commedia dell'arte , Italian theatrical form that flourished throughout Europe in the 16th-18th centuries.The characters, many portrayed by actors wearing masksincluding the witty gentleman's valet Harlequin, the Venetian merchant Pantelone, the honest and simpleminded servant Pierrot, the maidservant Columbina, the unscrupulous servant Scaramouche, and the braggart captain or . Ordfront. Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink is, perhaps, the Queen of the Vittorias. Silviois the male counterpart to Isabella, and matches her posing and gesticulating every step of the way. Goldoni: Smeraldina Pierrot is actually a French addition to Commedia and he is not always considered one of the Zanni. Comici Confidnti, either of two companies of the Italian commedia dellarte that were instrumental in extending the reputation of this form of improvised theatre throughout Europe. In the Flaminio Scala scenario, for example, Il Magnifico persists and is interchangeable with Pantalone into the 17th century. He has a powdered face but no mask and he is usually costumed in loose-fitting white clothing. She is last mentioned in 1595. In addition to individuated masks, characters often wore recognizable outfits that, to modern eyes, tend to be reminiscent of jester and clown costumes. Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Alle ore 18,00 di domenica 5 marzo presso il Teatro Ricciardi di Capua la Compagnia Scena e Controscena rappresenta "Non ti pago", commedia in tre atti di Edoardo De Filippo. Unlike other forms of theatre at the time, female Commedia characters were usually depicted by women. Commedia dell'arte. He was turned into Scaramuccia by Tiberio Fiorillo, who, in Paris with his own troupe (164547), altered the captains character to suit French taste. [18][19][20] More recent accounts establish links to the medieval jongleurs, and prototypes from medieval moralities, such as Hellequin (as the source of Harlequin, for example).[21]. There were many different Zanni who sometimes varied by region. This helped to keep a traditional continuity while allowing diversity. (archetypes)[29][39] The character's persona included the specific dialect of the region or town represented. - Terms, Time Periods and Styles, Elements of Drama: Characters, Plot, Setting & Symbolism, History of Drama: Dramatic Movements and Time Periods, What Is Musical Theater? He sometimes has a tear painted on one cheek, giving him a very similar appearance to some contemporary images of clowns. [44] This costume would therefore change depending on where the Capitano character is from, and the period the Capitano is from. The following list is not exhaustive but does cover the most important and famous Zanni in the Commedia canon. Bean: Pauline, Isabella is one of Commedia's female lovers--known for her beauty, her charm, and especially her expensive tastes. Example of a best-friend as brash sounding board inThis Means War. This and all interview clips on this page created for Piccolo Theatre. In commedia dell'arte, female roles were played by women, documented as early as the 1560s, making them the first known professional actresses in Europe since antiquity. The proliferation of Commedia characters across Europe helped cement them in the public consciousness and turn them into some characters that are still well-known today. Goldoni: Truffaldino In 1592, Piisimi left the Gelosi theatre. [44][45], Pantalone has one of the most iconic costumes of commedia dell'arte. While Calmo's characters (which also included the Spanish Capitano and a dottore type) were not masked, it is uncertain at what point the characters donned the mask. Performers made use of well-rehearsed jokes and stock physical gags, known as lazzi and concetti, as well as on-the-spot improvised and interpolated episodes and routines, called burle (singular burla, Italian for 'joke'), usually involving a practical joke. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. She returned to the Gelosi company in 1595. was established in Italy during the 16th century. [22] Commedia dell'arte was performed outdoors in temporary venues by professional actors who were costumed and masked, as opposed to commedia erudita,[a] which were written comedies, presented indoors by untrained and unmasked actors. Updates? Although this might make him seem like an unlikeable character, his dastardliness is offset by a dark charisma and an alluring guardedness which often makes him extremely enjoyable to watch.Examples includeRobert Guillaume's brilliant "Benson" character, Geoffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and, as included below, Rowan Atkinson as the Prince's Butler in the third season of Blackadder. She was called comica gelosa and mainly played the parts of heroine and subretto. Though merely speculative, these