Roman theater & Plautus

latin

stage

not permanent, wood, spectators stand, really long and narrow, shrine in middle, houses on either side

stock characters

5 actors in a troupe- lovesick young man-purple, black hair; old gentleman-white, white hair; soldiers-military uniform; slaves-rags, dull colors; women-yellow, white; parasite- client, gray, red hair, padded

Greek old comedy

aristophenes, extreme freedom of speech, comedic

greek middle comedy

started when Sparta defeated Athens, cant be offensive to gov, makes fun of ppl, uses reminders not names

greek new comedy

often theme of love, similar plots, always 2 houses, forum and harbour, a comedy of manners, Menander=major playwright

Plautus

1st wealthy, 2nd lost $ betting, wrote 21 plays maybe 135

plautus plays

added music, slapstick, less romance and more tricky slave, drunk, parasite. you remember characters not story

plautus used

colloquial language (low diction), emphasis on eat and drink to relate to ppl, supposed in Greek but feels Roman, slaves threatened, happy ending

palinurus

phaedromus’s slave

phaedromus

lovesick young man

leaena

old woman chaperone

planesium

phaedromus’s girlfriend

cappadox

slave dealer

coquus

cook

curculio

phaedromus’s parasite-perculio means weevil

lyco

banker

therapontigonus

a braggart soldier

stage setting

aesculapius shrine, forum and harbour