Prólogo: uma ponte para a construção poética da comédia latina

Abstract

This dissertation is intended as a contribution for the studies regarding the comic drama developed in Rome by Titus Macius Plautus and Publius (254 - 184 BC) Terentius Afer (190 - 159 BC) during the third and second centuries BC. Among the main themes of this research are: the influences and repercussions of the greek comedy on the latin comic genus, the proximities and distancing from the poetic elements in Plautus and Terence, and the process of breaking the dramatic illusion during the prologues of those composers' works. The prologue is the fundamental part of this research, as it dwells on subjects that facilitate the construction of ideas regarding the roman theater in antiquity. As such, we intend to translate, analyze and describe the prologues of the comedies Captivi, Poenulus and Amphitryon by Plautus, as well as Adelphoe, Eunuchus and Hecyra by Terence. Those prologues contain elements that explain theater itself and, for that reason, will be utilized as empirical material for this investigation. In the same manner, the greek comic theater plays by Aristophanes (445 - 383 BC), The Birds and The Frogs and the only version available to us of Menander (343 - 292 BC), Dyscolos, are also part of this work, as such works influenced the roman comic production. As the theoretical basis for deepening the analysis of the poetic texts, we use the following works: Poetics by Aristotle (384-322 BC), Republic by Plato (427-347 BC), Ars Poetica by Horace (65-8 BC) and Lectures on Aesthetics by Hegel (1770-1830), as they possess considerations regarding both content and form of the comedy, as such they are dear to the objective of this investigation