Roman Tragedy

Livius Andronicus

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pp. 9-14

So a character in Livius’ tragedy asks of the value of an early deed in relation to the present. Should something be admired solely because of its age, or rather because it possesses some other quality besides antiquity . . .

Naevius

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pp. 14-18

The second tragedian at Rome, Gnaeus Naevius (c. 270– c. 199 B.C.E.), faced a dilemma: should he reject Livius’ innovations and present a tragedy on the Greek model, or adopt the format introduced by his . . .

Ennius

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pp. 18-28

Ennius experienced an early and formative contact with Greek culture owing to his birthplace at Rudiae in southern Italy. According to Suetonius, the proximity of his birthplace to . . .

The Audience

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pp. 28-30

Interpretation of tragedy requires interpreters in the audience. The “audience” of the earliest tragic productions was, of course, not a monolithic group, but one that was composed of various diverse groups. . . .

Pacuvius

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pp. 34-42

Pacuvius, the nephew of Ennius, was born at Brundisium in 220 B.C.E. and died in 130 b.c.e. Little is known about his career except that he was a dramatist of modest output in the circle of Laelius, and that . . .

Accius

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pp. 42-51

Lucius Accius (170 – c. 86 B.C.E.) was born at Pisaurum, the son of a freedman. Although his fame in antiquity was achieved as a writer of tragedies, the literary breadth of Accius resembles that of Ennius. Accius . . .

Theatricality of History

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pp. 53-68

The fabula praetexta, or historical drama in Roman dress, was so termed after the praetexta, the purple-bordered toga worn by magistrates and senators.4 The term “historical drama” is misleading, . . .

Staging History

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pp. 68-80

The praetextae, as dramatic recreations of reality onstage, are informed by cultural events performed by historical and contemporary figures but presented in a dramatic, rather than a realistic, setting. Examining . . .

Pompey's Theatre Opening

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pp. 83-91

When Pompey celebrated the gala opening of his theatre, which was the first permanent stone theatre at Rome, in 55 B.C.D., the lavish displays of the various ludi dazzled his audience with their . . .

Staging Brutus

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pp. 91-101

The contaminatio of a tragedy with allusions from the audience’s reality, whether or not these were physically incorporated into the drama onstage, finds frequent expression soon after Pompey’s theatre opening. . . .

Thyestes on the Roman Stage

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pp. 101-117

The myth relating the rivalry between Atreus and Thyestes was popular on the Roman stage and involves three main episodes in dramatic versions, two of which take place in Mycenae and the third in Epirus. . . .

Nero: Imperator Scaenicus

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pp. 117-121

Although Nero—dubbed imperator scaenicus by Pliny¹³¹—taxed the interpretive skills of his subjects more than had any of his Julio-Claudian precursors, his reign should be seen as the culmination and not . . .

Seneca's Actor-Audience

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pp. 122-137

From Tragedy to Metatragedy

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pp. 137-139

By looking forward from Livius rather than back from Seneca, this study has traced, in general, the development of theatre to theatricality that transformed tragedy to metatragedy. The fragments from the plays . . .