Roman Republican Theatre

by Gesine Manuwald

• ISBN13: 9780521110167
• ISBN10: 0521110165
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-07-11
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Theatre flourished in the Roman Republic, from the tragedies of Ennius and Pacuvius to the comedies of Plautus and Terence and the mimes of Laberius. Yet apart from the surviving plays of Plautus and Terence the sources are fragmentary and difficult to interpret and contextualise. This book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive history of all aspects of the topic, incorporating recent findings and modern approaches. It discusses the origins of Roman drama and the historical, social and institutional backgrounds of all the dramatic genres to be found during the Republic (tragedy, praetexta, comedy, togata, Atellana, mime and pantomime). Possible general characteristics are identified, and attention is paid to the nature of and developments in the various genres. The clear structure and full bibliography also ensure that the book has value as a source of reference for all upper-level students and scholars of Latin literature and ancient drama.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Technical notes and abbreviations	p. ix
Introduction: previous scholarship and present approach	p. 1
Cultural and Institutional Background
Evolution of Roman drama	p. 15
Cultural contacts	p. 15
Impact of Greek drama	p. 20
Etruscan traditions	p. 22
Dramatic forms in Italy and early Rome	p. 26
Emergence of 'Roman dramatic literature'	p. 30
Production and reception	p. 41
Festivals and dramatic performances	p. 41
Role of magistrates	p. 49
Religious aspects	p. 54
Theatre buildings	p. 55
Staging, acting, costumes, masks	p. 68
Impresarios, actors, musicians	p. 80
Social status of dramatic poets	p. 90
Theatre audiences	p. 98
Revival performances	p. 108
Readers as recipients	p. 120
Dramatic Poetry
Dramatic genres	p. 129
Fabula crepidata/tragoedia	p. 133
Fabula praetexta(ta)	p. 140
Fabula palliata/comoedia	p. 144
Fabula togata/tabernaria	p. 156
Fabula Atellana	p. 169
Mimus/planipes	p. 178
Pantomimus	p. 184
Dramatic poets	p. 187
	p. 188
	p. 194
	p. 204
	p. 209
	p. 216
	p. 225
	p. 234
	p. 242
	p. 244
	p. 257
	p. 261
	p. 263
	p. 266
	p. 267
	p. 270
	p. 273
	p. 276
	p. 278
Dramatic themes and techniques	p. 282
"Translation' and Greek intertexts	p. 282
Topics and the contemporary context	p. 293
Metatheatre and performance	p. 301
Dramatic genres and intertextuality	p. 309
Dramaturgy and dramatic structure	p. 320
Language, style, metre, music	p. 325
Overview and conclusions: Republican drama	p. 331
Bibliography	p. 353
Editions and commentaries	p. 353
Secondary literature	p. 356
Index	p. 385
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