Roman Drama: Origins, Comedy (Plautus, Terence), and Tragedy (Seneca)
Origins of Roman Dramatic Literature
The word "drama" comes from the Greek verb dráo (to act). Livius Andronicus is considered the first author of Roman dramatic literature, translating a tragedy from Greek in 240 BC during the Ludi Romani.
Early Forms and Performance
Livy recounts that in 364 BC, Etruscan dancers performed in Rome accompanied by the flute. Certain manifestations of popular comic theater also influenced the birth and formation of Roman comedy (versus romana). Notable early forms include:
- Fescennini: Bawdy poems.
- Atellana Fabula: A type of farce represented by non-professional actors wearing masks.
Theater was always considered a public spectacle. Pompey built the first stone theater. The first Roman theater companies, called greges, were professional and directed by an employer (dominus gregis). Both male and female roles were played by men, and performances were free.
Ancient tragedy aimed for moral value (prodesse), while Latin comedy, with its typical happy ending, sought above all to entertain (delectare).
Roman Comedy: Subgenres and Major Playwrights
Subgenres of Roman Comedy
- Fabula Palliata: Named after the actors' clothing (the Greek pallium). The first major playwright of the palliata was Naevius.
- Fabula Togata: Referring to the toga, the traditional Roman garb, focusing on Roman subjects.
Plautus: Master of Fabula Palliata
Of the 130 works attributed to Plautus, the best known include:
- Amphitruo (The Host)
- Asinaria (The Comedy of Asses)
- Aulularia (The Comedy of the Pot)
- Menaechmi (The Twins)
- Miles Gloriosus (The Braggart Soldier)
The works of Plautus belong to the fabula palliata genre. Many works are the result of contaminatio (the mixture of several Greek plays) reworked in consideration of his Roman audience.
Plautus's Legacy
The plays of Plautus were highly appreciated by Italian Renaissance humanists like Petrarch, Machiavelli, and Bruni. In Northern Europe, Erasmus recommended them for use in schools.
Terence: The Cultivated Dramatist
Terence authored six comedies, belonging to the palliata genre and dated between 166–160 BC:
- Andria
- Eunuchus
- Adelphoe
- Heautontimorumenos
- Phormio
- Hecyra
These works are characterized by complete Hellenization and embody the ideal of humanitas. They were addressed to a cultivated audience. In the Middle Ages, Terence became the school author par excellence.
Roman Tragedy and Seneca
Types of Roman Tragedy
Ancient writers distinguish two types of tragedies:
- Fabula Graecanica: Of Greek subject matter.
- Fabula Praetexta: Whose arguments focused on Roman affairs (public life).
The praetextae reached their maximum splendor with Pacuvius and Lucius Accius in the 2nd century BC.
Seneca: Philosophy and Contradiction
Seneca has been widely criticized for his interference in political affairs and accused of ambition to amass a considerable fortune, even while his works preached poverty. However, in one of his moral epistles, he states: "I say what we feel, feel what we say, that our words are consistent with our behavior."