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COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE
The Historical Background
Italy 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
• Arlechinno
The clowns were
typically servants
in 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, selfsufficient, 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)
Vecchi
Vecchi 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