Roman Theatre and Early Comedies

Playwrights Translated and Adapted Greek Plays

Sep 16, 2009

Poets and playwrights of the early Roman theatre who translated and adapted Greek comedies are credited with their preservation.

There were two forms of early Roman theatre – fabula palliata and fabula togata.

Early Roman Comedy from Translations

Fabula Palliata refers to translations and adaptations of Greek plays into Latin, and to the original works of Roman playwrights based upon Greek plays. Wearing pallium (Greek cloaks), the actors performed in plays that appeared to satirize the Greeks. In fact, Rome and its citizens were the objects of the ridicule.

There were at least twelve playwrights of this style who were described as copyists of the Greeks. The only extant works are those of Plautus and Terence.

Playwright Plautus’ Adaptations

Titus Maccius Plautus (254-184 BC) was recognized as a brilliant Roman playwright. Scholars who drew inferences from his plays believe that Plautus worked as a clown in Atellan farces as a young man. Through various theatre jobs, he learned invaluable lessons about Greek plays. Scholars believe that he wrote about 130 plays – mostly in his later years. Of those, there are about twenty extant versions that include

Terence and Greek Comedy of Menander

Publius Terence Afer (195/185–159 BC) was, according to scholars, a slave taken to Rome and freed by a senator. There were questions about his abilities as a young man to produce the plays attributed to him. Doubts about the authenticity of his works were dispelled by most scholars. Terence’s six completed plays were based upon the Greek New Comedy of Menander. In those he introduced the concept of a sub plot. Unlike Plautus, Terence set his plays in Greece, rather than Rome. Terence's six extant plays are:

Original Roman Comedies

The second form, fabula togata, replaced fabula palliata by the mid 2nd century BC. The term refers to the wide assortment of original Roman plays written for Romans and performed in togas. The broadly-based farces of native origin included vigorous physical humor. Gladiators and chariot races were part of the entertainment.

Serious plays of the period were written for private recitals and readings, not public performances. Only small fragments of the fabula palliata period survive.

Gnaeus Naevius (264/270-201 BC) was a Roman epic poet and dramatist. He was most famous for his original comedy that had a strong spirit of partisanship. His Equus Troianus was performed at the opening of Pompey’s theatre in Rome, 55 BC.

Lucius Afranius lived at the beginning of the 1st century BC. The subjects of his Roman comedies were representative of people of the lower classes. His depictions of Roman life are classed with the work of the great Greek playwright Menander. Many of Afranius’comedies were well known until at least the latter part of the 4th century AD.

As a direct result of Plautus’ and Terence’s translations, Greek New Comedy was preserved and influenced generations of comedy

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The copyright of the article Roman Theatre and Early Comedies in Ancient Theatre is owned by Kathleen Airdrie. Permission to republish Roman Theatre and Early Comedies in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.