Juvenilia ✔/ a Nonfiction Undergraduate University Collection

On Hrotswitha - A Seminar

ENGLISH 3863

Early Dramatic Theory

October 26th, 2021

On Hrotswitha

Little is known about Hrotswitha of Gandersheim, but what little we know can be surmised from the survival of a portion of her work. She lived in the Abbey in Gandersheim, (modern-day Lower Saxony in Germany), during the Ottonian Dynasty, circa 935-1002 CE. 

*(Her name is known by various spellings, but for consistency's sake, I will stick to "Hrotswitha" unless directly quoting a source that specifically deviates.)

Nothing substantial is known about her life – we don't know who her family was, but it is widely speculated that she must have come from a noble family to have an education as extensive as hers. In addition, we do not know when she joined the Gandersheim Abbey as a nun, even approximately, whether it was in her youth or in later years.

Her work is remarkable for several reasons: first and foremost, she is the first female playwright that we know of; secondly, she was the first to attempt writing plays since the fall of Rome, an art form that was previously reserved only for men. Finally, she was a woman who was clearly well educated, not only in language, but in ancient literature, and theology as she was able to write Christian plays and poetry in Latin verse.

She mentions that she drew influence from Virgil, Horace, Plautus, and Terence as case studies; in addition, she states that despite the beliefs of ancient writers, Terence in particular, that she was not influenced by the pagan nature of their plays, and instead, sought to replicate the form to pave the way for Christian mythology to be preserved in a similar way. 

Hrotswitha's plays, Gallicanus and Dulcitus, are concerned with the nature of chastity and the grace that women can attain if they are devoted to God.

In Hrotswitha's plays, Gallicanus and Dulcitus, we see young women who are steadfast in their devotion to God and will do everything in their power to remain faithful to their beliefs and to God. Though the circumstances between the plots are altogether different, there is a similarity between the success of God. There is a certain naivety that comes across in how the plays are handled, and between the two, there are – form-wise – odd transitions.

The first of the two assigned plays for Hrotswitha, Gallicanus, is about the conversion of Gallicanus, a general that defeated the Scythians for Emperor Constantine. The general desires a reward fitting the task set before him, and he says he loves Constantine's daughter, Constance, and that he desires the emperor's daughter's hand in marriage in payment for his efforts on behalf of the empire. 

Constantine says he must consult his daughter first, and when consulted, Constance disagrees with the prospect and devises a plan to get out of it; she is a virgin devoted to God, and to marry goes against her belief, so she places faith in God that he will design events to convert Gallicanus so the marriage agreement falls through.

The general goes off to battle aided by John and Paul, two men devoted to Constance, and they convert the general to Christianity when he sees he is about to lose the battle. Once he converts, the battle is easily won through a single conversation, and Gallicanus comes home victorious because of his newfound faith. 

As a result, he no longer wishes to pursue Constance's hand in marriage, much to the relief of Constantine and Constance, and wishes to be baptized and celibate. Later, he is exiled and killed by Julian the Apostate. John and Paul are also put to death after denying a conversion back to Pagan ways.

After the deed was done, the son of Julian the Apostate became possessed by the devil until he confessed the actions of his father. Upon confession, both Julian and the son are baptized and converted to Christianity.