Latino Theater: Origins, Dramatic Works, and Key Authors

Theater

Origins of Latino Theater

The first theatrical performances were very primitive: no written text, these were simply improvised. In some cases, the actors wore fixed masks. In all these representations, music, singing, and gesturing were very important. Livio Andronico arrived in Rome as a prisoner of war, wrote, and staged the first play in the Greek style. The Greek theater, in its two forms, tragedy and comedy, had already produced great works of art. Livio Andronico and his successors wrote their works imitating the Greek theater, translating Greek authors but adding elements such as gesture, more music, and sung parts...

Classification of Dramatic Works

The first and fundamental division is that of tragedy and comedy.

Tragedy

Tragedy protagonists are often presented as gods or heroes, with a solemn tone and elevated language. At first, tragedies represented in Rome were adapted translations of Greek works.

Comedy

Comedy featured the man in the street, his language is casual and even rude. At first, an attempt was made to translate and adapt Greek plays into Latin. Only the comedies of Plautus and Terence, and Seneca's tragedies, remain.

Authors

Plautus

Plautus' comedies are adaptations of Greek authors, but mixed scenes, characters eliminated, with allusions to Roman customs and an increased number of sung parts. He aimed to increase the intrigue and the mess they are involved clever and intriguing slaves, young love and thoughtless, honest and shameless girls... Plautus was interested in making people laugh. Works: Miles Gloriosus, Captives, ... The author became more popular around the Latino theater.

Terence

African by birth, Terence came to Rome as a slave, but given his intelligence, his owner gave her freedom. Terence preferred a more exclusive audience than the masses; in their works, sung parts were fewer, are best constructed and the characters, best characterized. His work has a moral intent: his constant ethical concern: they want to convey a "message."

The comedy went into a phase of decline; the mime and pantomime left the Greek style theater reduced to a minority audience.

Seneca

Seneca is the author of an important literary work (letters, treaties, etc.) wrote the ten only tragedy that we retain full: track nine are Greek and Roman-themed one, Octavia, who is the wife of Nero, how was divorced and executed by the Emperor propiio. Their tragedies have developments: composed to be read and not represented in his works there is a lot of philosophy and politics.