• Overview
• Staging information
• Translations
• Sample translations
• Production history

Scene

This is a four-act play, written before a three-act structure was firmly established as the norm for the comedia.

Staging

The scenes shift back and forth between the Roman army camp and inside the walls of the Numantian city. Act one takes place outside the walls, in the Roman army camp. The wall that separates the Numantians from the Romans should be part of the set, as characters walk along the wall. The wall should have a tower built into it, for the young boy throws himself from the tower to his death in the final scene.  In the first act, trumpets sound, and the soldiers are dressed in the style of ancient Roman warriors. Act two begins inside the city walls, in Numancia. Marquino is dressed as a magician. There is a Numantian ritual that takes place in this act which is meticulously described in the stage directions: two ancient priests lead a ram in by the horns, and his horns are decorated with olive branches and flowers. The ram is followed in by a series of pages dressed as Numantians carrying a variety of items: two silver fonts with towels, pitchers of water and jugs of wine, incense, and a brazier with fire and firewood. The pages lay a table with a tablecloth and place the items upon it. The ritual involves sprinkling wine into the fire and burning incense, and taking some wool from the ram and scattering it to the wind. Then a devil comes up through a hole in the floor and carries off the ram, accompanied by pyrotechnics. Marquino comes back in an oversize black robe and a black wig, with three vials on his belt: one with clear water, one with black water and another with water that is saffron-coloured. He carries a black lance and a book. He abuses and thrashes a Corpse, who then returns to his grave but is still visible until he goes down into the ground, and Marquino throws himself in after it. Back in the Roman camp in the third act, a trumpet is heard, and Caravino holds a Numantian flag up on the city wall. Four women of Numancia enter with babes in arms. Behind the wall in the city, the Numantians are burning their belongings; they run on and off stage with clothes, textiles and furniture, as the blaze can be offstage. There are women and children crying. In the fourth and final act, we hear a call to arms in the Roman camp.  Marandro is injured and he bleeds, carrying his basket of bread. There is a lot of blood in the final act, and Numantian men, women and children die as the city is burning. At the end, Bariatus speaks to Scipio from atop the tower in the city wall, and he jumps to his death.

The personified figures in the play are Spain, the River Duero and three tributary rivers, also War, Pestilence, Hunger and Fame. They are dressed symbolically to indicate what they represent. Spain wears a crown of towers and holds a castle in her hand. The River Duero and three tributary rivers (played by boys) dress in willows with white poplar leaves: War has a spear and a shield, Pestilence balances on a crutch with her head bandaged, and wears a yellow mask, and Hunger wears a gown and a pale, stained mask, carrying a small figure of a naked corpse. Fame wears all white. (less)

The scenes shift back and forth between the Roman army camp and inside the walls of the Numantian city. Act one takes place outside the walls, in the Roman army camp. The wall that sepa... (Read more...)

Cast number

Minimum	Maximum
8 males	46 males
3 females	9 females
11 (total)	55 (total)

Cast information

The number of cast members could vary widely, according to various doubling choices and the number of attendants, townspeople and soldiers.

Characters

• SCIPIO, Roman General
• JUGURTHA, Roman
• CAIUS MARIUS, Roman
• QUINTUS FABIUS, Roman
• CAIUS, Roman
• ERMILUS, Roman
• LIMPIUS, Roman
• NUMANTIAN AMBASSADORS  (2)
• ROMAN SOLDIERS (4)
• SPAIN, Personified
• THE RIVER DUERO, Personified
• BOYS (3), Representing small rivers feeding into the Duero
• THEOGENES, Numantian
• THEOGENES’S WIFE
• THEOGENES’S TWO SONS
• THEOGENES’S DAUGHTER
• CARAVINO, Numantian
• NUMANTIAN GOVERNORS (2)
• MARQUINO, Magician, Numantian
• MARANDRO, Numantian, betrothed to Lira
• LEONICIO, Numantian, Marandro’s friend
• NUMANTIAN PRIESTS (2)
• NUMANTIAN PAGES (about 7)
• NUMANTIAN MAN, Unnamed
• MILBIO, Numantian
• THE DEVIL
• A CORPSE
• NUMANTIAN WOMEN (about 4)
• LIRA, Betrothed to Marandro
• NUMANTIAN CITIZENS, Including a Woman and her Son
• LIRA’S BROTHER
• NUMANTIAN SOLDIERS
• WAR, Personified
• PESTILENCE, Personified
• HUNGER, Personified
• SERVIUS, A boy, friend of BARIATUS
• BARIATUS, Boy who leaps off the tower at the end

FAME, Personified

Entry written by Kathleen Jeffs. Last updated on 4 October 2010.

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