Final answer:
Roman Comedy was an adaptation of Greek New Comedy, tailored to Roman tastes by playwrights like Plautus and Terence. This comedic form, full of stock characters and farce, influenced later styles like Commedia Dell'arte and Shakespearean comedy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Roman Comedy is a direct outgrowth of Greek New Comedy. When Rome expanded, they encountered the comedic traditions of the Greek theatre, which they then adapted to their own culture.
This adaptation led to the introduction of Roman playwrights like Plautus and Terence, who wrote what is known as fabula palliata, or Roman comedy, which was a blend of Greek comedic forms tailored to Roman tastes. Plautus, in particular, reworked Greek works to suit Roman audiences, creating comedies full of stock characters and farcical situations that later influenced forms of comedy such as Commedia Dell'arte and works by Shakespeare.
Comedy in this context is characterized by entertaining plots revolving around everyday characters, often ending happily, and typically featuring elements such as mistaken identities, misunderstandings, and comedic scenarios not involving a chorus or addressing political issues.