cultural context
  • Plautus and Terence often acknowledged their Greek sources in prologues or character names (Menaechmi, Andria)
• Greek New Comedy focused on domestic situations, love intrigues, and character-driven humor
  • Emphasized the everyday lives of ordinary people rather than mythological or historical subjects
• Stock characters from Greek New Comedy appeared in Roman plays
  • The clever slave, young lovers, stern father, and boastful soldier
• Roman playwrights added distinctly Roman elements and references to localize the plays
  • Allusions to contemporary events, Roman customs, and political figures
• While drawing heavily from Greek models, Roman comedy developed its own unique style and flavor

Themes and Stock Characters

• Love and romance
  • Young lovers faced obstacles to their union, often involving mistaken identities or disapproving parents
  • The clever slave (servus callidus) aids the young lover in outwitting the father or rival
• Family relationships and generational conflicts
  • Fathers (senex) often portrayed as strict, miserly, or easily deceived
  • Mothers (matrona) depicted as either domineering or nurturing
  • Siblings, both biological and adopted, play important roles in the plots
• Trickery, deception, and role reversals
  • Characters engage in elaborate schemes to achieve their goals
  • Slaves often outsmart their masters, subverting social hierarchies
  • Disguises and mistaken identities create comedic situations
• Social commentary and satire
  • Plays critique contemporary Roman society, morals, and institutions
  • Satirize the excesses of the wealthy, the corruption of politicians, and the foibles of ordinary citizens
• Stock characters drawn from Greek New Comedy and Roman society
  • The young lover (adulescens), often naive and lovesick
  • The clever slave (servus callidus), who schemes on behalf of the young lover
  • The stern father (senex), who opposes the young lover's desires
  • The courtesan (meretrix), a love interest who complicates the plot
  • The boastful soldier (miles gloriosus), a braggart and rival to the young lover
  • The parasite (parasitus), a flatterer who exchanges compliments for meals

Staging and Performance Techniques

• Performed on temporary wooden stages erected in public spaces during religious festivals
  • Stages featured a shallow acting area (proscaenium) and a backdrop with three doors (scaenae frons)
  • Doors represented entrances to different houses or locations
• Actors were all male, wearing masks and colorful costumes to denote different characters
  • Masks exaggerated facial features and emotions, making characters easily recognizable
  • Costumes indicated social status, age, and role (e.g., the purple-bordered toga of a young lover)
• Music and dance were integral to performances
  • A tibicen (flute player) provided musical accompaniment
  • Actors performed choreographed dances and sang cantica (solo songs)
• Plays were divided into five acts, separated by musical interludes
  • Prologues introduced the plot and characters, often directly addressing the audience
  • Soliloquies and asides allowed characters to reveal their thoughts and intentions
• Stagecraft relied on convention and imagination rather than elaborate sets
  • Simple props and furniture (e.g., altars, tables) represented different locations
  • Audience was expected to use their imagination to fill in the details of the setting
• Performances were lively and interactive, with actors engaging directly with the audience
  • Spectators often shouted comments, praise, or criticism during the play
  • Plautus, in particular, was known for his metatheatrical jokes and audience participation

Social and Political Context

• Roman comedy flourished during the Republican period (509-27 BCE)
  • Reflected the social, political, and economic changes of the time
  • Rome was expanding its territory and influence through military conquests and diplomacy
• Plays were commissioned by magistrates and performed during religious festivals
  • Ludi Megalenses, celebrating the goddess Cybele (April)
  • Ludi Romani, honoring Jupiter Optimus Maximus (September)
  • Ludi Plebeii, celebrating the plebeian class (November)
• Playwrights were often of lower social status or foreign origin
  • Plautus was a free-born Roman citizen but worked in a mill before becoming a playwright
  • Terence was a freed North African slave educated in Greek literature
• Plays addressed contemporary social issues and concerns
  • The changing roles of women in Roman society
  • The influence of Greek culture on Roman life (Hellenization)
  • The tensions between social classes (patricians, plebeians, and slaves)
• Political commentary was often subtle or indirect to avoid censorship
  • Playwrights used allegory, allusion, and satire to critique political figures and policies
  • The plays of Naevius, in particular, were known for their political content and criticism of the ruling elite

Legacy and Impact on Later Comedy

• Roman comedy had a lasting influence on Western literature and theater
  • Preserved and transmitted the works of Greek New Comedy playwrights
  • Established stock characters, plots, and themes that recurred in later comedic traditions
• Rediscovered and studied during the Renaissance
  • Scholars such as Petrarch and Boccaccio promoted the works of Plautus and Terence
  • Playwrights such as Shakespeare, Molière, and Goldoni adapted Roman comedies for their own time
• Influenced the development of commedia dell'arte in 16th-century Italy
  • Stock characters (e.g., the clever servant, young lovers) and improvised performances
  • Traveling troupes performed comedies based on Roman models throughout Europe
• Inspired later playwrights and comedians
  • Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors drew from Plautus' Menaechmi
  • Molière's The Miser and The Trickeries of Scapin adapted elements from Roman comedy
  • Modern sitcoms and romantic comedies continue to use stock characters and plot devices from Roman comedy
• Provided insight into Roman society, culture, and values
  • Offers a glimpse into the everyday lives, concerns, and humor of ancient Romans
  • Serves as a valuable source for understanding social relationships, gender roles, and cultural attitudes

Key Terms and Concepts

• Comoedia palliata: Roman comedies set in Greek settings, adapted from Greek New Comedy
• Comoedia togata: Roman comedies set in Roman settings, depicting Roman life and characters
• Contaminatio: The practice of combining elements from multiple Greek plays into a single Roman comedy
• Ludi: Religious festivals during which plays were performed (Megalenses, Romani, Plebeii)
• Prologus: The prologue of a Roman comedy, often delivered by a stock character and addressing the audience directly
• Scaenae frons: The backdrop of the stage, typically featuring three doors representing different houses or locations
• Servus callidus: The clever slave character, who schemes and manipulates events to help the young lover
• Senex: The old man character, often the father of the young lover and an obstacle to the romance
• Meretrix: The courtesan character, a love interest who complicates the plot
• Miles gloriosus: The braggart soldier character, a boastful rival to the young lover
• Parasitus: The parasite character, a flatterer who exchanges compliments for meals and favors
• Cantica: Solo songs performed by actors in Roman comedies
• Tibicen: The flute player who provided musical accompaniment during performances
• Metatheatre: Self-referential theatrical techniques that draw attention to the play as a work of fiction
• Atellan farce: A form of improvised comedy from the Oscan town of Atella, featuring stock characters and bawdy humor
• Fescennine verses: Improvised, often obscene, dialogues performed at weddings and harvest festivals in early Roman culture