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LIGHT DRAMA
Terence had a difficult theatrical career, not only because of Luscius
Lanuvinus, but also because of his trouble in reconciling the tastes of a discriminating
minority and a conservative majority. His reforms of theatrical
technique all lie within the tradition of the palliata, but were mostly centripetal
and negative. In particular, he eschewed the means by which older writers had
established rapport with the audience without being able to focus his 'Athens'
satisfactorily. He concentrated on a narrower spectrum of experience than
Menander or his own seniors, but, on the other hand, he did this well: for
example, his interest in the relationship of parents and children and in education,
and his realistic, consistent, and sympathetic representation of character, particularly
female, which were new to Roman audiences. He inadvertently damaged
the palliata as a dramatic form, for the logical setting for such realistic
characters as he presented was not his colourless 'Athens', but the real Italy;
with him there opens a permanent rift between 'higher' and 'lower' literary
tastes. The broad public did not like Terence much, and he did not like them.
The spirit of the older comedians survived in the mime and farce, while
Terence's interest in character was maintained by Afranius in his togatae. Ea
tempestateflospoetarumfu.it 'that age was the flower of poets', said the reviver
of Plautus' Casina with reference to the pre-Terentian period; he may well
have included Terence and Luscius in his condemnation of the moderns.
However, Terence's unique and most important success was to become
Menander Latinus in the library and classroom rather than on the stage, and
as such he was very important in establishing the taste and diction of the
classical period.
3. SERIOUS DRAMA
Praetextae and crepidatae
Grammarians drew a distinction between tragoediae {fabulae crepidatae ' Buskinplays'),
modelled on Greek tragedy, andfabulaepraetextae 'Hem-' or 'Robeplays
', on Roman themes, ancient and modern. This is parallel to the distinction
of comoediae (Jabulae palliatae) And fabulae togatae (tabernariae). 1 There is no
certain evidence for fabulae togatae before the time of Terence and Afranius,
and no light dramatist is known to have written both kinds of comedy. The case
is different in serious drama. All the known dramatists except Andronicus
wrote the occasional Roman play and they seem to have used the same style
and form, chorus and all, as in their tragoediae. Aeschylus' Persians belongs to
the genre tragedy no less than his other plays, and Naevius' Clastidium, cele-
1 The grammarians' classifications are worthy of Polonius, but the use of such terms as crepidata,
praetext(ai)a, togata, taBernaria, mimusy Rhinthonica, palliata, Atellana, mimus was not altogether selfconsistent.
Only tragoedia and comoedia and faiu/a are attested for the creative perod. The definitions
implied in the text may not be strictly correct, but the terms are commonly so used. See Beare (1964)
264-6.
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