⚡️Greek and Roman Comedy Unit 9 – Plautine Comedy: Characters and Humor

Key Characteristics of Plautine Comedy

• Plautine comedy heavily influenced by Greek New Comedy, particularly the works of Menander
• Plays typically feature a complex plot with multiple interwoven storylines and subplots
• Characters often include stock types such as the clever slave, young lover, and miserly old man
• Frequent use of mistaken identities, disguises, and deception to drive the plot and create comedic situations
• Incorporates elements of farce, slapstick, and physical humor (pratfalls, chases, beatings)
• Dialogue is fast-paced, witty, and filled with puns, wordplay, and double entendres
• Breaking of the fourth wall, with characters directly addressing the audience
• Happy endings where conflicts are resolved and young lovers are united, often through the intervention of a clever slave

Historical Context and Influences

• Plautus lived and wrote in Rome during the late 3rd and early 2nd centuries BCE
• Rome was transitioning from a small city-state to a major Mediterranean power
• Greek culture, including literature and theater, heavily influenced Roman society
• Plautus adapted Greek New Comedy plays, particularly those of Menander, for Roman audiences
  • New Comedy focused on domestic situations, stock characters, and romantic plots
• Plautus incorporated elements of Atellan farce, a form of Italian comedy known for its vulgar humor and stock characters
• Plays were performed at religious festivals and public events, often in temporary wooden theaters
• Actors were typically male slaves or freedmen, and they wore masks to indicate their character types

Major Characters and Stock Types

• The clever slave (servus callidus): A cunning and resourceful slave who often drives the plot and helps his young master (Pseudolus, Epidicus)
• The young lover (adulescens): A passionate but naive young man in love with a girl he cannot marry due to social status or lack of money (Calidorus, Charinus)
• The courtesan (meretrix): A beautiful and often expensive prostitute who is the object of the young lover's affections (Phoenicium, Gymnasium)
• The miserly old man (senex): A wealthy but stingy father who opposes his son's romantic pursuits (Simo, Periphanes)
• The braggart soldier (miles gloriosus): A boastful and cowardly soldier who serves as a rival to the young lover (Pyrgopolynices, Therapontigonus)
• The parasite (parasitus): A sycophantic hanger-on who flatters others for food and money (Artotrogus, Ergasilus)
• The pimp (leno): A greedy and unscrupulous owner of prostitutes who often serves as an antagonist (Ballio, Labrax)

Plot Structures and Storytelling Techniques

• Plays typically begin with a prologue that explains the background of the story and introduces the main characters
• Plots often involve a series of deceptions, misunderstandings, and coincidences that lead to a happy resolution
• Frequent use of dramatic irony, where the audience knows more than the characters on stage
• Subplots involving secondary characters (servants, parasites) often intersect with and complicate the main plot
• Plays are divided into five acts, with musical interludes between each act
• Scenes alternate between dialogue and soliloquies, allowing characters to express their thoughts and feelings directly to the audience
• Deus ex machina endings, where a god or divine intervention resolves the conflict and ensures a happy outcome

Language and Wordplay in Plautus

• Plautus's plays are known for their witty, fast-paced dialogue and clever wordplay
• Frequent use of puns, double entendres, and alliteration to create humorous effects
  • In "Miles Gloriosus," the name Pyrgopolynices is a comic combination of Greek words meaning "tower," "city," and "conqueror"
• Characters often engage in verbal sparring matches, trying to outwit each other with clever insults and comebacks
• Use of Greek words and phrases to add an exotic or intellectual flavor to the dialogue
• Incorporation of colloquial Latin expressions and slang to create a more realistic and relatable language for the audience
• Repetition of catchphrases or running gags associated with particular characters (Euclio's obsession with his pot of gold in "Aulularia")

Comedic Devices and Humor Styles

• Slapstick and physical humor: Characters engage in exaggerated physical actions, chases, and beatings for comedic effect
• Farce: Absurd situations, misunderstandings, and coincidences create a fast-paced, chaotic atmosphere
• Satire: Plautus often pokes fun at social norms, institutions, and stereotypes through exaggerated characters and situations
  • The boastful soldier (miles gloriosus) satirizes the military culture of Rome
• Parody: Some plays parody well-known myths, legends, or literary works by placing them in a comedic context
• Incongruity: Juxtaposition of contrasting elements, such as high-born characters speaking in low, colloquial language
• Irony: Characters often say the opposite of what they mean or act in ways that contradict their stated intentions
• Running gags: Recurring jokes or humorous situations that become associated with specific characters or themes

Themes and Social Commentary

• The power of wit and cunning over physical strength or social status
• The triumph of love and youth over age and authority
• The corrupting influence of money and greed on human relationships
• The importance of family, friendship, and loyalty
• Social mobility and the ability of clever slaves to outwit their masters
• The role of fate, chance, and divine intervention in human affairs
• Commentary on the changing social landscape of Rome, including the rise of the merchant class and the influence of Greek culture
• Subversion of traditional gender roles and expectations through strong, intelligent female characters

Legacy and Influence on Later Comedy

• Plautus's plays were widely popular in his lifetime and continued to be performed and adapted throughout antiquity
• His works influenced later Roman comedians, such as Terence, who refined and adapted the Plautine style
• Plautine stock characters, plot devices, and themes became staples of comic theater and literature
• Renaissance playwrights, such as Shakespeare and Molière, drew inspiration from Plautine comedy in their own works
  • Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors" is based on Plautus's "Menaechmi"
• Commedia dell'arte, a form of improvisational theater that emerged in 16th-century Italy, incorporated many elements of Plautine comedy
• Modern sitcoms, farces, and romantic comedies continue to use plot structures, character types, and comedic devices pioneered by Plautus
• Plautus's legacy demonstrates the enduring appeal of comedy that combines wit, physical humor, and social commentary