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COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE
The Renaissance in
Italy
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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
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Italy in the High-Middle Ages
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
The Italian Theatre
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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
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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 Serlio’s
stage
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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 used—for tragedy, palaces; for comedy, street scenes;
for satyr plays, the countryside.
Serlio’s ‘Tragic Scene’
Serlio’s ‘Comic Scene’
•Serlio’s 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 Dell’arte
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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
didn’t 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 Dell’arte
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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
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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
Pantalone’s 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
Typically an unwelcome suitor to
one of the young women
Servants (Zanni)
2-4 per troupe—at 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
Harlequin’s partner
Thrives on double dealings, intrigue, and foul play
Cynical liar and a thief—would 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
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Arlecchino and Colombina, or
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Arlecchino the Seductor,
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Antoine Watteau, 1716-18
Pantalone, Jacques Callot, eau forte,
1618
The Masks
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They played crucial role in Commedia Dell’arte
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)
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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
He was the first to realize that the Italian stage needs reformation and
adoption of Moliere’s 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
Moliere’s style and and the model of Commedia Dell’arte, 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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