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Roman Theatre review.There will be a test on Roman Theatre this Friday, November 9th.

To review-- --Study your Roman Theatre powerpoint from the beginning of theunit.

--Study the Roman Theatre webquest document, paying particular attention tothe questions asked on the document.

--Re-read the "Introduction" to Roman theatre and make sure you know thedifferences between Terence, Plautus, and Seneca.

Terrence-Slave, all adapted from Greek plays, avoids roman allusions, modeledafter Menander

Plautus- Practical Theater, originals from Greek authors, iambic meters, racy,

witty comedies, Athenian references to Roman.

Seneca- Tragedy, inspired Elizabethan mind, dramatic

-Review the stock characters and their appearance in The Menaechmi.

--Study the Jeopardy review game, parts 1 and 2.

--Review the pieces by Livy and Tacitus that we read to know what each saidabout Roman theatre.

--Know the significance of the following people:Aristotle-First dramatic criticSophocles-Wrote OedipusEuripides-Wrote tragedies

Aristophanes-ComediesThespis-First Actor and playwrightDionysus-God of Wine and god of theaterPlautus- ComedyTerence-ComedySeneca-Playwright and advisor to Nero, works are violentLivy- wrote about Etruscan and Atellan origins of Roman TheaterTacitus-documented expulsion of actors from ItalyNero- Crazy roman emperor

--Note the differences between Greek and Roman theatre and drama, includingthe architectural differences between their theatre spaces.

Greek theatre had a more didactic and religious aim. It was born of religious celebrationsfor different Greek gods and featured characters that faced moral struggles. Masks were

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popular, and a chorus was essential in highlighting moral themes. All in all, Greek theatre

was born of religion, artistry, and necessity; Roman theatre was more for spectacular

entertainment.

Romans build many impressive theatres throughout the empire. They redesigned the

Greek amphitheater, though they kept similarfeatures:1.The Cavea (the Greek theatron, or seating area for audience)2.The orchestra

3.The Scaena (The Greek Skene, or scene house)

--Review the major influences on Roman theatre and drama and the reasons forits decline.

Attellan Farce, Etruscan, Greek

Decline- split of the empire. 2. pressures from barbarian tribes. 3.Christianity.

--Know the difference between Old and New Comedy.eliminated the chorus, added music and put a greater emphasis oneavesdropping which led to frequent misunderstandings and complications

--Study the influences Roman drama had on the drama of later eras.Elizabethan, Shakespeare

--Review the characteristics of tragedy and comedy.Tragedy-

Five episodes / acts divided by choral odes

Elaborate speechesforensic influence

Interest in moralityexpressed in sententiae (short pithy generalizations about the humancondition)

Violence and horror onstage, unlike Greek (Jocasta rips open her womb, for example)Characters dominated by a single passionobsessive (such as revenge)drives them to

doom

Technical devices:Soliloquies, asides, confidants

Interest in supernatural and human connectionswas an interest in the Renaissance

Characteristics of Roman Comedy:

Chorus was abandoned

No act or scene divisions

Songs (Plautusaverage of three songs, 2/3 of the lines with music; Terenceno songs,but music with half of the dialog)

Everyday domestic affairs

Action placed in the street

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--Review the characteristics of Roman theatre, including details about actors and

costumes --Some of the terms to know: pantomime, mime, chariot racing, hippodrome,

Circus Maximus, Colosseum, naumachiae, prologue.

These elaborate performances usually involved one male dancer, the pantomimus (he

who imitates all things) who used gestures and dance to act out a simple story, usuallybased on a myth that the audience would recognize (the dancer holds a mask with closedmouth, indicating that he is a pantomime).

The mime was another type of performance in theaters that was popular during theimperial period. No masks were worn in mimes, which included dialogue (unlike the

pantomimes). Both males and females took part in the performance, though any woman

who became an actress automatically lost her claim to respectability. The stories acted

out in mimes were loosely constructed around adventure plots, with plenty of bawdy sexand often violence as well.

Naumachiae- (pronounced no-may-kee-ee) were actual naval battles to the death stagedon lakes, artificial bodies of water, or in flooded arenas, such as the Colosseum.

Prologue- gives insight of the plot and to help others understand