Teatro, cotidiano e poder na civitas romana: Plauto e a representação dos cartagineses(séculos III e II a.C.)

Abstract

In this dissertation we seek to examine the popular representation of the Carthaginians in Rome between the end of the 3rd and the beginning of the 2nd century BC, in the context of the end of the Second Punic War until 184 BC. Using as source the Varronian corpus of the comedies of Plautus, we analyzed the representation of the Carthaginians transmitted by these plays. The comedies, since they were staged during the ludi scaenici, which happened during the roman festivals, were part of the political and religious life in Rome and attracted to the presentations a portion of the Roman population. This population was constituted by some ethnic variation and divided into different social strata, probably represented in the audience. The comedies of Plautus, though set in a Greek scenario, are pervaded by situations from the Roman daily life, recognized by the audience. Among these daily life situations and events were the wars and the presence of Carthaginians, known by the Roman population for centuries and enemies during the first two Punic Wars. The Carthaginians were therefore known in Rome. Consequently, their representation by Plautus in his comedies is the result of the appropriation, by the writer, of the Roman impressions and stereotypes on the Carthaginians and their sharing through the character presented on stage. Hence, the Carthaginian of Plautus is the Carthaginian representation shared by the Romans. However, the Carthaginian representation in the comedies, even stereotyped, changes with time: the foe’s representation, over the years, it also has positive characteristics. There is, therefore, a contrast between the Carthaginians’ representation by Plautus during the end of the Second Punic War and its representation around fifteen years later. As this representation was shared by the audience, it meant in each period the externalization, or the translation to the comedy language, of the Carthaginian’s representation shared by a portion of the Roman population. In this way, we seek to demonstrate that the theater of Plautus, when dealing with everyday elements of the city of Rome, aloud us the recovery of the Carthaginians’ stereotyped representation between the last years of the Second Punic War (218 to 202 BC) and the first years of the 2nd century until 184 BC, the year of Plautus death.