conjectures have revealed the existence of rustic regional dialect farces in Italy during the Middle Ages. The method has been used for different purposes in theatrical history. At this event, the "rival prima donnas" Vittoria Piisimi performed as the gypsy in Zingara and Isabella Andreini as the madwoman in La Pazzia dIsabella. The Italian arte here translates as "profession" or "craft," distinguishing it from more amateur theatre forms such as pageants and festival plays. Eventually the physical comedy came to dominate the performance, and, as the comic business became routine, it lost its vitality. Harlequin, in particular, was allowed to comment on current events in his entertainment. Pulcinella is sometimes called the Southern Arlecchino because of his similarities to the Harlequin character. As one of the lovers, the audience must care for her, and forgive her spoiled ways as a symptom of youth rather than true greed. Janus symbolized both the comings and goings of this travelling troupe and the dual nature of the actor who impersonates the "other." He is an associate of Pantalone's, and usually holds some position of learning (a judge, professor, lawyer, physician, etc.). He primarily gets through life by being fast, witty, and quick with a trick, but should NOT be confused with Brighella or others who "plot" out mischief; rather, he excels at thinking on his feet, and like Charlie Chaplin's Tramp or Alladin at the beginning of the Disney film, he relies on his quick wit, improv, and boyish charm to get him out of everything. However, it is more probable that the comici used contemporary novella, or, traditional sources as well, and drew from current events and local news of the day. These Roman comedies became quite popular in France, Germany, and England as well. [28] In France, during the reign of Louis XIV, the Comdie-Italienne created a repertoire and delineated new masks and characters, while deleting some of the Italian precursors, such as Pantalone. It is also notable for being largely improvised and for creating many characters that still exist today. The works of a number of playwrights have featured characters influenced by the commedia dell'arte and sometimes directly drawn from it. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Some kinds of contemporary comic relief characters share similarities with their Commedia counterparts. Traditionally his mask has a large, hooked nose, bushy eye brows, and often a glued on beard. Commedia dell'arte is a theatrical form characterized by improvised dialogue and a cast of colorful stock characters that emerged in northern Italy in the fifteenth century and rapidly gained popularity throughout Europe. Professional companies then arose; these recruited unorganized strolling players, acrobats, street entertainers, and a few better-educated adventurers, and they experimented with forms suited to popular taste: vernacular dialects (the commedia erudita was in Latin, or in an Italian not easily comprehensible to the general public), plenty of comic action, and recognizable characters derived from the exaggeration or parody of regional or stock fictional types. This Commedia Dell'Arte definition is insufficient, however, because Commedia was a particularly unusual kind of performance. By the early 17th century, the zanni comedies were moving from pure improvisational street performances to specified and clearly delineated acts and characters. Goldoni: Brighella We've all heard of theater improv or improv art, well welcome to the 17th century's form of improv, commedia dell'arte. [10][11] Another characteristic of commedia is pantomime, which is mostly used by the character Arlecchino, now better known as Harlequin. His costume is red and black, and he wears tight-fitting trousers and a flowing cape to suggest his flair and worldliness. Commedia Dell'Arte is a type of Italian improvisational theatre that developed in the sixteenth century. And Isabella Andreini was a great, famous and cherished actress, cultivated and a poet of considerable talent, and also quite daring on stage. You can . The stock characters remained influential, as evidenced in works like Igor Stravinsky's ballet Petrushka, Alfred Giraud's poetic cycle Pierrot Lunaire (and Arnold Schoenberg's musical work based on it), and many of Pablo Picasso's early paintings of Harlequins and Pierrots. In 1579-1581, she was the leader of her own theatre company. Commedia dell'arte is performed seasonally in Denmark on the Peacock Stage of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, and north of Copenhagen at Dyrehavsbakken. The commedia dellartes last traces entered into pantomime as introduced in England (1702) by John Weaver at Drury Lane Theatre and developed by John Rich at Lincolns Inn Fields. Commedia evolved into various configurations