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Roman Theatre
LVV-4U1
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In Rome, the authorities were
concerned that the Roman
people might be corrupted
by Greek influences.
Temple of Venus
•As a compromise, drama
continued to presented at
various religious festivals, but
the theaters were all temporary
structures, put up just before
the peformances and taken
down afterwards.
•There were two abortive
attempts to build permanent
stone theaters in 179 and 174
BC, but they were never
completed.
• In 154 BC a third attempt was
made to build a permanent
stone theater, but the consul, P.
Scipio Nasica, caused the
unfinished structure to be torn
down as "undesirable" and
"harmful to public morals"
(Livy, Periochae 48.68).
In 55 BC Pompey erected the first
permanent stone theater at Rome. There
must, however, have still been some
opposition, for the theater was
constructed in such a way that it could be
seen as serving a religious purpose rather
than for mere entertainment. A temple of
Venus was placed at the top of the seating
area so that the rows of seats appeared to
be steps leading up to the temple.
Pompey’s Permanent Theater
Roman Theater/ Comedy
The Romans copied theater from Greece, and the best
actors of Roman plays were usually Greek. Stage shows
were first put on as part of religious festivals, and
were later paid for by the wealthy to gain
popularity. Tickets were free-if you could get them.
Greek theaters were typically
built into natural hillsides to
provide better acoustics, as
this theater in Epidaurus
or this one
in Delphi
-built on level
ground
Theatre of
Marcellus
(drawing)
Roman Theatre Design
General Characteristics
• Stage raised to five feet
• Stages were
large –
20- 40 ft deep
100-300 ft long
Roman Theatre Design
General Characteristics
• Theatre could seat 10-15,000 people
• dressing rooms
in side wings
• stage was
covered with
a roof
Portico
Roman Theatre Design
General Characteristics
• trap doors were common
• cooling system – air blowing over
streams of water
• Awning (vellum) over the audience
to protect them from the sun
Roman Theatre Design
Scaena
• “stage house”
• joined with
audience to
form one
architectural
unit
Roman Theatre Design
Scaena frons
• front/façade of the stage house
• was painted and
had columns,
niches,
scaena frons
porticoes,
statues
Roman Theatre Design
Orchestra
• becomes half-circle
• if entertainment permitted, people were sat here
• could be used for musicians
The original
Greek orchestra
was a full circle.
Roman Theatre Design
Vomitoria
• corridors
under the
seats that
lead onto
the
orchestra
Roman Theatre Design
Pulpitum
• the stage
Cavea
• the
auditorium
Features of a Roman
Theater
•canvas awning
•women spectators
not allowed in front
rows
•front seats reserved
for senators
•all parts played by
men
•masks to indicate
stock characters
•3 doors for actors to
enter and exit by
•½ circle “orchestra”
The classic symbol of theater: tragic and comic masks .
Since women could appear only in mimes, all roles were acted
by men wearing masks representing the types of characters young and old, male and female, gods and heroes.
This ancient carving of theatrical masks show the enlarged mouth
openings that helped amplify the actor’s voice
A TROUPE OF
PLAYERS This mosaic
shows a group of
actors in costumes
and masks.
The piper is
dressed as a
woman and will
be wearing the
white mask of a
female character.
Another actor is
being helped into
his costume
Comedy: The Italian Tradition
Horace:
“Captive Greece captivated its captors”
 The art of comedy was passed to Rome
 As Athens was declining, the Romans had
already picked up the comic tradition
 According to Livy, they first appeared in 364
B.C.E.
 Dramatic rituals were intended to appease the
gods who had sent a plague
The Strands of the Italian Tradition
1.
2.
3.
4.
The pieces that the actors performed were primitive
and coarse
Improvisation was common to all comedy, but it fell
into disrepute with the rise of the actor
Actors / Improvisors wore ill-fitting tights, padding,
masks, and a huge leather phallus
The last strand involved cheating and trickery (rustic
and obscene and general tom foolery – particularly in
the Italian countryside). Its most interesting feature
for our purposes was its use of Stock Character: the
braggart, the fool / the clown, the gorgeous young
lover, the foolish old man, the resourceful and cunning
swindler, etc.
Roman Comedy …
Roman comedy concerned itself with man at his
most human
 What the theatre gained was a HUMAN being on
stage – speaking in a recognizable human voice
 Like all Classical Comedies:

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–
–
–
The plays ended happily
The men played women’s roles
All actors wore masks
Actors travelled from town to town, playing at
festivals, on makeshift stages
Tradition has it that it was an actor,
renowned for playing the part of a clown,
“MACCUS,” who was to become the
greatest of playwrights
 It is believed that his middle name –
MACCUS – was given to him because of
his skill in playing the part of a clown

Titus Maccius Plautus
ca. 250 – 184 B.C.E.

