Commedia dell'arte (meaning: comedy of the art) was a style of Italian street theater that flourished during the 14th-18th centuries. Sono queste due delle 342 le lettere scritte dall'artista e adesso restaurate da Casa Buonarroti a Firenze. 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. Take a comicalEbenezer Scrooge and occassionally add a dash of Family Guy's Herbert, and you'vegot Pantalone. It is known for having masked characters and physical comedy. While it is possible to detect formal similarities between the commedia dell'arte and earlier theatrical traditions, there is no way to establish certainty of origin. La sua novit la professionalizzazione del. The Callot etchings of the Balli di Sfessania (1611) are most widely considered capricci rather than actual depictions of a commedia dance form, or typical masks. 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. 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 punchlines. What is Commedia Dell'Arte? Depending on the version, he is the epitome of the grumpy old man, the dirty old man, the miserly old man, or all three. 'comedy of the profession')[3] was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. By the early 17th century, the zanni comedies were moving from pure improvisational street performances to specified and clearly delineated acts and characters. Compagnie, or companies, were troupes of actors, each of whom had a specific function or role. These names which signified daring and enterprise were appropriated from the names of the academiesin a sense, to lend legitimacy. La Commedia dell'Arte tom inicialmente sus tramas y situaciones de la commedia erudita, pero a diferencia de sta, cuyo texto se escriba ntegramente, ahora la improvisacin libre de los actores era privilegio esencial, por lo que se llam tambin commedia all'improviso. The second troupe, which traveled principally in Italy, was established about 1610 under the leadership of the producer-director Flaminio Scala and the patronage of Giovanni de Medici. It was largely improvised, with skilled actors reciting and adapting scenes and monologues to fit an ever-changing play. [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. Actors were versed in a plethora of skills, with many having joined troupes without a theatre background. In the early years of the commedia (mid-16th century), the Harlequin was a zanni (a wily and covetous comic servant), and he was cowardly, superstitious, and plagued by a continual . His mask has a very long nose, making him easy to recognize. Actors, both male and female, were known to strip nearly naked, and storylines typically descended into crude situations with overt sexuality, considered to teach nothing but "lewdness and adulteryof both sexes" by the French Parliament. Sometimes may have the role of the "misunderstood undesirable," i.e. The Art of Commedia: A Study in the Commedia Dell'Arte 1560-1620 with special reference to the visual records, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vittoria_Piisimi&oldid=1106412202, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 August 2022, at 13:24. 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 . Many of them wore masks to make them more universally recognizable to the audience. It has very clear, simple and humorous plot lines, usually related to the themes of love, money or food. Copyright law governing Academic Fair Use. InOne Man, Two Guvnors his typical loud plaid is undoubtedly an homage to the famous multi-colored "patched" wardrobe -- in later years seen as a brightly colored diamond jester's jumpsuit (a la "Harley-Quinn"), but originally a comical outfit made up of clashing patches (the theory being that he is so poor and he has patched his suit so often that there is no original suit left -- just scores of patches!). 2016 by John Michael Sefel,in service to the Ohio State University Theatre Department. While the iconography gives evidence of the performance style (see Fossard collection), it is important to note that many of the images and engravings were not depictions from real life, but concocted in the studio. Several of these actresses, such as Isabella Andreini, Vittoria Piissimi and Vincenza Armani, were also talented singers . [46], The classic, traditional plot is that the innamorati are in love and wish to be married, but one elder (vecchio) or several elders (vecchi) are preventing this from happening, leading the lovers to ask one or more zanni (eccentric servants) for help. The term is sometimes contrasted with ''Commedia Erudita,'' a form of literary drama more commonly reserved for the upper classes at the time. French playwrights, particularly Molire, gleaned from the plots and masks in creating an indigenous treatment. Additionally, each character has a singular costume and mask that is representative of the character's role. While these are often reproduced in large formats, it is important to note that the actual prints measured about 23 inches. Taviani's term negativa poetica describes this and other practices offensive to the church, while giving us an idea of the phenomenon of the commedia dell'arte performance. Companies would also find themselves summoned by high-ranking officials, who would offer patronage in return for performing in their land for a certain amount of time. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. She and Isabella Andreini were the two most famed actresses of the era, and described as great rivals. Curiously, commedia dell'arte was equally if not more popular in France, where it continued its popularity throughout the 17th century (until 1697), and it was in France that commedia developed its established repertoire. This nomadic nature, though influenced by persecution, was also largely due in part to the troupes requiring new (and paying) audiences. These scenarios are highly structured and built around the symmetry of the various types in duet: two zanni, vecchi, inamorate and inamorati, etc. (archetypes)[29][39] The character's persona included the specific dialect of the region or town represented. Goldoni: Pantalone [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. Song and dance were widely used, and a number of innamorati were skilled madrigalists, a song form that uses chromatics and close harmonies. The danzatrice probably accompanied the troupes and may have been in addition to the general cast of characters. