Hypothekai (Jun 2018)
The Pedagogical Attraction of Terentian Dramaturgy
Abstract
Since Cicero’s time and all the way to the modern era, Terence’s plays have been studied for their pedagogical value, located in three particular areas. Foremost, Terence’s works were valued for their choice of language and charm of style (cf. Cicero ad Att. 7.3.10 elegantiam sermonis; also Quintilian, inst. 10.1.90 praised Terence’s prose as in hoc genere elegantissima). From the Renaissance on Terence was a reference source of correct colloquial Latin. Secondly, Terence’s characters were distinguished by their ‘humanity’, meaning their idealized depiction of human character, and were interpreted as exempla of civic conduct and morality. Thirdly, Terence invented the concept of suspense in a dramatic performance. By eliminating from his plays information about the resolution of the plot, and, especially in the Hecyra, by abolishing the traditional plot as such, Terence inspired the rebirth of drama in the modern era. Two less studied aspects of Terence’ dramas, with respect to pedagogical interest, comprise their firm awareness of contemporary politics and social tensions, and tendency to assess and illustrate them. In the present paper, I discuss the different ways in which Terence’s plays engage a) in critical dialogue with the conventions of comic dramaturgy and stereotypical characterization, and b) in sociopolitical commentary of issues of broad public interest, even though he reproduced the allegedly apolitical plots of Menander’s dramas. Following an overview of the background of Terence’s work (his predecessors and the characteristics of his dramaturgy that set him apart from the earlier masters of the palliata genre, most notably Plautus), and his special attraction to Menander, I will focus on two casestudies that illustrate how Terence’s engagement with dramaturgical conventions and traditional, firmly established social norms may have been employed to provoke, but also educate and instruct
Keywords
