Ancient Roman Comedy

Ancient Roman Comedy Popular in the 2nd century B.C. Based on Greek dramas Plautus and Terence were two important writers of comedy

No Girls Allowed! Male actors only Female roles were played by men

Characteristics of Ancient Roman Comedy Eavesdropping

…continued Asides to the audience

…continued A crucial error i.e. mistaken identity

…continued Trickery/deception

…continued Musical accompaniment to dialogue

…continued Action occurs on the street

…continued Everyday themes

Ancient Roman Tragedy

Like Ancient Roman Comedy, Tragedies were… Popular in the 2nd century B.C. Based on Greek drama Only acted by men

Characteristics of Roman Tragedy Five acts

…continued Elaborate speeches

…continued Violence occurs onstage (different from Greek plays)

…continued Short statements called sententiae about the human condition

…continued Characters driven, often to their own doom, by a single passion/obsession

…continued Soliloquy- talking aloud to oneself

Mimes and Pantomimes Popular in the 1st century B.C. Based on mythological stories Very little plot Music and dancing Women were allowed to perform onstage

So what’s the difference between a mime and a pantomime? Mime actors had speaking roles Pantomime actors did not Pantomimes were similar to ballets

Panic! At the pantomime Common scandalous themes in mimes and pantomimes were nudity, violence, and extra-marital affairs