Commedia dell'arte

Commedia dell'arte performance, Paris, 1768

Commedia dell'Arte (Italian: "The art of comedy") is a form of improvisational theater that began in Italy in the sixteenth century and held its popularity through the eighteenth century, although it is still performed today. Performances were unscripted, held outside, and used few props. They were free to watch and funded by donations. Characters were identified by costumes, masks, and even props, such as a type of baton known as a slapstick. These characters included the forebears of the modern clown, namely Harlequin (English for arlecchino) and Zanni.

Commedia dell'arte appealed to the masses, without regard for language, nationality, or social status. In that, it became a universal kind of entertainment, which still finds universal acceptance today, in the form of Marx Brothers comedies or television shows like The Simpsons. Thus, commedia dell'arte displays the every growing creativity and intelligence of humankind.

History

File:Andre Derain - Arlequin et Pierrot.jpg

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Commedia dell'arte has a long history originating in Italy, specifically with the streets and market places of the early Italian Renaissance (thought its roots can be traced back as far as Ancient Greek and Roman theater). Italian street performers would don masks with exaggerated comic features. They would draw further attention to themselves with physical and acrobatic techniques, and they eventually teamed up in troupes of actors. They would often have traveling stages, as well. These companies typically included ten actors—seven men and three women (more traditional theater of the time often excluded women completely). These actors worked without scripts, following only written scenarios which outlined the action. They would then tailor the show to the particular audience of each performance. Each actor would choose a character, and play that character for the rest of his or her career.

The commedia dell'arte was firmly established as a genre in its own by the mid 1500s, and reached the height of its popularity from 1550-1750. In later years, the tradition spread to the rest of Europe, taking on a pointed French influence. Players performed for and were accessible to all social classes, removing language as a barrier with their skillful mime, stereotyped characters, traditional gags and pranks, masks, broad physical comedy, and improvised dialogue. After its adoption in France, the effect of commedia dell'arte on many plays was immediately obvious, most notably in the work of Moliere and his comedy, Tartuffe, which included many commedia scenarios. Many stock commedia characters appear in Tartuffe, and have been adopted into other countries, all the way into the present.

Overview

A modern performance of a commedia dell'arte maintains the tradition of limited costumes.

The commedia dell'arte was a unique type of performing art, focusing heavily on improvisation, stereotyped stock characters, and tried and true plots. This made the performances a combination of set and impromptu elements. The general outline, the characters and their relationships, as well as the outcome of the situation were all decided before the performance began, with the plays divided into acts, beginning with a prologue. The actors were responsible to use their considerable talents to fill out the material. This required commedia dell'arte performers to be skilled at smooth talking, surprise, clarity, and wit. The actors chose their words carefully to produce the desired effect—either making the audience laugh or cry—and their lines had to flow in a rhythm as steady and precise as swordplay. The best of them stamped their parts with individuality, freshness, and brilliance, lending value to the productions which, in and of themselves, had little worth.

The plots of the commedia dell'arte focused mainly around love intrigues or clever tricks to procure money or outwit a simpleton, focusing on themes of adultery, jealousy, old age, and young love. That said, there was considerable diversity of incidents, such as night scenes, stories in which the hero is mistaken for the villain, cases where father and son fall in love with the same girl, and so on. Indeed, an important part of every play were the humorous interruptions, called lazzi, which were typically given to the most expert and popular actors. These often had little to do with the plot and involved clever pantomimic acting, acrobatic feats, juggling, or wrestling.

File:Commedia mask.jpg

A mask used in a commedia dell'arte.

Many of the basic plot elements can be traced back to the Roman comedies of Plautus and Terence, some of which were themselves translations of lost Greek comedies of the fourth century B.C.E. Comic performers, sometimes the characters of Lazzi and Concetti, made use of well-rehearsed jokes and stock physical gags, as well as, of course, on-the-spot improvised and interpolated episodes and routines, called burle (singular burla, Italian for joke), usually involving a practical joke. Since the productions were improvised, dialogue and action could easily be changed to satirize local scandals, current events, or regional tastes, while still using old jokes and punch lines. Characters were identified by costumes, masks, and even props, such as a type of baton known as a slapstick. Some of the characters, namely Harlequin (English for arlecchino) and Zanni were forebears of the modern clown.

