Plautus and Shakespeare: Plays and Theaters

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This post compares Plautus and Shakespeare and their respective backgrounds. These playwrights had similar styles and techniques, despite the massive gap in space and time between their lives.




Plautus was a famous Roman playwright. He was known for his lively and comedic style, as well as a strong connection to human nature (Bates). Approximately twenty-one of his plays have survived due to revived popularity.

Titus Maccius Plautus

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor, who remains extremely well-known today. He wrote at least 38 plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet and penned many poems (Lander).

William Shakespeare

A custom of Roman playwrights was to base their plays off of Greek theater and styles. Plautus followed this tradition, but applied it with his own unique touch, enough to make his work distinct and recognizable. Amphitruo and Menaechmi are two of his plays, both of which feature some of his signature tropes (Barrett). Plautus' style is better known for producing laughs than for provoking thought (Bates).
Shakespeare followed a similar custom during the Elizabethan Era of basing his plays on published historical and literary works (Lander). However, like Plautus, he excelled at taking a tangent from the basic material and creating a completely new piece. This resemblance is no coincidence, since Shakespeare studied and imitated Plautus and his works, complete with constant puns, wordplay, and social commentary, as well as the habit of copying older cultures' ideas and innovations. Without Plautus' influence on Shakespeare, English literature would be very different. 

Plautus and Shakespeare shared not only a writing style, but a similar stage setup. Roman theatres were outside and normally built from concrete, and each had an intricate scaenae frons (stage front), developing away from Greek-styled theatres (Klar). Spectators sat in the cavea, with the front area or orchestra left clear for the actors.

A typical Roman theatre, with the cavea (seating area), orchestra (acting space), and pulpitum (stage) visible.
Unlike the Greek style, Roman theaters did not have to be built into a hillside and often stood alone.

The Globe Theatre was a round, open-air structure with several floors' worth of seats. The area in front of the stage was not for the actors to use; instead, it was standing area for the spectators. Those who occupied this space were called "groundlings" (Seidel). 

The Globe Theatre, from the inside. Three levels of seating are visible, as well as the stage and the area in front of the stage where the "groundlings" stood. The sky can be seen through the open top of the theater, which is otherwise enclosed.

Plautus and Shakespeare were both extraordinarily famous in their own times and afterwards. Plautus found a style that connected with many people and made them laugh. Shakespeare imitated him at times, but focused more on provoking thought and spreading messages. Their plays touched many lives and many cultures.


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Works Cited

Bates, Alfred. "Writings and Career of Plautus." The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on                Civilization. Vol. 2. London: Historical, 1906. 159-65. Writings and Career of Plautus.                          TheatreHistory.com. Web. 21 Dec. 2014
Barrett, Anthony A. "Plautus." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2014. Web.  22 Dec. 2014. 
Klar, Laura S. "Theater and Amphitheater in the Roman World." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The            Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006. Web. 21 Dec. 2014.
Lander, Jesse M. "Shakespeare, William." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2014. Web.  22 Dec.                2014.
Seidel, Michael. "Globe Theatre." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2014. Web.  22 Dec. 2014.