The Roman theatre - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Roman City Life) Exam Questions

Practise 28 exam-style questions on The Roman theatre for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Roman City Life). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

28 questions
1–15 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

In Plautus' comedy Menaechmi, a character called Peniculus ('Little Brush', because he sweeps the dinner table clean) attaches himself to a rich young man and flatters him in return for free dinners.

What type of stock character is Peniculus?

Model answer

He is the parasite.

Explanation

The parasite is a stock character of Roman comedy, taken from Greek New Comedy: a hungry hanger-on who lives off a richer man by flattery, jokes and running errands, and whose name often refers to food or eating. Other examples are Artotrogus ('Bread-nibbler') in Plautus' Miles Gloriosus and Gnatho in Terence's Eunuchus.

Mark scheme

1 mark
The parasite (parasitus)
Accept 'a hanger-on', 'a sponger'. Do not accept clever slave, flatterer alone without the idea of living off a patron, or boastful soldier.

Question 2

2 marks

Source A: Suetonius, Life of Augustus 45

'He banished Pylades from Rome and Italy because, when a spectator hissed him, he pointed him out with his finger and made everyone look at him.'

What does Source A suggest about the position of actors in Roman society? Make two points.

Model answer

Source A suggests that actors had low status, because even Pylades, the most famous dancer in Rome, could be banished for simply pointing at a spectator. It also suggests that the emperor kept tight control over the theatre and would not let a performer humiliate a member of the audience.

Explanation

Actors usually suffered infamia, a legal disgrace, and magistrates could beat them; Augustus limited that power to the games and the theatre but still punished actors harshly. Pylades was later allowed back, which shows that stars were also too popular to lose. Good answers link the punishment to status, not just retell the story.

Mark scheme

2 marks
Any two from: actors could be punished severely, even for small offences (exiled for pointing at a spectator); they had low status / few rights compared with citizens; the emperor personally controlled / kept order in the theatre; even a star performer (Pylades was the most famous dancer of his day) was not protected by his fame; the audience had the right to show disapproval (hissing) and the actor was expected to accept it; actors were in the public eye / famous enough for the emperor to deal with them himself.
1 mark for each different point, max 2. Points should be linked to Source A.

Question 3

4 marks

Source A: Terence, The Mother-in-Law (Hecyra), from the prologue. The actor-manager explains to the audience what happened at earlier attempts to stage the play.

'When I first began to perform it, the fame of some boxers - and on top of that, people were expecting a tightrope walker - the crowds of their supporters, the noise and the shrieking of women forced me off the stage before the end. ... I put it on a second time. The first act was going well, when a rumour spread that there was going to be a show of gladiators. The people rushed together, rioted, shouted and fought for places, and I could not keep mine.'

What impressions do you gain of Roman theatre audiences in this passage? Make two points.

Model answer

Roman audiences were easily distracted and preferred spectacle to drama: at the first performance they were drawn away by boxers and a tightrope walker, and at the second they rushed off when they heard there would be gladiators. They were also noisy and violent, because they 'rioted, shouted and fought for places'.

Explanation

Terence's plays were performed at festivals on temporary stages where several entertainments competed for the crowd; The Mother-in-Law failed twice before succeeding at a third attempt. The prologue is famous evidence that Roman audiences wanted excitement and spectacle, which helps explain the later popularity of mime and pantomime.

Mark scheme

2 marks
First point with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression of Roman theatre audiences, 1 mark for a relevant reference or quotation from the passage that supports it. The two marks are independent: award 1 for a valid point even if no evidence is given, and 1 for a relevant quotation from, reference to or close paraphrase of the source even if the point is missing, weak or wrong.
Two pairs from, e.g.: audiences were easily distracted / had little patience with plays (1) - they left for boxers, a tightrope walker or gladiators (1); they preferred exciting spectacles to drama (1) - the rumour of gladiators made them rush off (1); they were noisy and unruly (1) - 'the noise and the shrieking of women' (1); they could be violent (1) - they 'rioted, shouted and fought for places' (1); women were part of the audience (1) - 'the shrieking of women' (1); the audience had the power to stop a performance (1) - the actor-manager was 'forced off the stage before the end' (1); performers had rival fans (1) - 'the crowds of their supporters' (1). The second pair must make a different point from the first. Credit a relevant reference (1) even if the impression is weak. Points must come from the passage.
2 marks
Second, different point with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression of Roman theatre audiences, 1 mark for a relevant reference or quotation from the passage that supports it. The two marks are independent: award 1 for a valid point even if no evidence is given, and 1 for a relevant quotation from, reference to or close paraphrase of the source even if the point is missing, weak or wrong.
As above; must be a different impression from the first point.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: Tacitus, Annals 1.77, describing events in AD 15

