ROMAN ENTERTAINMENT
Theatre
Large Theatre, Pompeii
- Theatres were large which highlights their popularity
- They also had tiered seating which allowed everyone to have a good view
- Attending the theatre was a social event because there were many people
there
Mosaic from the Villa of Cicero
- This would have taken place during a pantomimus
- Pantomimus actors were often admired for their skill and stamina
- These musicians may have accompanied the performance
Bronze Head of Sorex (actor)
- Would have been expensive to make, highlighting the extent of the
romans’ appreciation for actors
- Actors would have been famous or had a following
,Wall-painting - House of the Library, Pompeii Mosaic - the House of
the Faun, Pompeii
- Characters were instantly recognisable
- Allowed actors to play more than one role
- Audience members in distant seats could see and hear better due to
projection of the actor’s voices in the masks
- Constructed out of lightweight materials such as wood, linen, cork and hair
Diagram of mechane and ekkyklema
- Ekkyklema: large, wheeled platform that could be rolled out to display
scenes that had taken place beyond the view of the spectators
- Mechane: crane-like device used to lift actors
Stock character in Roman comedy:
, - Adulescens: unmarried young man, usually pursuing the love of an
unsuitable girl
- Slave: clever and cunning slave who helps the adulescens from his
problems
- Senex: father of the adulescens who is sometimes also in love with the girl
- Leno: highly immoral character who is sometimes a slave-dealer
- Miles Gloriosus: arrogant soldier who is often gullible
- Parasite: selfish character who follows the miles gloriosus, and is often
portrayed as greedy and self-centred
- Matrona: mother of the adulescens and wife of the senex, constantly
trying to prevent her husband’s affairs
- Virgo: unmarried young woman who the adulescens pursues
Extract from ‘The Ghost’ by Plautus
- Stock characters such as the senex and slave
- Plautus was a well-known comedy playwright
- His plays were slightly more complicated and had more dialogue than the
conventional comedy place
Theatre
Large Theatre, Pompeii
- Theatres were large which highlights their popularity
- They also had tiered seating which allowed everyone to have a good view
- Attending the theatre was a social event because there were many people
there
Mosaic from the Villa of Cicero
- This would have taken place during a pantomimus
- Pantomimus actors were often admired for their skill and stamina
- These musicians may have accompanied the performance
Bronze Head of Sorex (actor)
- Would have been expensive to make, highlighting the extent of the
romans’ appreciation for actors
- Actors would have been famous or had a following
,Wall-painting - House of the Library, Pompeii Mosaic - the House of
the Faun, Pompeii
- Characters were instantly recognisable
- Allowed actors to play more than one role
- Audience members in distant seats could see and hear better due to
projection of the actor’s voices in the masks
- Constructed out of lightweight materials such as wood, linen, cork and hair
Diagram of mechane and ekkyklema
- Ekkyklema: large, wheeled platform that could be rolled out to display
scenes that had taken place beyond the view of the spectators
- Mechane: crane-like device used to lift actors
Stock character in Roman comedy:
, - Adulescens: unmarried young man, usually pursuing the love of an
unsuitable girl
- Slave: clever and cunning slave who helps the adulescens from his
problems
- Senex: father of the adulescens who is sometimes also in love with the girl
- Leno: highly immoral character who is sometimes a slave-dealer
- Miles Gloriosus: arrogant soldier who is often gullible
- Parasite: selfish character who follows the miles gloriosus, and is often
portrayed as greedy and self-centred
- Matrona: mother of the adulescens and wife of the senex, constantly
trying to prevent her husband’s affairs
- Virgo: unmarried young woman who the adulescens pursues
Extract from ‘The Ghost’ by Plautus
- Stock characters such as the senex and slave
- Plautus was a well-known comedy playwright
- His plays were slightly more complicated and had more dialogue than the
conventional comedy place
