COMMEDIA DELLARTE

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 1640 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, Galileo Reawakened interests in Ancient Greek and Roman thought and achievements As a cultural movement the Renaissance affected only small portions of the society

The Historical Background

Being the Core of the mighty Roman Empire, Southern Italy in the XIIIth and XIVth 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 at its strongest in Italy this helped the numerous city-states to become independent from the Holy Roman Empire. Agriculture flourished in the inner city-states The Italian Mediterranean routes were also major sources of knowledge and cultural exchange Many Byzantine scientists and scholars who came after the Ottoman invasion revived the academies in Italy From Egypt and the Levant, the scientific, philosophical, and mathematical thinking of the Arabs entered Northern Italy The 15th century was marked by a collapse of the European economy as a whole due to the English-French War, Little Ice Age, and the Ottoman Empire in the East Constant wars for dominance between the city-states followed by a peaceful period at the end of 16th century

Italy in the High-Middle Ages

The Italian Theatre

The Ancient legacies of Atellan Farces and Roman Comedies were revived and this led to occasional performances of Roman comedies in many small states in Italy known as Neoclassicism in Italian Theatre The initial purpose of the Italian Theatre was to reflect the glory and power of the ruler of the city state and thus theatrical productions were secular Another major feature of the Italian Theatre 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 dramatic plays along with plays that teach moral lessons

The Italian Theatre

The creation of a frame (proscenium arch) for the pictorialised scenery became standard and remained so till today the oldest theatre with a permanent proscenium is Teatro Farnese in Parma, built in 1618 The themes and topics of many early 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 Teatro Olympico was built in 1584 used for a variety of productions

Sebastiano Serlios stage

A prominent Italian architect known for his high-quality illusions and plans for theatrical scenery and stages in 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 usedfor tragedy, palaces; for comedy, street scenes; for satyr plays, the countryside.

Serlios Tragic Scene

Serlios Comic Scene

Serlios wing sets

backdrop Flat wing

Stage

angled wing

Audience

Set with border at top of stage

Chariot and Pole System

Teatro Olimpico at Vicenza Designed by Andrea Palladio

Two forms of comedy in Italy:

Commedia erudite Learned comedy Private performances Commedia dell Arte Popular comedy Professional and open to the
public

Commedia Dellarte

It means Comedy of Art or Comedy of the profession opposite to the literary comedy Commedia Erudita It began in the 11th 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 in England). The number of female roles increased, even though these didnt become as permanent and deep as the male characters 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 were free to watch The plays were held outside initially with poor props and modest staging 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 The play was adjusted though improvisation and most of the plays had satirical characters Characters in plays were portrayed by actors wearing masks Amusement in the form of acrobatics and juggling was also provided

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Commedia Dellarte

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

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

Stock Characters
The same characters
appeared in every play

The most essential part of

Commedia

Identified by their
costumes, masks or props such as slapstick

Divided into 3 categories:

Lovers (Innamorati) Masters Servants (Zanni)

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 braggarts, 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

Lovers (Innamorati)
Most realistic roles Young and handsome Did not wear masks Dressed in latest fashions Were children of the masters Ottavia Come in obvious pairs Masculine and feminine versions of the same name I.e. Flavio and Flavia or Ottavio and Ottavia Dressed in similar colors Often required to sing, play an instrument or recite poetry Lust, romance, vanity, and little common sense were usually their main
characteristics

Ottavio

Masters
Pantalone Elderly Venetian merchant and the father of
one of the lovers

Obsessed with money Mean and miserable Costume: tight-fitting red vest, red
breeches and stockings, soft slippers, a black ankle-length coat, a soft, brimless cap, a brown mask with a large hooked nose, and a scraggly gray beard

Montgomery Burns?

Masters

Dottore Pantalones friend or rival Possessed a high profession such as lawyer or doctor Loved to show off his supposed wisdom through his speeches
in Latin

In reality, was gullible and easily tricked Dressed in academic cap and gown of the time

Masters

Capitano Originally was a lover, but over time

transformed into braggart and coward

Boasted of his prowess in love and

war

Costume:

a cape, sword, and feathered headdress one of the young women

Typically an unwelcome suitor to

Servants (Zanni)
2-4 per troupeat least one clever and one stupid Most prominent are: Fantesca (female maid) La Ruffiana Cantarina and Ballerina Arlecchino (Harlequin) Male servant, usually went by the name Brighella, Scapino,
Mezzetino, or Flautino

Pulcinello

Servants
Fantesca (female maid) Normally young, witty, and ready for intrigue Had her own affair while assisting the mistress with hers La Ruffiana An old woman, either the mother or a village gossiper Whore Shady Cantarina and Ballerina often took part in the comedy, but for
the most part their job was to sing, dance, or play music.

Servants
Arlecchino (Harlequin) Also known as: Truffaldino and Trivellino Originally of minor importance, he soon became
the most popular

Was both cunning and stupid, a stunning

acrobat and dancer

Could usually be found in the middle of any

intrigue

Illiterate, but pretends to read Costume: evolved from a suit with irregularly
placed multicolored patches into one with a diamond-shaped red, green, and blue pattern, a rakish hat above a black mask, and a slapstick

Servants
Another male servant, usually went by the name Brighella,
Scapino, Mezzetino, or Flautino

Harlequins partner Thrives on double dealings, intrigue, and foul play Cynical liar and a thiefwould do anything for money Sleazy, seductive, and often cruel Costume: mask with a hooked nose and moustache, a
jacket and trousers ornamented with a green braid

Servants
Pulcinello A Neopolitan Had various functions Servant Host of an inn Merchant Had a huge hooked nose, a humped back, and wore a
pointed cap

Cruel bachelor who chased pretty girls Ancestor of the English puppet Punch

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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

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Characters

Arlecchino

Brighella

Columbina
(Truffaldino)

Pagliaccio

Pantalone

Characters

Arlecchino and Colombina, or

Pantalone, Jacques Callot, eau forte, 1618

Arlecchino the Seductor,

Antoine Watteau, 1716-18

The Masks

They played crucial role in Commedia Dellarte

All personages (except the lovers) wore coloured leather masks 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

The Masks

Arlecchino Brighella Pantalone Smerdaldina Truffaldino

Carlo Goldoni
(1707-1793)

One of the Italys (Europes) 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 He was the first to realize that the Italian stage needs reformation and adoption of Molieres model He created his first real comedy in 1738 L'uomo di mondo ("The Man of the World") and later he begins to develop his own style During his adventures and journeys throughout Italy he was discovered as a talented playwright of the Venetian Theatre and was assigned by Medebac (a famous theatre manager at that time) and later by other managers. He gradually develops his unique cross-style (writing influenced by Molieres style and and the model of Commedia Dellarte, along with his wit and vigour style) La Donna Di Garbo His main idea was that the Italian life was susceptible to artistic treatment

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