I. Lit., the stage, boards, scene of a theatre: “dum histrio in scaenă siet,” Plaut. Poen. prol. 20: “in scaenă esse Roscium intellegat,” Cic. Brut. 84, 290: “foris hic extra scaenam fient proelia,” Plaut. Capt. prol. 60: “cum scaena croco Cilici perfusa recens est,” Lucr. 2, 416: “scaenaique simul varios splendere decores,” id. 4, 983: “scaenae magnificentia,” Cic. Mur. 19, 38: “nec vero scaena solum referta est his sceleribus,” id. N. D. 3, 27, 69: “vel scaena ut versis discedat frontibus,” Verg. G. 3, 24; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 205 et saep.—Plur.: “columnas excidunt, scaenis decora alta futuris,” a theatre, Verg. A. 1, 429: aut Agamemnonius scaenis agitatus Orestes, on the stage, i. e. in tragedies, Verg. A. 4, 471: “aut agitur res in scaenis,” Hor. A. P. 179.—
B. Transf.
1. Of a place like a scene of a theatre, Verg. A. 1, 164.—
2. (Post-Aug.) Of the schools of rhetoric, as scenes for the display of eloquence: “at nunc adulescentuli deducuntur in scaenas scholasticorum, qui rhetores vocantur,” Tac. Or. 35; cf. Plin Ep. 7, 17, 9.—
II. Trop.
1. The public stage, the public: “quia maxima quasi oratori scaena videatur contionis,” Cic. de Or. 2, 83, 338; id. Planc. 12, 29: “ubi se a vulgo et scaena in secreta remorant Virtus Scipiadae et mitis sapientia Laeli,” Hor. S. 2, 1, 71.—Prov.: scaenae servire, to show one's self, live in the public eye, Cic. Ep. ad Brut. 8, 2.—
2. Outward show, parade, pretext: scaena rei totius haec: Pompeius, tamquam Caesarem non impugnet, etc., Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 11, 3; cf.: “ne quid scaenae deesset,” Petr. 117, 10; Suet. Calig. 15: “scaenam ultro criminis parat,” Tac. A. 14, 7 fin.—