Course Catalogue

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The course offers a critical and research-based overview of the development of Roman drama in all its forms (tragedy, comedy, Atellane farce, mime, and pantomime) from the third century BC to the Second century AD. A selection of texts will be read in Latin.

22x1hr seminars over 10 weeks as scheduled in MyCampus. These are shared with The Roman Stage CLASSIC4010.

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Classics,  Latin, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes.

CLASSIC4010

None

The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ Exam (2-hour duration) - 50%

■ Essay (2,000 words) - 50%

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There are no alternatives to the assessments, but flexible deadlines/ extra time can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

This course aims to:

■ Trace the development of Roman drama in all its forms (comedy, tragedy, Atellane farce, mime, pantomime) from the third century BC to the second century AD,

■ Consider its debt to Greek drama and its interaction with other forms of literature;

■ Evaluate the position of actors and the acting profession within the social hierarchy of the Republic and the Empire,

■ Discuss the visual aspects of the Roman stage (buildings, costumes, masks, stag-action as evidenced in scenes from plays depicted in art)

■ Read major works of tragic and comic playwrights both as spectacles intended for live performance and as complex literary texts that were meaningful to their audience,

■ Engage with these plays in the original Latin

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Situate Roman drama within its literary, cultural, political, and social context,

■ Critique the plays both as literature and as scripts for staging,

■ Engage critically with the secondary literature interpreting these plays,

■ Express their arguments lucidly and coherently both orally and in writing,

■ Translate the Latin of each playwright into idiomatic English with due concern for stylistic nuances.