Section 2 Flashcards
(40 cards)
Rome started as a —— and ended as an Empire
Republic
There is an extant record of one Roman Emperor commanding that all depictions of sex on stage must be…
Real
Some blame the fall of Rome on rulers who distracted their populations from real problems with…
Bread and circuses
The three major extant Roman playwrights mentioned in your module include…
Seneca
This playwright was a comedian who borrowed from the Greeks. Rather than focusing on Kings and heroes, his characters inhabit middle and lower class lives. His writing is often disparaged as being ‘low comedy’. Who is this?
Plautus
“No guest is so welcome in a friend’s house that he will not become a nuisance in three days.” This quote is an example of the playwright’s focus on everyday life. Who is he?
Plautus
It’s believed that —— was of African descent. One recent and unconfirmed source claims he was Tunisian. He, too, borrowed from the Greeks, but his writing style and intellectual humor have often been cited as a reason to consider him a superior playwright. His plays are often referred to as being ‘high comedy.’ Who is he?
Terence
“She never was very charming till she died”. This is an example of the humor of…
Terence
——- was a Senator and it has been hotly debated whether his tragic plays were ever performed in public during his lifetime. However, the impact of his writing is undoubted. He wrote tragedies and was credited for creating raging and sorrowful Tragic Rants – a form of extended and heightened monologue.
None of the above
“Religion is regarded as truth by the common people, but the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful”. I find this quote to be quite amusing coming from a Senator and tragic playwright! Who is it?
Seneca
The Holy Roman Empire is another reference to…
The Catholoic Church
One of the first things the Church did was to BAN ALL theatre. They went further and banned ALL storytellers. The official terminology was…
Branded as infamous
Who is the patron saint of actor, theives, and whores?
Genesius
So why ban theatre and story?
- story often was told by a shaman/holy men of other faiths
- a desire to controll all story for themselves
- controlling storytellers was a lot easier than controlling hostile armies
(all of the above)
The Catholic Church needed and ultimate weapon after the fall of Rome. What did they use?
Excommunication
How long did the ban on theatre in western Europe last during the Medieval period?
Centuries
Legall theatre appeared again (after the ban) in a surprising place. Where?
The church
Liturgical Drama generally was held in a specific place. Where?
A cathedral
England’s Bishop Ethelwold (963-984) wrote a doctrine of rules that outlined what was permissible to perform in Churches. What was it called?
The Concordia Regularus
Where does Secular Drama take place?
Basically, anywhere other than a church
Another way of indicating that you are using the ‘common spoken tongue of a region’ would be…
Using the vernacular
The first short play we have recorded that appeared in a church after the ban was ——-. Roughly translated as “Whom Do You Seek” It was an instant hit.
The Qhem Quaeritis
Who essentially chased theatre out of the church?
Satan
If you found a Hell Mouth, what might is be?
Dancing Demons
