COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE

The Historical BackgroundItaly in the High-Middle Ages

• Southern Italy in the 13th and 14th century was partitioned between many small countries

• The Northern Part was highly developed because of the strong trade links after the crusades

• The European economical boom of that era was highly experienced in Italy

• The agriculture flourished in the inner city-states• The Italian Mediterranean routes were also major

sources of knowledge and cultural exchange• There were constant wars for dominance between

the city-states followed by a peaceful period at the end of 14th century

The Renaissance in Italy• A period of Great cultural achievement in

Europe, it encompasses the period between the end of the 14th century to about 1600

• The Italian Renaissance is considered to be the opening stage of the entire epoch in Europe

• It marks the transition between the Medieval Ages to the Early Modern Age

• The Italian Renaissance began in Tuscany, Florence and Siena

• Some of the most important figures of the era are Petrarch, Machiavelli, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Castiglione

• Reawakened interests in Ancient Greek and Roman thought and achievements

• As a cultural movement the Renaissance affected only small portions of the society

The Italian Theater• The Ancient legacy was revived and this led to

occasional performances of Roman comedies in many small states in Italy – known as Neoclassicism

• The initial purpose of the Italian Theater was to reflect the glory and power of the ruler in power

• Another major feature was the desire to read and understand the basics of the works of Aristotle, Horace and other prominent ancient philosophers

• The Renaissance Drama began developing in Italy at that time, marking the end of medieval practices

• Fantasy and supernatural elements were avoided in neoclassical plays

• The chorus and soliloquies were also discouraged. Reality was stressed in drama plays along with plays that teach moral lessons

The Italian Theater (cont)• The creation of a frame (proscenium arch) for the

pictorialized scenery became standard and remains so – the oldest theatre with permanent proscenium is Teatro Farnese in Parma, built in 1618

• The themes and topics of the Italian plays were drawn from ancient mythology

• At first the Italians did not have any permanent theatre halls. They used to set up temporary performance stages in large halls, used for different purposes

• The acceptance of perspective scenery brought the foundation of movement from architectural to representational and pictorial stage – the stage can be modified according the specific production

• The architectural methods of perspectives gave the audience the illusion of distance and depth

Sebastiano Serlio’s Stage

• A prominent Italian architect known for his high-quality illusions and plans for theatrical scenery and stages

• His Architettura Book II (1545), interpreted what he thought were classic ideas on perspective and the periaktoi and published the first designs on the definitive types of sets to be used—for tragedy, palaces; for comedy, street scenes; for satyr plays, the countryside.

Commedia Dell’arte• It means – “Comedy of Art” or “Comedy of the

profession” – opposite to the literary comedy “Commedia Erudita”

• It began in the 15th century and kept its popularity until the late 18th century (still performed today in some theatres in Italy)

• For the first time women had the right to participate in theatrical production (in contrast to the Elizabethan age). The number of female roles increased, even though these didn’t become as permanent and deep as the male characters

Commedia Dell’arte• The troupe consisted usually of 10 people (7

men and 3 women), traveling around the country

• The plays were supported at the beginning by donations and the were free to watch

• The plays were held outside initially with poor props and modest costumes

• Outside Italy it was known as “Italian Comedy”• Improvised drama, implying the subject

matter of the play than the manner of performance of the actors

• Some of the plays can be traced back to the plays of Plautus and Terence

Commedia Dell’arte• The play was adjusted though improvisation

and most of the plays had satiric character• Characters in plays were portrayed by actors

wearing masks• Amusement in the form of acrobatics and

juggling was also provided• The material was divided into acts and scenes

with a prologue• The situation (scenario) had been clearly

determined and outlined, although the actors improvised the dialogue and the action to some extent

Commedia Dell’arte• The performances created the impression of

spontaneity because the behavior of the actors was quite unexpected by the other actors on the stage

