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Comedy
There were little to no props used in Roman plays. If any were used, they had to be easily moveable.
Just Kidding! Shakespeare wrote his plays during the Renaissance, which took place after Ancient Rome. Shakespeare actually borrowed a lot from the Romans when creating his plays. One can see where Shakespeare gathered his inspiration by studying aspects of ancient Roman Theatre such as, types of plays, costumes, sets, props, and architecture.
("History of Ancient Theatre").
("413 Roman Theatre").
("Roman Colosseum").
("ROMAN THEATRE AND MASKS").
("Roman Colosseum").
("413 Roman Theatre").
("Architecture").
("Romeo and Juliet").
("Comedic Play").
The Roman's did not use sets to show the audience where the play takes place.
A good comedic play was defined by how much the audience laughed. One of the most famous comedic writers was...
(Gill).
Plautus wrote around 130 comedic plays. Of the 130 plays he wrote only 21 have survived. He adapted his plays from the world around him. The two places he most often made reference to were the military camp and the marketplace. Two of his most famous plays were...
("Titus Maccius Plautus")
("Titus").
and
This play refers to the conflict Rome had with Carthage. ("Titus Maccius Plautus").
This play referred to the imprisionment of the poet Naevius. ("Titus Maccius Plautus").
("Mimes").
They used larger props to set the stage such as:
("Tragic Masks").
Pantomimes/
Mimes
Tragedy
Pantomimes and Mimes were more popular than the typical comedic and tragic plays. Performers did not speak, but rather acted out roles to singers and music. These plays are comparable to modern ballets. A famous Mime writer was...
Mostly, the audience relied on the playwright to set the scene through the lines of the actor.
("Ancient Rome").
A tragic play would show human motives to the overwhelming force of religion and its presence on earth. One famous tragic playwright was...
Syrus was a slave that arrived in Rome around the first century BC. He rose to become the author of many mimes, all of which have been lost over time. Although his plays have been lost many of his aphorisms have been perserved. One of his many sayings is, "A good reputation is more valuable than money."
("Theatre Database").
("Ancient Rome").
Seneca adapted his plays from the works of other playwrights. Many people in Rome believed that Seneca condenscended to write plays for the theatre. He was best known for his realistic portrayal of horror and violence within his plays.
The costumes in the Roman theatre were generally simple. They were derived from traditional Greek clothing. The standard design for the costumes were a long robe referred to as a chinton. Over the chinton a himation was worn as a cloak.
(Roman Colosseum).
("Seneca").
("Lucius Annaeus Seneca").
Masks were worn to indicate what type of character the actor was portraying.
("ROMAN THEATRE AND MASKS").
("Roman Colosseum").
Brown masks were men.
White masks were women.
Smiling meant a comedy.
("Roman Theaters").
Sad face meant a tragedy
("Roman Mask
Woman")
("Roman Mask Man").
The actors were specific outfits to indicate the type of person they were portraying.
Boys were identified by striped togas.
A purple costume meant the actor portrayed a rich man.
Soldiers were short cloaks
Poor men wore red costumes.
Slaves had short tunics.
The character was a woman if he wore yellow.
A yellow tassle was worn by a god
("Roman Theaters")
("Roman Costumes")
swords, daggers, armor,
jewels, bones, furs, and blood soaked clothing
("Roman Colosseum").