The Roman World of Plautus

Life of Plautus

• Titus Maccius Plautus • Born at Sarsina in Umbria, ca. 254 B.C.

– Recently conquered area – Native speech probably Umbrian, NOT Latin!

– Perhaps educated in Rome?

Life of Plautus

• Earned living in theatrical work - “in the working of the scenes and sets.” • Invested his savings in an overseas trading venture, but lost everything.

– Probably traveled himself on this venture.

– Acquired knowledge of Greek language and culture?

Life of Plautus

• Arrived back in Rome broke.

• Went to work in a flour-mill.

• While working here, he composed his first three plays.

• Success allowed him to devote the rest of his life to dramatic composition.

• Roman Citizen?

Life of Plautus

• Over 130 plays were attributed to him, but Varro claims only 21 genuine: 20 we now have plus fragmentary play.

• Wildly popular in his day.

• Died in 184 B.C.

– Epitaph:

Postquam est mortem aptus Plautus, comoedia luget, scaena est deserta, dein risus, ludus, iocusque Et numeri innumeri simul omnes conlacrimarunt

.

Roman World in 2nd Century

Second Century Rome

• New, extra-Italian provinces to administer and tax.

– Proconsuls, propraetors, etc.

– “Tax-farming” $$$ • In West, Spain provided metals and manpower (slaves) $$$.

• In East, well-established and wealthy Hellenistic city-states and kingdoms brought increased contact with cultural achievements of Hellenism: philosophy, science, and literature, including dramatic comedy.

Hellenization of Rome

• Roman elites largely educated by Greek teachers, usually slaves.

• Influence of Stoicism and Epicureanism • Greek language, arts, fashion, food, and entertainment predominate among elites.

• 1st Roman literary figures: – – – – –

Fabius Pictor,

fl. 216

:

history (in Greek)

Livius Andronicus,

into Latin).

fl. 240-207: comedy, tragedy, epic (trans.

Odyssey

Ennius

, fl. 204-184: comedy, tragedy, epic/history

Naevius

, fl. 235-204: comedy, tragedy, epic/history (

Carmen belli Punici

)

Plautus

: comedy

Roman Drama

• Greek Influence?

– Greek vs. Roman worldviews – Natural vs. Man-made order

Greek Theaters

• Preference for hillside sites • Spectacular natural vistas • Originally, no stone seating, no permanent scene building(s).

Theater at Epidaurus

Theater of Dionysos, Athens

Theater at Pergamon

Roman Theaters

• Early wooden structures - temporary.

• Most often free standing.

• Very elaborate scene buildings.

• Later, built of stone, sheathed with marble

Theater of Pompey

Theater at Aspendos

Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens

“Theater District” of Ancient Rome

Greek Influence in Plautus’ Plays

• Greek “New Comedy” cf. “Old Comedy” – Purposefully non-political/escapist – Limited number of stock characters and plot-elements shuffled to produce new plays • Characters: the old man (father, grumpy/randy/drunken), the young man (son, angry, amorous, spendthrift), the young lady (prostitute/long-lost noblewoman), the slave (wily, greedy, self-interested) • Plot elements: love triangle, frustrated love, get the money, trick the father/uncle/authority figure, slave saves master, etc.

Plautus’ use of Greek New Comedy

• Formerly thought that Plautus slavishly copied Greek plays.

• True that in some cases (e.g.

The Rope, Casina, Mercator

, etc.) we know his plays to have been based on Greek archetypes.

• But papyri suggest Plautus used considerable ingenuity to shape Greek plays for Roman audience.

Plautus and “New Comedy,” cont’d

• Fragment of Greek archetype for that Plautus felt free to cut and/or meld scenes for his Roman purposes and setting.

Bacchides

shows • Added new jokes, puns, often very specific to Roman culture - cf. Greek love of comic irony • Role of stock character, “The Parasite,” is greatly expanded - fits Roman client system • Character and Plot development less important than immediate comic effect.

Plautus and “New Comedy,” cont’d

• Much more use of “metatheatrical” elements bringing in the crowd.

– (before a long-winded speech) “ O.K., but hurry, the crowd’s getting thirsty….” • In general, much more focus on clever verbal effects like alliteration, word-play, unexpected personifications, and riddling phraseology.

– “…twist the neck of wrongdoing…”

The “Magic” of Plautus

• Why was he so popular?

• Secret lies in the context of ancient drama, i.e. religious festival days - official holidays spent drinking, feasting, watching athletic contests, and drama. • Holidays as “inversion” of the normal Roman world.

Roman Festivals and Comic Inversion

•

Licentia

and

Libertas

ruled on festival days, as opposed to the

severitas

and

disciplina

of daily routine.

• Likewise, comedy allows a temporary reversal of social norms: what is not done and said in real life is done and said on the comic stage.

• “The joy of release (laughter) is in direct proportion to the severity of the restraint.”

Festivals and Comic Inversion, cont’d

• The burden of

mos maiorum

–

Patriapotestas

and - family obligations

gravitas

– – –

Munus

- state/social obligations

Frugalitas

- money obligations

Pietas

- divine obligations Festivals as “Holiday for the superego”

Plautus’ Comic Inversion

• So, in Plautus’ comedies, performed on festival days: – The action takes place in the Greek East (

pergraecamini

!) – sons hate/trick/swindle their fathers and mothers – Young aristocrats care nothing for money, only love – Slaves have little real loyalty to or fear of masters, whom they often make ridiculous.

– The gods are humanized and humans approach godhead – In sum, the characters are made to act as un-Roman as possible while making jokes that would only make sense in a Roman world .

Mostellaria

• Date: ???

• Model:???

• Main Characters (note types) – Philolaches: love-smitten son of – Theopropides: foolish, grumpy old man – Tranio: wily slave – Callidamates: drunken friend of Philolaches

Plot Summary

• Grumio and Tranio, slaves of absent Theopropides, argue about Tranio’s corruption of Philolaches and the household.

• Philolaches enters and reveals that he has spent his father’s wealth buying the freedom of his sweetie.

• Philolaches goes to meet his love, and on the way home they meet the very drunk Philolaches with his girlfriend.

• They go to Phil’s place to party.

Plot Summary

• Tranio comes in and announces that dad has come back from out of town.

• Phil et al. freak out, but Tranio tells them to keep cool and shuts them inside • Tranio meets Theropropides outside the house and convinces him that it’s haunted.

• The old man is persuaded and departs.

Plot Summary

• Banker comes to collect $ Phil borrowed to buy his lover’s freedom.

• Dad comes back, having found out that the house is not haunted. He hears the banker, and asks why Phil owes money.

• Tranio lies and says that he has bought the neighbor’s (very nice) house.

• Tranio and Dad go see the “new purchase.”

Plot Summary

• Tranio smooth-talks his way inside the neighbor’s house with Dad, who is happy with his son’s “investment.” • Theropropides ends Tranio to fetch Phil.

• Theropropides runs into a servant of Callidamates, Phil’s friend, and spills the beans.

• The old man confronts slaves and son, but forgives all.