• The actor was the “heart” and the emphasis of the play

• There were few scenarios which were tragic, melodramatic, musical, and most of them were comic, revolving around love affairs, intrigues, disguises and others

• Many actors were required to record appropriate sentiments from poetry and popular literature

The Stock Characters• Lovers – the had the most realistic roles. They gained

popularity very fast because they did not wear masks and were dressed according to the latest fashion trends at that time. Usually the “lovers” were children of the “Masters”. Their affairs were directly related to the opposition of their parents

• Masters – The plutocrats, rich merchants, bank owners and ship owners. E.g. Pantalone, Dottore, and Capitano. They had dual characteristics. They were intelligent and braggart, but later their controversial personality is revealed by the plot

• Servants – Most of them were male actors. They were the most diversified part of the plays. E.g. – Arlecchino, Pulcinelo and others

The Stock Characters• Arlecchino – a poor and illiterate servant from Bergamo, who

sought for his fortune in Venice. He is also an acrobat and a clown. Arlecchino was originally created in the French Theatre, but later he was adapted by the Italians

• Brighella – A friend of Arlecchino, who always being made the joke of. He was always not allowed to do something but his eagerness brought him into very funny situations

• Columbina – a maidservant, a lover of Arlecchino. She is intelligent and in many cases she gets involved into love intrigues and scandals

• Pantalone – and old, rich and miserly merchant from Venice. He employs Arlecchino and treats him cruelly. He always speaks in a Venetian dialect

• Pedrolino – A kind and courteous servant who has always been blamed for the others’ troubles and things he has never done.

The Masks• They played crucial role in Commedia Dell’arte• All personages (except the “lovers”) wore color

leather masks• They were used to resemble and utilize the

personages and also to extinguish them from each other

• As a means of character identification they demanded extremely advanced mimicry and sometimes acrobatics

• Many of them were similar to masks used in the Ancient Roman Theatre

Zanni – The Clowns

The Zanni include…• Brighella• Columbina• ArlechinnoThe clowns were typically servantsin the scenarios, providing the laughter.

Brighella• Personality

– crafty, quick, unscrupulous– thrives on double dealings,

intrigues, and foul play– sometimes depicted as an

innkeeper, shop owner, valet, or soldier

– cynical liar who only looks out for himself

– He is sleazy, seductive, dangerous.

– He is a drunkard and boisterous.

• Physically– lazy but can move quickly– He slinks without

muscular effort– Always ready to pounce– He might blithely be

cleaning his nails with the knife which will soon cut a throat.

– He gets very close to people when he speaks.

– He can sing and dance, and drink with the best of them.

– His costume is usually trimmed in green.

Brighella

                          

          

Columbina• Personality

– female servants – fresh and frisky,

sometimes crafty, and often without morals

– makes use of disquises, dressing up as doctors, cavaliers, barristers, and other servants

– often the smartest character in a scenario

– She was autonomous, self-sufficient, and quite rational.

• Physically– Columbina was not afraid

to show her buxom contours or flaunt her robust hips.

– She stands with hands on her hips, or holding a basket or tamborine, while flirting

Columbina (Smeraldina)

Arlechinno• Personality

– like a 5-year-old– eager to please his master

or mistress – His first attention is to

food: how to get it, how to savor it

– He loves tricks and physical antics

– usually cannot read, which makes him confuse messages sent by lovers.

– He is ignorant yet clever; slow mentally but quick physically.

• Physically – his lower back is arched– his arms are often bent

with hands on his hips, in readiness to serve

– His legs turn out, sometimes with heels together and other times with the back knee bent and the front leg straight.

– He runs quickly and lightly, kicking his feet forward.

– He sneaks to steal food with large, exaggerated, silent steps.

– He can stop in an instant, especially when caught in one of his pranks.

Arlechinno (Truffaldino)

VecchiVecchi are the old

men characters. They are typically father figures or evil characters.