'The disorder in the theatre, which had begun the year before, now broke out more seriously. Not only some of the common people but also soldiers and a centurion were killed, and a tribune of the praetorian guard was wounded, while they were trying to stop insults against the magistrates and quarrelling in the crowd. ... Finally the Senate decreed that no senator should enter the house of a pantomime dancer, that Roman equites should not crowd round them when they went out in public, that they should not be watched anywhere except in the theatre, and that the praetors should have the power to punish disorderly spectators with exile.'

To what extent were actors admired rather than despised in Roman society? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Source A shows that pantomime dancers were admired so passionately that it caused serious trouble. The rivalry of their fans led to riots in which soldiers and a centurion were killed. Even senators visited dancers' houses and Roman equites crowded round them in the street, so the Senate had to ban both. Stars clearly attracted the admiration of rich and poor alike.

Other evidence supports this. Pylades and Bathyllus had rival groups of fans, and Bathyllus was a favourite of Maecenas, Augustus' close friend. Caligula kissed the dancer Mnester in public and had anyone who made a noise during his performance flogged. In the late Republic, the comic actor Roscius was rich and was given equestrian rank by Sulla, and the tragic actor Aesopus was a friend of Cicero.

Yet the decree itself shows that actors were despised. Senators were forbidden to visit them because it was thought beneath their dignity. Most actors were slaves or freedmen, and actors suffered infamia, a legal disgrace that removed political rights and allowed magistrates to beat them; senators could not marry actresses. Augustus banished Pylades for pointing at a spectator who hissed him. When Julius Caesar made the equestrian Laberius act in one of his own mimes, Laberius complained that he had left home an eques and would return a mime actor. Upper-class writers saw Nero's appearances on stage as a disgrace.

Overall, individual stars were adored, sometimes even by senators, but actors as a group were legally and socially despised. The two attitudes existed side by side: Romans loved the performers while looking down on the profession.

Explanation

Strong answers notice the paradox in Source A - the Senate had to stop upper-class Romans from mixing with the very dancers whose profession was legally disgraced - and use it to build a balanced judgement. Retelling the riot without discussing status stays in Level 2.

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks). AO1 (4) and AO2 (4) are equally weighted.
Level 4 (7-8 marks): consistently accurate and detailed knowledge of the evidence for the reputation and social standing of actors, actresses and dancers (their legal status, wealth, fans, relations with emperors, riots), using both Source A and own wider knowledge; very good understanding of the cultural context and possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear, substantiated judgement on how far actors were admired rather than despised, supported by a range of well-selected evidence, including critical analysis.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): accurate knowledge, using both Source A and own knowledge; a focused response with relevant analysis and a judgement.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic of actors' status; limited range of evidence; some analysis.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): limited knowledge, may only use Source A; isolated analysis.
0 marks: no response or no response worthy of credit.
A mainly descriptive or narrative answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A - riots linked to rival fans of pantomime dancers left soldiers dead; senators visited dancers' houses and equites crowded round them in public, so the Senate had to ban this; dancers could only be watched in the theatre. Admired: stars such as Pylades and Bathyllus had passionate fans; Bathyllus was a favourite of Maecenas; Caligula kissed the dancer Mnester in public; the comic actor Roscius was rich and given equestrian rank by Sulla, and the tragic actor Aesopus was Cicero's friend; mime actresses such as Cytheris were famous. Despised: most actors were slaves or freedmen; actors suffered infamia - legal disgrace, no political rights, could be beaten by magistrates; senators were forbidden to marry actresses; Augustus banished Pylades and had actors flogged; the equestrian Laberius complained of disgrace when Caesar made him act in his own mime; mime was thought crude and actresses immoral; Nero's performing was seen as shameful for an emperor. AO2: the decree in Source A shows admiration by the very upper classes who officially despised actors - fame and status pulled in opposite directions; popularity was a danger to public order, which made the authorities hostile; the legal position (infamia) was fixed, while admiration depended on individual stars; ordinary actors were neither rich nor adored; sources are mostly upper-class and moralising. Possible judgement: star performers were adored, but actors as a group were legally and socially despised.

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