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http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/1369681

Costume in Roman comedy

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  • "This volume investigates and discusses the costumes, and to a lesser extent, the props and makeup that were utilized in the Roman Comedies. The author mostly looks at the period that was "bookended" by the dramatic works of Titus Maccius Plautus (c. 254-184 BC), commonly known as Plautus, a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period -- his comedies are among the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature -- and Publius Terentius Afer (185-159 BC), better known as Terence, a playwright of the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 170-160 BC. Roman costumes mirrored traditional Greek garments. Actors commonly wore a long robe called a chiton. Chitons were often colored to denote character and rank to make them easily recognizable by the audience. The author gathered evidence regarding the appearance of the costumes from studying relief sculptures and frescoes painting of Ancient Pompeii. She looks particularity at the costumes of the so-called "stock characters"; stock characters were ones that the audience would be familiar with and that were used in many plays. Some examples are a braggart soldier, a strong victorious soldier, a clever and scheming slave, a strict father, a playboy son, a cheap slave dealer, and a cook. They were greatly used by Plautus. Stock characters could sometimes be recognized by their costumes. The costumes they wore varied with the type of show but were used to identify the type of character. Over time these outfits became more realistic. The standard costume base was a tunic and cloak. At first masks were common because actors would play multiple characters and the masks made them easier to distinguish. Over time the comedic masks became grotesquely exaggerated."

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  • "Criticism, interpretation, etc"
  • "Criticism, interpretation, etc"@en
  • "History"@en
  • "History"

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  • "Costume in Roman comedy"
  • "Costume in Roman comedy"@en

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