One very classic, traditional plot is that the young lovers, innamorati, are in love and wish to be married, but one elder (vecchio) or several elders (vecchi) are stopping this from happening, leading the lovers to ask one or more zanni (eccentric servants) for help. Typically the story ends happily, with the marriage of the innamorati and forgiveness for any wrongdoings. There are countless variations on this story, as well as many that diverge wholly from the structure, such as a well-known story about Arlecchino becoming mysteriously pregnant, or the Punch and Judy scenario.

One tradition that remained consistent for many years was the conventional dress and masks of the stock characters. In general these masks could be categorized under four or five groups: Pantalone and the Doctor, both old men; the Captain, a young man of adventure; the valet or jester, usually called Zanni; the hunchback Punchinello; and another old man, somewhat different from the first two. All of these characters had costumes which could be recognized and used to create a laugh. Over time, these conventions crystallized into a code or repertory of phrases, exclamations, curses, exits, and epigrammatic sayings about the mask and thus, the role.

Characters

• Arlecchino—also known as Harlequin. Arlecchino is a clown. Typically acrobatic and mischievous, he is one of the zanni. He is a servant, and is recognizable by the colorful diamond-shaped patches that traditionally were part of his costume. The part is sometimes substituted with Truffaldino, his son. His mask has a low forehead with a wart, and sometimes wore a black stocking wound round the lower face and then up over the head. Arlecchino is often the servant to Pantalone, or sometimes to Il Dottore. He is in love with Colombina, but she only makes fun of him. He can often have a close relationship with the audience, involving them in the action or gesturing to them.
• Il Capitano—swash-buckling and bold, but not necessarily heroic. Il Capitano generally wears the military dress of the period he is acting. His attire is generally foppish and overdone. Il Capitano is usually played as a braggart, a ladies man, and a cavalier, and is usually sexually driven.

Il Capitano, the Spanish Captain, ca 1700

• Colombina—developed out of Arlecchino, she is his female counterpart. Usually portrayed as clever, crafty, and untamed. She is also a servant and a member of the zanni, and quite often she compels the action. She sometimes is played wearing colored patches in Arlecchino's style.
• Il Dottore—the doctor. Seen as the learned man, but generally that impression is false. He is older, wealthy, and a member of the vecchi. Often played as pedantic, miserly, and hopelessly unsuccessful with women. He usually talks constantly about a topic, in an attempt to impress anyone who is around. Everyone else in the scene will believe what he is saying is true, but most of the time it is all made up, and this often lands everyone in more trouble and confusion.
• The Innamorati are the lovers. The innamorato and innamorata had many different names over time ("Isabella" was a particularly popular name for the woman, as was "Flavio" for the man). They are young, righteous, and hopelessly in love with one another. They wear the most fashionable dress of the period they are acting, and never play in mask. Often seen singing, dancing, or reciting poetry. They are usually played as the children of Dottore and Pantalone depending on the situation they are in. They are madly in love but never seem able to get together.

File:Pantalone.jpg

A modern portrayal of the character of Pantalone.