across Europe, and each country acculturated the form to its liking. Updates? Goldoni: Pantalone European puppet shows, the English harlequinade, French pantomime, and the cinematic slapstick of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton all recall the glorious comic form that once prevailed. Lucrezia Di Siena, whose name is on a contract of actors from 10 October 1564, has been referred to as the first Italian actress known by name, with Vincenza Armani and Barbara Flaminia as the first primadonnas and the first well-documented actresses in Italy (and Europe). Comdie-Italienne, the Italian commedia dell'arte as it was called in France. Commedia Dell'Arte was a form of medieval Italian improvisational theatre. Typically the story ends happily, with the marriage of the innamorati and forgiveness for any wrongdoings. Harlequin, Italian Arlecchino, French Arlequin, one of the principal stock characters of the Italian commedia dell'arte; often a facile and witty gentleman's valet and a capricious swain of the serving maid. Their character was played with a malicious wit or gossipy gaiety. ''Commedia Dell'Arte'' translates to ''comedy of the profession'' and refers to groups of traveling street performers who made a living off of theatre. As the richest man in town, he holds a position of power and status in any scenario, with the plot usually revolving around Pantalone standing in the way of two young lovers being together (either because he prefers selling his daughter to someone else, or because he's creepily interested in the female lover himself). Song and dance were widely used, and a number of innamorati were skilled madrigalists, a song form that uses chromatics and close harmonies. [45][44] Over the gown, he would have a long black robe that went down to his heels, and he would have on black shoes, stockings, and breeches. Three books written during the 17th centuryCecchini's[it] Fruti della moderne commedia (1628), Niccol Barbieri's La supplica (1634) and Perrucci's Dell'arte rapresentativa (1699"made firm recommendations concerning performing practice." The most famous early company was the Gelosi, headed by Francesco Andreini and his wife, Isabella; the Gelosi performed from 1568 to 1604. The zanni used certain tricks of their trade: practical jokes (burle)often the fool, thinking he had tricked the clown, had the tables turned on him by a rustic wit as clever, if not so nimble, as his ownand comic business (lazzi). In England, elements from it were naturalized in the harlequinade in pantomime and in the Punch-and-Judy show, a puppet play involving the commedia dellarte character Punch. Dottore Gratiano was, in origin, a Bolognese lawyer or doctor; gullible and lecherous, he spoke in a pedantic mixture of Italian and Latin. Often either an orphan or the daughter of an undesirable father (plot-wise at the time, "undesirable fathers" could include paupers, alcoholics, or--like Jessica in Merchant of Venice--Jews), Vittoria enters the play with a greater level of "street smarts," chutzpah, and--quite often--maturity due to her past. Commedia dell'arte emerged around the middle of the 16th century as the first professional theater form. In keeping with the tradition of the Italian Academies, I Gelosi adopted as their impress (or coat of arms) the two-faced Roman god Janus. [7] Many troupes were formed to perform commedia, including I Gelosi (which had actors such as Andreini and her husband Francesco Andreini),[14] Confidenti Troupe, Desioi Troupe, and Fedeli Troupe. These characters were not the protagonists of plays, but they provided comic relief and helped move the plot along, often through humorous miscommunications. Vittoria Piisimi (fl. ne part Tigger, one part Bart Simpson, one part Red Bull Energy Drink, and a large dollop of Pixar's UP's "Doug the Dog" saying "SQUIRREL." Not necessarily the funniest character, though she has heart,and there's sometimes room for comic relief surroundinghertroubles withsome feminine social graces. The Commedia dell'arte is improvisatory by nature, therefore heavily depends on the skill of the performer. Her dress is usually simple, but can also have a patchwork pattern similar to Harlequin's. Commedia Dell'arte And The Roots Of Slapstick. The Punch and Judy puppet shows, popular to this day in England, owe their basis to the Pulcinella mask that emerged in Neapolitan versions of the form. She usually helps the lovers in their quest to get together. The commedia dellarte was a form of popular theatre that emphasized ensemble acting; its improvisations were set in a firm framework of masks and stock situations, and its plots were frequently borrowed from the classical literary tradition of the commedia erudita, or literary drama. The commedia dell'arte plays and scenari scripts collection spans the super-traditional (such as La Fortunata Isabella) to the new and modern (such as The Combat of the Masks.) This is a class of characters all falling under the same guidelines. The audience should feel that, given time to grow up and get some experience, he could actually be a decent human being, and part of our experience should be routing for him to do so. Dopo la morte della moglie, Otto, un sessantenne scorbutico e cocciuto, costretto a lasciare il lavoro che ha svolto per quasi quarant'anni e per questo comincia a pensare di farla finita. With the dispatch of the Italian comedians from France in 1697, the form transmogrified in the 18th century as genres such as comdie larmoyante gained in attraction in France, particularly through the plays of Marivaux. Commedia iconography is evident in porcelain figurines many selling for thousands of dollars at auction. The decline of the commedia dellarte was due to a variety of factors. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Piisimi received great praise and replaced Armani as the primadonna of the Italian theatre. [29], Commedia dell'arte has four stock character groups:[13]. A typical scenario involved a young couples love being thwarted by their parents. Actors in Commedia troupes would often dedicate their careers to performing a single character. The female character in the masters group is called Prima Donna and can be one of the lovers. [33] The term vagabondi was used in reference to the comici, and remains a derogatory term to this day (vagabond). Piisimi combined her acting with singing, dancing and by writing music and was reportedly admired also in these fields. Sono queste due delle 342 le lettere scritte dall'artista e adesso restaurate da Casa Buonarroti a Firenze. It was largely improvised, with skilled actors reciting and adapting scenes and monologues to fit an ever-changing play. con segno di vittoria coronato. 7 chapters | Pantalone is known for wearing a brown or black mask with a hooked nose, and sometimes he is depicted with a mustache or flowing wide beard. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. However, the connection to carnival (the period between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday) would suggest that masking was a convention of carnival and was applied at some point. Troupes of the 17th century included a second Confidnti troupe, directed by Flaminio Scala, and the Accesi and the Fedeli, to which Giovambattista Andreini, called Lelio, one of the great commedia dellarte actors, belonged. For examples of strange instruments of various grotesque formations, see articles by Tom Heck, who has documented this area. The company would have paid the performers a salary and charged admission to its shows - a big step . See notes on the"Commedia" history/style page about the importance of his costume! Characters would often be passed down from generation to generation, and characters married onstage were often married in real life as well, seen most famously with Francesco and Isabella Andreini. Webster's Vittoria, and Shakespeare's Beatrice, Viola, Portia, Juliet, and Ophelia. Sasha Blakeley has a Bachelor's in English Literature from McGill University and a TEFL certification. Despite contemporary depictions of scenarios and masks and descriptions of particular presentations, impressions today of what the commedia dellarte was like are secondhand. Bean: Stanley. Commedia dell'arte is a type of Italian theater form that was widely popular in Italy between the 16th and 18th centuries. Arlecchinois arguably the most famous of the Commedia masks, whether as "Arlecchino," "Truffaldino," or the infamous "Harlequin." Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The comical Hanswurst, of German folklore, was also a commedia dellarte character. Robert Guillaume's brilliant "Benson" character, Geoffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and, as included below, Rowan Atkinson as the Prince's Butler in the third season of Blackadder. As the form began spreading across Europe, characters began to evolve further. La cosa pi interessante sulle origini della commedia quella che rimanda alle origini siciliane: chi stato attento alla provenienza dei primi testi ha notato una coloritura dorica pi accesa, e ricollega anche il fatto che Epicarmo e Sofrone, da una parte hanno, non solo questa comune origine siciliana, ma, almeno all'inizio, non sono cos legati a quella matrice di . Pablo Picasso's 1921 painting Three Musicians is a colorful representation of commedia-inspired characters. Comici performed written comedies at court. Take a comicalEbenezer Scrooge and occassionally add a dash of Family Guy's Herbert, and you'vegot Pantalone. He usually pairs these two with a big black coat called a zimarra.[45][44].
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