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Vittoria: Vittoria was an orphan and dressed in tattered rags much like lelio she was always taken down a peg by her infatuation. [8][10] Characters' entrances and exits are scripted. Commedia dell'arte - Wikipdia 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. In other words, the characteristics of the character and the characteristics of the mask are the same. He usually wears a colorful jester costume and he carries a large wooden stick that he uses as a sword, a musical instrument, or other prop. A troupe often consisted of ten performers of familiar masked and unmasked types, and included women. The style relied heavily upon good group dynamics as the . There are many characters associated with the form. Each character is associated with a particular costume and frequently a mask. Commedia dell'arte. Comdie-Italienne, the Italian commedia dell'arte as it was called in France. In 1589, the Gelosi troupe performed in Florence at the wedding of Grand Duke Ferdinand de Medici and Christina of Lorraine. Pablo Picasso's 1921 painting Three Musicians is a colorful representation of commedia-inspired characters. Commedia dell'arte is a type of Italian theater form that was widely popular in Italy between the 16th and 18th centuries. [25] Commedia often performed inside in court theatres or halls, and also as some fixed theatres such as Teatro Baldrucca in Florence. Commedia dell'arte | History, Characters, & Facts | Britannica Moliere made great use of the Columbina archetype in his maids (see especially Dorine in Tartuffe), though she also often pops up in "funny-but-wise best friend" positions in various contemporary romantic comedies. Notably, his is the only mask without cheeks -- the reason being actors would rouge their cheeks to show Il Dottore's regular drunkeness. He's known for wearing a colorful, diamond-checked, tight-fitting costume and a black and red half mask. [45] The 18th century is when the iconic Arlecchino look with the diamond shaped lozenges took shape. In the 17th century as commedia became popular in France, the characters of Pierrot, Columbina and Harlequin were refined and became essentially Parisian, according to Green.[43]. Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink is, perhaps, the Queen of the Vittorias. Though merely speculative, these conjectures have revealed the existence of rustic regional dialect farces in Italy during the Middle Ages. Mar 2, 2014 - The stock characters of commedia. Other national dramatic forms absorbed the comic routines and plot devices of the commedia. Conventional plot lines were written on themes of sex, jealousy, love, and old age. These characters are usually needed to produce a full scenario, since a significant amount of plays revolve around them. Actors were known to switch from troupe to troupe "on loan," and companies would often collaborate if unified by a single patron or performing in the same general location. 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. These helped audiences identify what each character personifies and made it easy to identify the character in each commedia dell'arte performance. Fun fact: the trousers associated with the character Pantalone became known as ''pantaloons'' due to his popularity, later shortened to just ''pants''. Not necessarily the funniest character, though she has heart,and there's sometimes room for comic relief surroundinghertroubles withsome feminine social graces. 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. They were characterized by shrewdness and self-interest; much of their success depended on improvised action and topical jokes. Commedia Dell'Arte: Plays, Facts & Costumes | Study.com 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.) The efforts of such playwrights as Carlo Goldoni (170793) to reform Italian drama sealed the fate of the decaying commedia dellarte. These characters included the forebears of the modern clown, namely Harlequin (Arlecchino) and the zanni. This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 10:09. These women were skilled in all the fine arts, excelling as orators in the prima donna innamorate (female lovers) roles. The Atellan Farces of the Roman Empire featured crude "types" wearing masks with grossly exaggerated features and an improvised plot. On 24 July 1574, she performed for Henry III of France in the role of Pallas Athena in Venice, where she received great praise. Their performances were considered the great highlight of the event and became a famous event of their rivalry. For example, pantomime, which flourished in the 18th century, owes its genesis to the character types of the commedia, particularly Harlequin. And Isabella Andreini was a great, famous and cherished actress, cultivated and a poet of considerable talent, and also quite daring on stage. The Innamorati. Archetype: Isabella/Angellica/etc. He is typically portrayed as relatively corpulent, and often wears the recognizable attire of his profession. This is an example of another major influence of commedia dell'arte: biomechanics ("How Commedia dell'Arte Influences Modern Comedy"). He usually pairs these two with a big black coat called a zimarra.[45][44]. Typically, he would wear a tight-fitting jacket with a matching pair of trousers. His mask has a hooked nose and he wears a white costume with a tall white cap and sometimes has a hunchback. [45][44] During the 17th century, the patches turned into blue, red, and green triangles arranged in a symmetrical pattern. Meaning that on stage, each character was performed in its own dialect. Poor Pulcinella! Fantaisie's Fools: an exploration of Commedia dell'Arte Its influence on other comedic genres can still be felt today. Commedia dell'arte is a term that came into use after the Renaissance to describe a type of theatrical entertainment that began in Italy in the mid-1500s.It was best known for its improvised, or unscripted, performances. More often than not, if Columbina is present in a Commedia scenario, she'll be the one to unravel the play's many knots, or at least give the leads the advice they need. This Commedia Dell . In the 18th century, Watteau's painting of commedia figures intermingling with the aristocracy were often set in sumptuous garden or pastoral settings and were representative of that genre. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The theatrical form known as the commedia dell'arte was highly improvisational, although through repeated performances its characters developed stock speeches and stage business and its scenarios gained fairly standard form. Goldoni: Clarice [44][45], Pantalone has one of the most iconic costumes of commedia dell'arte.
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