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He made a fortune in acting;
he invested his money and lost it
(traditional story – not proven)
Copied from Greek New Comedy,
but used Roman improvisation and comic
invention
He was interested not only in plot, but in stock
characters (made human beings out of them)
Plautus had wonderful theatrical instincts
He requires a comic actor who has instinct for
judging the audience’s reactions
Terence
(195-159 B.C.E.)
Was born a slave in North Africa
Elegant and stylish playwright
 Was 11 years old when Plautus died
 He was handsome, intelligent, and sensitive to criticism
 He moved in aristocratic circles
 He travelled to Greece to find new plays
 Was relatively young when he died (died of grief b/c his
baggage full of new plays was lost)
 Most of his plays were failures – he realized that times
were changing
 Terence was shown scant respect because the audience
wanted acrobats, jugglers, gladiators, etc. --- Spectacle!
 Many of his plays were appreciated after his death
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The comedies were
about wealthy people
being kidnapped, or
foolish old men and
clever slaves, but
they usually had a happy
ending.
•Plautus' comedies
revolve mostly around
daily life and average
people
•Characters are often
stereo-types and greatly
exaggerated
Comedies:
Avoid Censors!
The fabulae palliatae had
characters with Greek
names in Greek settings,
but the audience
understood that the
characters were
essentially Roman.
This practice allowed the
playwright to turn Roman
mores upside down
without upsetting the
audience or undermining
Roman morality.
The Romans called these
adaptations of Greek
comedies fabulae palliatae
('plays in a Greek cloak').
The Father in Roman Society
In real Roman society, the father's power
(patria potestas) was legally undisputed.
 A father had the power of life and death
over his family and his household
(especially slaves).

“Dumb Dad” Character
Perhaps the most common inversion of
Roman values in Roman comedy is the
mockery of the father.
 He is sometimes displayed as conservative
and serious
 In comedy the son, often with the help of
a brash slave regularly outwits the father
and makes a fool of him.

Senex (Old Man / Father)
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either too strict or too soft; either
one he does out of love for his son.
As the lover he embarrasses his
son, his slave, and his wife.
He tends to be passionately in love
with the same woman as his son,
who is much too young for the
senex.
He never gets the girl and is often
dragged off by his irate wife.
sometimes carries a staff.
Adulescens
The adulescens was
the hero, who is
young, rich, lovestruck and none too
brave.
 He tends to
bemoan his fate and
requires backup.
 Another character
often has to take
action on his behalf

The young man is often a typical young,
lover
 Minimal role
 Role of master/slave relationship is
reversed (slave gives the orders)

Leno (Pimp)
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The leno runs the brothel.
The love interest of the adulescens may be owned by
the leno and work at his brothel so the adulescens is
often forced to deal with him.
He is unabashedly amoral and is only interested in
money.
He dresses in a tunic and mantel and is often bald with a
moneybag.
Miles Gloriosus (Bragging Soldier)
He loves himself
more than anything
else and sees himself
as handsome and
brave, while in reality
he is very stupid,
cowardly, and
gullible.
 He may be interested
in the same girl as
the adulescens'.

In Roman times, soldiers were revered;
they enjoyed seeing figures of importance
being mocked on stage (essential to
Roman comedy)
 Audience likes to see the soldier being
cheated
 “blocking figure” – stops a love affair
between a young master and prostitute

Servus

servus callidus or clever slave
is always talkative, but his
other traits vary.
 Most of the time he is loyal,
more so to the adulescens
than the senex.
 He brings tricks and comedy
and tends to drive the plot.
 He is often the one who finds
the truth out at the end of the
play.
 “Free”
Upheaval of real life = comic effect
 Often has co-conspirators
 If slaves really behaved the way they did
in a play, Romans would be outrages
 Slave violence was hilarious to Romans
(popular during the time of Plautus)
 Romans use “slave violence” to show their
power
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Ancilla (maid or nurse)

Can be of any age
She is a minor character used to move the
plot by presenting information or helping
to develop another character.
 She is a tool of her mistress and may be
used as a messenger.

Virgo (Young maiden)
The virgo (young
maiden) is the love
interest of the
adulescens,
 usually does not get
much stage time.
 She is beautiful and
virtuous with little
personality.
 She is treated as a prize

Additional Comedy Notes:
Coincidence: typical occurrence
 Asides: a character talks to the audience
and the other characters don’t hear
 Ending: happy; wrong-doers are
punished; lovers are reunited; bad are
occasionally punished; the slave wins his
freedom
 Mistaken Identity: intended or accidental
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Mimes: The Romans loved them
Jokes: “potty” humour; jokes about bodily
excretions; sex; and, drunkenness
Eavesdropping: occurred frequently
Prologue: interludes of retelling the plot
Surprise: opposite of real Roman reality (i.e.,
slave orders free born citizen around; shy
character or lover will do a minor heroic deed for
his beloved; mother (Domina) will hold more
power than the father (Senex) – yet Senex’s
character is rare
Inscription Pompeii
Theater in
Pompeii