The Dramatic Values in Plautus | Page 7

as he pretended to be, and in large measure the answer to the
original question: "What manner of drama is this?"
We say only "in large measure," because it is part of our endeavor to
settle accurately the position of our author in the dramatic scale,
considered of necessity from the modern viewpoint. We cannot believe
that he had any pretensions to refined art in play building, or rather
rebuilding, or to any superficial elegance of style, or to any moralizing
pose. We believe him an entertainer pure and simple, who never
restricted himself in his means except by the outer conventions and
form of the Greek New Comedy and the Roman stage, provided his
single aim, that of affording amusement, was attained. To establish this
belief, and at the same time to interpret accurately the nature of his
plays and the means and effect of their production, is our thesis.
If then we run the gamut of the dramatic scale, we observe that as we
descend from the higher forms, such as tragedy, psychological drama
and "straight comedy," to the lower, such as musical comedy and
burlesque, the license allowed playwright and actor increases so
radically that we have a difference of kind rather than of degree.
Certain conventions of course are common to all types. The "missing
fourth side" of the room is a commonplace recognized by all. If we
ourselves are never in the habit of communicating the contents of our
letters, as we write, to a doubtless appreciative atmosphere, we never
cavil at such an act on the stage. The stage whisper and aside, too, we
accept with benevolent indulgence; but it is worth noting that in the
attempted verisimilitude of the modern "legitimate" drama, the aside
has well nigh vanished. As we go down the scale through light comedy
and broad farce these conventions multiply rapidly.
With the introduction of music come further absurdities. Melodious
voicing of our thoughts is in itself essentially unnatural, to say the least.
Grand opera, great art form as it may be, is hopelessly artificial. Indeed,

so far is it removed from the plane of every day existence that we are
rudely jolted by the introduction of too commonplace a thought, as
when Sharpless in the English version of "Madame Butterfly" warbles
mellifluously: "Highball or straight?" And when we reach musical
comedy and vaudeville, all thought of drama, technically speaking, is
abandoned in watching the capers of the "merry-merry" or the
outrageous "Dutch" comedian wielding his deadly newspaper.
It is important for our immediate purposes to note: first, (as aforesaid),
that the amount of license allowed author and actor increases
immeasurably as we go down the scale; second, that the degree of
familiarity with the audience and cognizance of the spectator's
existence varies inversely as the degree of dramatic value. Thus, at one
end of the scale we have, for instance, Mrs. Fiske, whose fondness for
playing to the centre of the stage and ignoring the audience is
commented upon as a mannerism; at the other, the low comedian who
says his say or sings his song directly at the audience and converses
gaily with them as his boon companions. Now it will be shown that
familiar address of the audience and the singing of monodies to musical
accompaniment are essential features of Plautus' style, and many other
implements of the lower types of modern drama are among his favorite
devices. If then we can place Plautus toward the bottom of the scale, we
relieve him vastly of responsibility as a dramatist and of the necessity
of adherence to verisimilitude. Where does he actually belong? The
answer must be sought in a detailed consideration of his methods of
producing his effects and in an endeavor to ascertain how far the
audience and the acting contributed to them.

§2. The Performance
[Sidenote: The Audience] As it is perfectly patent that every practical
playwright must cater to his public, the audience is an essential feature
in our discussion. The audience of Plautus was not of a high class.
Terence, even in later times, when education had materially progressed,
often failed to reach them by over-finesse. Plautus with his bold brush
pleased them. Surely a turbulent and motley throng they were, with the

native violence of the sun-warmed Italic temperament and the abundant
animal spirits of a crude civilization, tumbling into the theatre in the
full enjoyment of holiday, scrambling for vantage points on the sloping
ground, if such were handy, or a good spot for their camp-stools. In
view of the uncertainty as to the actual site of the original performances,
this portraiture is "atmospheric" rather than "photographic." (See
Saunders in TAPA. XLIV, 1913). At any rate, we have ample evidence
of the turbulence of the early Roman audience. (Ter. Prol. Hec. 39-42,