Materiality and Communication

This article analyses the role of ritual actions, accompanied by specific objects and
gestures on the Republican stage, and how they function as communicative acts
that establish a connection between the characters and the gods in the Republican
comedies of Plautus and Terence. A flexible concept of 'materiality' is proposed by
focusing on the interplay between rituals, gestures, objects, and language on stage,
all of which are treated as material signs that create an observable social reality. The
comedies set within the Roman ludi use rituals not only as religious acts, but also
as tools for negotiating social roles and norms. While Plautus often stages rituals as
tangible actions involving objects, Terence relies on narrative descriptions, allowing
the audience to imagine the ritual through language. The first part of the article
analyses how the interaction between materiality and language allows the audience
to reflect on both the divine and the social dimensions of rituals, often shifting the
focus from the ritual's success to its cultural significance. The second part of the
article explores how staged or implied rituals function as mechanisms of deception
and social manipulation, reinforcing or challenging social realities. By integrating
theories of ritual communication, this article shows that these comedies present
rituals not only as ritual acts, but as powerful means of social negotiation within the
theatrical context.