Roman Theatre

Japanese: ローマ演劇 - ろーまえんげき

Ancient Roman theatre developed more under the influence of ancient Greek theatre than of its own vernacular theatre.

[Tomi Yamauchi]

Republican period

Roman theater began around 240 BC, when the Greek Livius Andronicus translated Greek plays into Latin and performed them at the Roman festivals. The most widely performed works were translations of Greek New Comedy, which were revised and sometimes adapted to suit Roman tastes. These were called fabula palliata. Representative authors include Plautus, who wrote Amphitheatre, The Prisoner, and The Haunted House, and Terence, who wrote Andros' Woman and The Stepmother. The comedies of these two authors go beyond the level of simply Romanizing Greek New Comedy, and are truly original. The main plots were love affairs between young men and women, and the reunion and reconciliation of family members, and complicated cases were often happily resolved by a cunning, smart, and eloquent slave (servant). The characters in the play are stereotypical - a stubborn but good-natured father, a prodigal son, an innocent prostitute, a boastful soldier and a slave - but there are differences in the two writers' styles. Plautus is down-to-earth, cheerful and lively, even going off on a tangent for the sake of humor. Terence, on the other hand, is aristocratic, precisely structured, intelligent and elegant. The works of these two writers continued to be read even in the Middle Ages, when literary society did not approve of anything other than Christian themes, and have had a major influence since the early modern period, from playwrights such as Shakespeare and Molière to modern theater and film.

As for tragedy, Greek tragedies with their suspenseful plots, frightening episodes, flamboyant characters, and shocking rhetoric were translated and adapted for the Roman audience (fabula crepidata), but they did not fare as well as the paruliata.

However, the quality of the audience for these plays was such that if they heard that a gladiator show, boxing, or tightrope walking was taking place nearby, they would go there en masse and ruin the performance. As a result, both the parriata and crepidata plays fell into decline by the end of the Republic in the 1st century BC, as improvised masked comedies called fabula attellana, which had been introduced to Rome from Campania at the end of the 3rd century BC, and mimus plays, which were comical, sensational, and flashy impersonations of real life, became more popular.

The plays were performed at various festivals and ceremonies, with the state paying for them. When the official in charge of theatrical performances commissioned a production from a person similar to a producer today, this person, who had a troupe of actors and was also an actor himself, would buy plays that looked likely to be successful from authors, and also prepare costumes, props, and music. If the play was a success, he would receive an increased income.

[Tomi Yamauchi]

Imperial period

In the first half of the 1st century AD, the Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote crepidata plays such as Agamemnon, Medea, and Thyestes, but other than that, the creation and public performance of Greek-style comedies and tragedies was almost nonexistent. Instead, the Atellanic plays were favored in the early period, and Mimus and Pantomimus plays throughout the period. The Atellanic plays were characterized by the use of several fixed characters (stock characters) in each play, such as Max, who was gluttonous, lustful, and stupid, and Bucco, who was greedy and a liar. Mimus plays were extremely popular even at the end of the Republic. The dictatorial consul Sulla and one of the three consuls, Antony, were fond of Mimus plays and were on friendly terms with their actors. They also created plays during the time of Caesar, and one of his subordinates was a writer named Laberius. However, during the imperial era, its vulgarity was conspicuous. Since actresses were used, which was unusual for an ancient play, many of its plays appealed to eroticism. A favorite theme was wives' adultery, and some even showed women bathing. However, the themes were diverse, including impersonations, action dramas, court cases, and even philosophical themes dealing with the sympathy between humans and plants.

Pantomime plays were introduced to Rome at the beginning of the Empire, but over time they gained popularity that surpassed that of the Mimus plays. They were mainly based on Greek myths and legends, and were dance-like silent dramas in which one actor played multiple male and female roles while changing masks and costumes. They were accompanied by a chorus and musical instruments, and had no dialogue. Romance stories were particularly popular, and the actors performed with graceful and supple poses, so all Romans, from the upper classes to the common people, were enthusiastic about them until the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476).

[Tomi Yamauchi]

theater

During the Republican period, theaters were mostly temporary. They consisted of a stage with a wooden board wall at the back and a roughly semicircular seating area without seats surrounded by a wooden fence, which were demolished after the performance. It was after 55 BC that permanent stone theaters modeled after Greek theaters were built. Stone theaters consisted of a stage with a lavishly decorated skene at the back, a semicircular orchestra (used as seating for VIPs) in front of it, and seating areas surrounding the stage in concentric circles that rose in stages. They had a capacity of 10,000 to 15,000 people.

[Tomi Yamauchi]

"Complete Works of Ancient Roman Comedy, translated by Suzuki Ichiro, Iwakura Tomochika, and Yasutomi Yoshiyuki, 5 volumes (1975-79, University of Tokyo Press)" ▽ "History of Greek and Roman Drama, Vol. 5 and 6, by Niseki Ryozo (1956, 1957, Tokyodo Publishing)" ▽ "Greek and Roman Drama, by Niseki Ryozo (1960, Tokyodo Publishing)" ▽ "History of Western Drama, by Sugawara Taro (1973, Engeki Shuppansha)"