They include…- Pantalone- Il Dottore - Il Capitano

Pantalone• Personality

– wealthy, paranoid,– merchant– Money is his obsession– He is a master at seducing

beautiful young women, – He suspects that everyone

is out to deceive him. – He complains about his

physical ailments: aching back, bad knees, gout, etc. that conveniently come and go at his discretion.

• Physically – His pelvis is tilted under but

he is not hunched over– His knees are bent with his

heels together, toes pointing outward

– he runs and walks heels first– His hands and fingers

actively fidget in counting money or holding his money pouch

– In spite of being old and sick, he is surprisingly agile

– Pantalone usually has a curled, pointed beard, red leggings, and a long cape (denoting higher status).

Pantalone

Il Dottore• Personality

– professes to know everything, but actually knows nothing

– He loves to hear himself speak and expounds on answers, whether asked or not (but he is always wrong)

– He claims to be a doctor of medicine, philosophy, science, law, language, literature, art, politics, or the classics, or all of them.

– He is a delightfully pretentious bag of wind.

• Physically– His mask covers the

forehead and nose, signifying his heady thoughts and nosy intrusions.

– He bounces when he walks– uses his hands

expressively to clarify his vivid ideas

Il Dottore

Il Capitano• Personality

– the cowardly braggart soldier

– He is the foreigner in the scenario, speaking with an accent (or two)

– enters to conquer arrogant foes, to rescue young damsels in distress, or to win the hearts of beautiful widows.

– He is, however, a wimp. He avoids fighting at all costs by deflecting conflicts, feigning death, or outsmarting aggressors.

• Physically– long nose, signifying brawn

over brains (the longer the nose, the fewer the brains..)

– He holds his weapon strongly and aggressively (anything from an old, rusty or crooked sword to a stick he thinks is a sword),

– but doesn't really know how to use it

– he stands tall and has a wide stance, with feet firmly planted

– But when avoiding conflict he becomes small and shy, shriveling and shivering in fear

– He can run very fast when necessary.

Il Capitano (Florindo)

The Lovers• The Lovers were the average characters who were

typically being kept apart. They included…• Leandro• Inamorata

• The Lovers did not typically wear masks. However, they did wear heavy make-up.

• THE LOVER, whether called Leandro, Flavio, Lelio, Ottavio, is always charming, dapper, and sometimes a bit ridiculous. His sole purpose in the script is to be in love. He must be young, good looking, courteous and gallant.

• The Inamorata was a role originally played by men in France and England

The Lovers (Silvio & Clarice)

Carlo Goldoni(1707-1793)

• One of the Italy’s (Europe’s) Greatest playwrights, born in Venice in 1707

• He attracted the theatre-goers by creating characters that were similar to them, and often through dramatizing the conflicts and dramas of the contemporary middle-classes

• Initially he wrote tragedies but later he found he is better in the comedy genre• His main idea was that the Italian life was susceptible to artistic treatment

“The Servant of Two Masters”

by Carlo Goldoni• Written in 1745 by Goldoni for a Venetian commedia dell’arte

troupe• Panatalone and Brighella are presented with entirely new traits• In contrast to other commedia plays, here the middle-class

characters were treated with respect and the women are much more sensible than the men

• The cast of characters belongs to commedia (Arlecchino, Brighella etc.)

• The coarse and sexual topics here are avoided• The plot is based on disguise, coincidence and

misunderstanding• “The servant of two masters” does not achieve a high level of

characterization or social commentary

Lazzi

• Stage business• Humorous interjections which had

nothing to do with the play itself such as:• Humorous remarks• Acrobatics• Juggling• Wrestling

Lazzi

• Each actor has a notebook filled with well-rehearsed comic action such as:• Sententious remarks • Figures of speech• Love discourses• Rebukes

Lazzi

Used to:• Fill up time • Occasionally amuse the audience• Create a change of pace

Different forms of Lazzi:• Weeping and laughing• Fear• Knocking at the door• Fight