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Commedia Dell’Arte: History & Theory
Commedia dell'arte ("Comedy of Art" or "Comedy of the profession"),

Means unwritten or improvised drama, and implies rather to the manner of performance than to the
subject matter of the play. Had a long life in Italy, probably of about four hundred years (from the
fourteenth to the eighteenth century); but it flourished especially in the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries.
The Historical Background: Italy in the High-Middle Ages
Being the Core of the mighty Roman Empire, Southern Italy in the XIII and XIV
centuries 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 – this helped the
numerous city-states to become independent from the Holy Roman Empire in the 13th
century. Agriculture flourished in the inner city-states and the Italian Mediterranean
routes were also major sources of knowledge and cultural exchange. Many Byzantine
scientists and scholars who came after the Ottoman invasion in the 15th century,
revived the academies in Italy. From Egypt and the Levant, the scientific,
philosophical, and mathematical thinking of the Arabs entered Northern Italy.
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, and
Castiglione. Reawakened interests in Ancient Greek and Roman thought and achievements as a
cultural movement the Renaissance affected only small portions of the society.
Italian Theatre
The initial purpose of the Italian Theatre was to reflect the glory and power of the ruler and the 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, 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 taught moral lessons. The
creation of a frame (proscenium arch) for the pictorialized scenery became standard and remained so until
today. 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 to the specific
production. The architectural methods of perspectives gave the audience the illusion of distance and depth.
Commedia Dell’Arte
Commedia was a style of comedic theatre performed by buskers (street performers) who
were skilled at acrobatics and improvisation. It was held in the market squares of Italian
city states for the entertainment of the common people. It began as a collection of fun
interactions between two stock characters. Over time, the art form grew to a cast of ten
characters (including women) who were woven into complicated plots that bordered on
the ridiculous. Key to the success of the commedia was their reliance on travel to
achieve fame and financial success. Because of the temporary nature of the stage,
elaborate sets were not used. Instead troupes made use of props. Magistrates and clergy
were not always receptive to the traveling compagnie (companies), particularly during periods of plague. Actors
of the commedia tradition took their craft very seriously and most played the same role for the length of their
career. The popularity of Commedia troops depended upon the skill of the actors. Many were dancers, acrobats,
and musicians. The best Commedia troupes were quick witted with knowledge of current events, local politics,
and human behaviour, in general. These troupes were masters of slapstick and satire.
The Plays
Plots/storylines usually focused on love, greed, intrigue, mistaken identity, love triangles, clever tricks and
outwitting the simpleton. It also made fun of the aristocracy. While laughing together at those in power helped
create a bond among the common people, at the same time it allowed them to rebel against authority in a safe
way. Generally unscripted, the performances often were based on scenarios that gave some semblance of plot to
the largely improvised format. 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 behaviour of the actors was
quite unexpected by the other actors on the stage. The situations were made clear together with what was to
happen and the outcome. Once the general outline was filled out, this left room for performers to embellish their
parts. Successful commedia actors were excellent improvisers. They were quick witted and very skilled in
acting. Music and dance were also important features of commedia plays. This meant that all actors also had to
be trained in these arts.
The characters
The characters of Commedia Dell’Arte fit into three categories:
 servants (or zanni)
 old men/masters (or vecchi)
 lovers (or inamorato [male] and inamorata [female])
Each character has a unique personality, behaviour quirks, vocal quality,
and physical dimensions. These characteristics are exaggerated, ensuring
that each character is recognized from play to play, from place to place,
and year after year. The zanni (servants) are often the most popular
characters. The vecchi are old men who represent aristocracy (masters).
They are usually quite foolish and are in opposition to their servants as well
as their children, the inamorati (lovers). The inamorati are always young,
fashionable, and madly in love. The term “love” is used loosely, because it
is portrayed as more of a kind of lust. Whether it is love or lust, the emotion
overcomes the young lovers, which makes their sadness unbearable when
they are forced to be apart.
Actors portrayed exaggerated
stock characters who were easily
identified by their:
Masks
Props
Costumes
Masks and stock characters
Masks played an important role in commedia. Most of the stock characters of the commedia wore half masks
made of coloured leather that identified them to the audience. Commedia stock characters are sometimes called
‘Masks’ or ‘Types’. A stock character is an easily recognizable ‘type’ or ‘archetype’. In our modern
sensibilities, it can be the jock, the nerd, soccer moms, military leaders, teenie boppers, dumb blondes, artsies,
etc. We identify with specific types because we were that character or knew that character, at one point in time.
The critical point is that commedia characters are more stock than they are characters, cartoon figures. Il
Dottore can be equated to contemporary doctors, politicians, or military leaders. Jocks and rock stars are fueled
by the same physical strength and inflated ego as Capitano. Arlecchino, is the wily servant; while Pantalone, is
the mean old father. Many of the lower status characters were modeled on animals. Actors sported half-face
masks, costumes and props; thus, stock characters were recognizable form the moment they entered.
The Influence and Popularity of Commedia Dell’Arte
By the beginning of the 17th century Commedia Dell’arte spread outside Italy, gaining popularity especially
when women did not wear masks. Shakespeare and Moliere were strongly influenced by Commedia. Some
aspects were passed onto the silent tradition of the “Mimes” (or the French “Pantomima”). Many classical
composers used the personages from Commedia Dell’arte in their works (Stravinsky, Strauss etc.). The
characters and troupes were used in many novels (“Scaramouche” by Rafael Sabatini in 1921) and other literary
works. More recently, characters like The Three Stooges, Mr. Burns (Pantalone) and Dr. Hibbert (Il Dotore)
from The Simpsons are examples of the continuing influence and appeal of Commedia Dell’arte throughout the
centuries.
Elements of a commedia dell’arte performance

A lazzo (plural lazzi) is a comic and humorous interruption that often had nothing to do with the plot of
the play. These words, phrases or short scenes included clever pantomime, acrobatics, juggling or
wrestling. Think of the slapstick comedy of today or the modern day clown. Lazzi were performed by
the most experienced actors.

An aparte is similar to an aside, a moment in the performance when the action stops and a character
breaks the 4th wall to communicate with the audience.

A stock speech is a speech that, like a lazzo, has no bearing or reliance on the plot, making it possible
for an actor to recite it in any scenario.

Slapstick is a style of comedy that is very visual. Audiences during the Renaissance would revel in the
trips, falls, rolls, beatings and other physical gags that make commedia so much fun to watch. Slapstick
also refers to a prop that was used as a weapon. It was made of two thin pieces of wood with a spacer
between them. It wouldn’t hurt the actor when it struck but the sound of the two pieces of wood slapping
together sounded painful.

Argumento is the précis of your plot. (Like a summary paragraph).

A scenario is a rough outline for a story. It is the development of the argument which divides the
production into segments, indicating characters involved, and giving some basic moves. Troupes knew
that they needed to get from point A to Point B in a story. How they got there was different for every
performance and often depended on current events and audience reaction.

Uscite is an exit line.

Chiusette is an ending to a scene. *NB Uscite and chiusette are both types of memorized ‘tags’, usually
in rhyming couplet.