• Pantalone—a member of the vecchi. Usually quite wealthy, but very greedy. He is the archetypal "old miser." He cares about nothing so much as money, and will do anything in order to get it. His costume includes red pants, and often a long beard.
• Pedrolino—the loyal servant, also known as "Pierrot" or "Pedro." He is hard, trustworthy, honest, and in every way devoted to his master. He is also charming and likable, and is portrayed wearing a loose white outfit with a neck ruff.
• Pulcinella—sometimes called "Punch," he is portrayed as pitiable, helpless, and often physically disfigured. He usually has a hump, a distinct limp, or some other obvious physical deformity. In some portrayals he cannot speak, and expresses himself in squeaks or other strange sounds. His personality can be foolish or sly and shrewd.
• Scaramuccia—also known as Scaramouche, he is a roguish character who wears a black velvet mask and black trousers, shirt and hat. He is usually portrayed as a buffoon or boastful coward.
• Tartaglia—short sighted and with a terrible stutter, he is usually classed as one of the group of old characters who appears in many scenarios as one of the lovers. His social status varies; he is sometimes a bailiff, lawyer, notary or chemist. Dramatist Carlo Gozzi turned him into a statesman, and so he remained thereafter. Tartaglia wears a large felt hat, an enormous cloak, oversized boots, a long sword, a giant mustache and a cardboard nose.

Legacy

Commedia dell'arte remained popular in Europe for several hundred years. In fact, many performances became the inspiration for many ballets, from Petipa's Les Millions de Harlequin (1900), to Fokine's Carnaval (1910), Massine's Pulcinella (1920), and Tetley's Pierrot lunaire (1962). More recently, commedia dell'arte's influence can be seen in the Marx Brothers movies, were much of the action and dialogue was improvised. Its influences can also be seen in the popular cartoon, The Simpsons, where Homer, Bart, and Mr. Burns are all examples of commedia dell'arte characters.

Gallary of commedia dell'arte through the centuries

• 

  Il Capitano, the Spanish Captain, ca 1600

• 

  Harlequin by Paul Cezanne

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  Pulcinella, ca 1650

• 

  Mezzitin by Jean-Antoin Watteau, ca. 1717

• 

  Harlequin and Pierrot by Paul Cezanne, 1888

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  Harlequin by Paul Hoecker (1854-1910)

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  Pierrot by Antoine Watteau, ca 1718

• 

  Zanni, maybe Pedrolini, 16th or 17th century

• Columbina.jpg

  A modern portrayal of the character of Colombina.

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  Commedia dell'arte company by Antoine Watteau, ca 1710-1720

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  Crispin and Scapin by Honore Daumier, ca 1858-1860

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  Tartaglia the stutterer, ca 1650

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  Pulcinella, 1860

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  Coviello, 1860

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  Isabella, 1860

• 

  Il Capitano, 1860

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  Scapino, 1860

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  Scarramuccia, 1860

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  Pantalone, 1550

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  Pulcinella, 1600

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  Dr. Balanzone, 1653

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  Brighilla, 1570

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  Beltrame, 1867

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  Harlequin, 1671

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  Commedia dell'arte performance, 1607

• 

  Harlequin and Columbine from the mime theater at Tivoli, Denmark

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  Commedia dell'arte peformers, Antoine Watteau, 1718

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  The Gelosi Commedia dell'arte company, (1571-1604)

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  Commedia dell'arte performance, 1657

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  A modern performance of Commedia dell'arte on a stage in Venice.

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  Isabella Andreini (1562-1604), Italian actress and writer, as Isabella

See also

• Ancient Greece
• Comedy
• Drama
• Theater
• Theater of ancient Greece

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Fava, Antonio. The comic mask in the commedia dell'arte: actor training, improvisation, and the poetics of survival. Evanston, Ill: Northwestern University Press, 2007. ISBN 9780810123687
• Grantham, Barry. Playing commedia: a training guide to commedia techniques. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2001. ISBN 9780325003467
• Green, Martin Burgess, and John C. Swan. The triumph of Pierrot: the commedia dell'arte and the modern imagination. University Park, Pa: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1993. ISBN 9780271009285
• Rudlin, John, and Olly Crick. Commedia dell'arte a handbook for troupes. London: Routledge, 2001. ISBN 9780203189405

External links

All links retrieved January 28, 2009.

• International School of Physical Theater.
• Commedia dell'arte Characters.
• Internet Shakespeare on Commedia dell'arte.

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