[References] | Greek theatre | Pantomime | Latin literature

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

古代ローマの演劇は、自国の土俗的演劇よりも古代ギリシア演劇の影響を受けて展開した。

［山内登美雄］

共和政時代

ローマの演劇は、ギリシア人リウィウス・アンドロニクスがギリシア劇をラテン語に翻訳してローマ祭で上演した紀元前240年ころに始まった。もっとも盛んに演じられたのは、ギリシア新喜劇を翻訳してローマ人の趣味にあうように手直ししたり、ときには翻案したりした作品である。これをパルリアタ劇fabula palliataという。代表的作者としては、『アンフィトルオ』『捕虜』『幽霊屋敷』などのプラウトゥスと、『アンドロスの女』『義母』などのテレンティウスがあげられる。2人の喜劇はギリシア新喜劇の単なるローマ化のレベルを超え、真の独創性をもつ。おもだった筋(すじ)は、若い男女の色恋や肉親の再会や和解で、紛糾した事件がめでたく解決するにあたっては、悪賢く頭が回転し弁舌のたつ憎めない奴隷（下僕）が活躍することが多い。頑固だが人のよい父親、放蕩(ほうとう)息子、純情な娼婦(しょうふ)、ほら吹きの軍人や奴隷など定型的な人物が登場する。しかし2人の作風には違いがある。プラウトゥスは庶民的で、滑稽(こっけい)のためには筋の脱線もいとわず、明朗で活発である。一方テレンティウスは貴族的で、構成は精密であり、知的にして典雅である。2人の作品は、キリスト教的主題以外は文学社会で公認されなかった中世でも読まれ続け、近世以降シェークスピア、モリエールなどの劇作家から現代の演劇や映画に至るまで大きな影響を与えている。

　悲劇のほうでは、ギリシア悲劇のうち、はらはらさせる筋、恐ろしい挿話、はでな人物、どぎつい修辞をもつ作品が翻訳されて、ローマ人向きに手直しされた。これをクレピダタ劇fabula crepidataというが、パルリアタ劇ほどは振るわなかった。

　ところがこれらの劇の観客の質は、劇場の近くで剣闘士のショー、拳闘(けんとう)、綱渡りなどが催されていることを知ると、一斉にそちらへ行き、上演をぶち壊すという程度であった。したがって、前3世紀末にカンパニアからローマに入っていたアテルラナ劇fabula attellanaという即興的な仮面笑劇や、ギリシアのミモス劇がローマに入ってローマ化し、実生活の物真似(ものまね)を滑稽に、扇情的に、どぎつく演じてみせるミムス劇mimusが人気を増していくにつれ、パルリアタ劇もクレピダタ劇も共和政が終わる前1世紀ころまでにすっかり衰微した。

　上演は国家が費用を出すさまざまの祭典や儀式で行われた。演劇上演を監督する役人が、今日のプロデューサーにあたる人物に上演を委嘱すると、俳優の一座を抱え、自分も俳優であるこの人物は、作者から当たりそうな戯曲を買い付け、衣装、小道具、音楽も準備する。上演が当たるならば収入が増えるようになっていた。

［山内登美雄］

帝政時代

紀元後1世紀前半にストア派の哲学者セネカが『アガメムノン』『メディア』『チュエステス』などのクレピダタ劇を書いたが、それ以外は、ギリシア風の喜劇と悲劇の創作も大衆あての上演もほとんど行われなくなった。かわって愛好されたのは初期にはアテルラナ劇であり、時代を通じてはミムス劇とパントミムス劇pantomimusであった。アテルラナ劇の特徴は、どの劇でも、大食で、好色で、愚鈍なマックス、欲張りで嘘(うそ)つきのブッコなど、数名の定型人物(ストツク・キヤラクター)を使ったことである。ミムス劇の流行は共和政末期でもすさまじかった。かの独裁的な執政官スラや三執政官の1人アントニウスはミムス劇を好み、その俳優たちと親しく交わっていた。カエサルの時代には創作もしており、その部下にはラベリウスという作者もいた。だが帝政時代には卑俗性が際だった。古代演劇としては例外的に女優を使っていたこともあって、色情に訴えるものが少なくなかった。妻の姦通(かんつう)が主題として好まれ、女性の入浴を見せるものもあった。だが主題は多様であり、物真似芸、活劇、裁判を見せ場にするもの、人間と植物の交感を扱う哲学的なものまであったという。

　パントミムス劇は帝政の初めころローマに入ったが、時がたつにつれ、ミムス劇を凌駕(りょうが)する人気を獲得した。主としてギリシアの神話伝説に材料をとり、1人の俳優が仮面と衣装を取り替えながら複数の男女の役を演じ分けた舞踊的な黙劇で、合唱と楽器に伴奏され、台詞(せりふ)はなかった。恋愛ものがとくに人気があり、俳優は優雅でしなやかな姿態で演じたので、西ローマ帝国滅亡（476）まで、上流階級から平民に至るまで全ローマ人が熱狂した。

［山内登美雄］

劇場

共和政時代は劇場はほとんど仮設された。木板の壁を背後にもつ舞台と、木の柵(さく)で囲われたほぼ半円形の腰掛のない客席とから成り立ち、上演後は取り壊された。ギリシアの劇場に倣った石造の常設劇場が建てられたのは前55年以後である。石造の劇場は、背後に正面を豪華に装飾したスケネをもつ舞台、その前の半円形のオルケストラ（貴賓席として使う）、これを同心円的に取り囲み、階段状に高くなっていく客席から成り立つ。収容人員は1万から1万5000人であった。

［山内登美雄］

『鈴木一郎・岩倉具忠・安富良之訳『古代ローマ喜劇全集』全5巻（1975～79・東京大学出版会）』▽『新関良三著『ギリシャ・ローマ演劇史5・6』（1956、1957・東京堂出版）』▽『新関良三著『ギリシャ・ローマの演劇』（1960・東京堂出版）』▽『菅原太郎著『西洋演劇史』（1973・演劇出版社）』

[参照項目] | ギリシア演劇 | パントマイム | ラテン文学

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

<<: Roman School of Music - romagaku (English spelling) scuola romana Italian

>>: Romer, Paul