The togata and the construction of 'Roman' identity in the mid Republic

Abstract

This thesis aims to be the first monograph in English on the togata, a ‘Roman’ dramatic genre, which I analyse as a source for the construction of ‘Roman’ identity in the mid Republic, that is to say, for the definition of the characteristics and beliefs that allegedly distinguished the identity of the Roman people (and their culture and literature) from (the identity of) others, according to the Romans themselves. In my investigation of the togata, I search for elements of identity, understood as a construct that is both literary and cultural. That the togata was engaged with the construction of a literary identity is shown, above all, by the fact that, as far as the extant evidence shows, it was written in Latin, not in Greek (a fact which should not be taken for granted), and also by the fact that the fragments contain a restricted number of Greek borrowings. Togata plays were set in Rome or in Italian territory under the control of the Romans; the genre featured characters who had (often though not exclusively) Roman names; and it was anchored in a Roman literary tradition (above all that of Plautus) as regards themes, genre conventions, character-behaviour, style and language. The cultural dimension of this form of identity construction is shown, for instance, in the treatment of characters, some of whom display features that reflect specific traits of Roman society (such as the uxor dotata, that is, the dowered wife). The construction of ‘Roman’ identity traceable in the togata, in both of the senses noted already, did not involve, however, a complete dissociation from sources of foreign influence, according to a monolithic conception of identity. Greek literary models exerted influence on the togata (in some cases this influence was explicitly recognised), and even provided the blueprint for the codification of what is (or should be) specifically Roman. Moreover, the world of the togata was multicultural and multilingual, featuring characters with non-Roman (especially Greek) names, who, nonetheless, were integrated into a hierarchical framework in which the Romans were at the top, socially and morally. My main aim then is to explore the problematic corpus of the togata in search of evidence that may help to shed light on the complex process of constructing ‘Roman’ identity in the mid Republic. The results of my work contribute to current scholarly discourses on identity, Greek and Roman drama, and gender.