These characters are stereotypes of things like love, jealousy, and buffoonery. Typically, Capitano wears an exaggerated military uniform, with a feathered hat and ornate boots. 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. Unlike Columbina, however, he has no interest in using his wits to help the young lovers (or anyone else), unless it also happens to help himself in some way. 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. A typical scenario involved a young couples love being thwarted by their parents. 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. 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. Updates? The female character in the masters group is called Prima Donna and can be one of the lovers. Brighella, like Columbina, is a servant (zanni) that has risen to a level of limited power and status (often a head butler, a bartender, amatre d', etc. While not a pushover (in some productions, he may even be a master swordfighter), he nonetheless has a dreamer's eye and a poet's heart. Most of the time, however, he seems to simply enjoy fleecing others and feeling superior to all. The Comdie-Italienne was formally established in France in 1653 and remained popular until Louis XIV expelled the Italian troupes in 1697. However, its impact lives on. There were many different Zanni who sometimes varied by region. Some characters in commedia dell'arte are more successful. While these are often reproduced in large formats, it is important to note that the actual prints measured about 23 inches. His mask is brown or black, with a beaked nose, and is decorated with wrinkles, warts, or other deformities. While Pantalone seems foolish, Il Dottore is portrayed as wise. Not all scenari were comic, there were some mixed forms and even tragedies. The iconography of the commedia dell'arte represents an entire field of study that has been examined by commedia scholars such as Erenstein, Castagno, Katritzky, Molinari, and others. . Magistrates and clergy were not always receptive to the travelling compagnie (companies), particularly during periods of plague, and because of their itinerant nature. [24] This view may be somewhat romanticized since records describe the Gelosi performing Tasso's Aminta, for example, and much was done at court rather than in the street. 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. Many of them wore masks to make them more universally recognizable to the audience. The comedy in commedia dell'arte performances usually comes at someone's expense. -- someone that society shuns but the female lover "really understands." The company, first mentioned in 1568, was the first Commedia to tour outside Italy when it performed in Paris in 1571, and was described as the foremost commedia dellarte troupe. Commedia dell'arte is a theatrical art form, which gained popularity in Italy, built around comedic situations that arise when stock characters come into conflict. The method has been used for different purposes in theatrical history. More than any other element, the Commedia Dell'Arte characters are remembered as the most important and enjoyable elements of the performances. Molire, who worked with Italian troupes in France, and Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare in England incorporated characters and devices from the commedia dellarte in their written works. - Terms, Time Periods and Styles, Elements of Drama: Characters, Plot, Setting & Symbolism, History of Drama: Dramatic Movements and Time Periods, What Is Musical Theater? This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 10:09. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. He usually pairs these two with a big black coat called a zimarra.[45][44]. He is usually depicted as more intelligent than Arlecchino and he is less sympathetic. Vittoria is one of Commedia's female lovers--but unlike Isabella, she tends to meet the"Diamond in the Rough" trope. An example of a commedia dell'arte character in literature is the Pied Piper of Hamelin who is dressed as Harlequin. Commedia dell'Arte. Commedia iconography is evident in porcelain figurines many selling for thousands of dollars at auction. It was largely improvised, with skilled actors reciting and adapting scenes and monologues to fit an ever-changing play. [45], Il Dottore's costume was a play on the academic dress of the Bolognese scholars. Though there was some doubling of masks (roles), most players created their own masks or developed ones already established. [45][44] Il Dottore is almost always clothed entirely in black. 214 lessons. 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. 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. By 1900 most popular commedia-type stories seem to have used only zanni in the romantic roles. For examples of strange instruments of various grotesque formations, see articles by Tom Heck, who has documented this area. 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. The characters in Commedia Dell'Arte can be broadly divided into Zanni, Vecchi, and Innamorati. These characters tended to be stereotypes, with most of them embodying a single primary trait. His mask has a hooked nose and he wears a white costume with a tall white cap and sometimes has a hunchback. [38], According to 18th-century London theatre critic Baretti, commedia dell'arte incorporates specific roles and characters that were "originally intended as a kind of characteristic representative of some particular Italian district or town." Actors in Commedia troupes would often dedicate their careers to performing a single character. A commedia dell'arte (rtsd: hivatsosok sznjtka") rgtnztt sznjtk, mely a 16. szzad kzepn alakult ki Itliban. 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. The Italian players were also popular in England, Spain, and Bavaria. Pierrot is actually a French addition to Commedia and he is not always considered one of the Zanni. Compagnie, or companies, were troupes of actors, each of whom had a specific function or role. Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink is, perhaps, the Queen of the Vittorias. See notes on the"Commedia" history/style page about the importance of his costume! Outside Italy, the form had its greatest success in France, where it became the Comdie-Italienne. Published December 19, 2014 at 7:31 AM PST. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Review the commedia dell'arte genre. By the early 17th century, the zanni comedies were moving from pure improvisational street performances to specified and clearly delineated acts and characters. Doltish yet honest, he was often the victim of his fellow comedians pranks. 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. Create your account. If you could combine Vizzini from the Princess Bride, Zoidberg from Futurama, andOwl from Winnie the Pooh, you'd have Il Dottore. A 19th century drawing . Commedia dell'arte emerged around the middle of the 16th century as the first professional theater form. [16] Some date the origins to the period of the Roman Republic (Plautine types) or the Empire (Atellan Farces). The following list is not exhaustive but does cover the most important and famous Zanni in the Commedia canon. Each character in commedia dell'arte has a distinct costume that helps the audience understand who the character is. One part Kardashian, one part Taylor Swift, and a heaping helping of Cher from "Clueless.". There is also a female character known as The Courtisane who can also have a servant. At this point, she was the most famous actress in Italy and was internationally known. However, as currently used the term commedia dell'arte was coined in the mid-18th century.[29]. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Fun fact: the trousers associated with the character Pantalone became known as ''pantaloons'' due to his popularity, later shortened to just ''pants''. 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. You can expect that Pulcinella is a ridiculous character, given that his full name Pulcinella Cetrulo means ''stupid little chicken'' in Italian. Influences appear in the lodgers in Steven Berkoff's adaptation of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. [26] In the 1570s, English theatre critics generally denigrated the troupes with their female actors (some decades later, Ben Jonson referred to one female performer of the commedia as a "tumbling whore"). [17] Some historians argue that Atellan stock characters, Pappus, Maccus+Buccus, and Manducus, are the primitive versions of the commedia characters Pantalone, Pulcinella, and il Capitano. [48] Brighella was often depicted with a guitar, and many images of the commedia feature singing innamorati or dancing figures. 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 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 first Commedia performances happened around 1551 when "unorganized strolling players, acrobats, street entertainers started to coalesce.". [45], Il Capitano's costume is similar to Il Dottore's in the fact that it is also a satire on military wear of the time. A special characteristic of commedia is the lazzo, a joke or "something foolish or witty", usually well known to the performers and to some extent a scripted routine. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. [6] Characterized by masked "types", commedia was responsible for the rise of actresses such as Isabella Andreini[7] and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. These helped audiences identify what each character personifies and made it easy to identify the character in each commedia dell'arte performance. He is not above lying, cheating, or even--in some plays--violence, if it means extra gold or power. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. La sua novit la professionalizzazione del. Bean: Dolly. Despite his ambition, Pantalone is treated as an old fool by the other characters. Bean: Rachel. [37] Theatre historian Martin Green points to the extravagance of emotion during the period of commedia's emergence as the reason for representational moods, or characters, that define the art. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Almost always the daughter of a rich master character (very often Pantalone, the richest of them all), she often betrays a certain level of "spoiled," but it's important to note that she is not a "Mean Girl"-style villain. While there was some variation between regions, the general look of each character usually transcended geographical boundaries. 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. The first date certainly associated with an Italian commedia dellarte troupe is 1545. [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. Commedia dell'arte performances had peaked by the late 18th century. Piisimi was the primadonna of the famous commedia dellarte Gelosi Company of Flaminio Scala. These scenarios are highly structured and built around the symmetry of the various types in duet: two zanni, vecchi, inamorate and inamorati, etc. Her dress is usually simple, but can also have a patchwork pattern similar to Harlequin's. Italian commedia dell'arte companies appeared in France from the 16th century and pleased both the courtiers, who understood Italian, and the populace, which enjoyed the . Archetype: Isabella/Angellica/etc. Some of the better known commedia dell'arte characters are Pierrot and Pierrette, Pantalone, Gianduja, Il Dottore, Brighella, Il Capitano, Colombina, the innamorati, Pedrolino, Pulcinella, Arlecchino, Sandrone, Scaramuccia (also known as Scaramouche), La Signora, and Tartaglia. This chapter examines the lives and careers of some of the first commedia dell'arte actresses, who worked in Italy and toured to other European countries, such as France, Spain and England, from the mid-sixteenth century until the first decades of the seventeenth century. [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. 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. It is possible that this kind of improvised acting was passed down the Italian generations until the 17th century when it was revived as a professional theatrical technique. Revivals, notably in the 1960s by a Neapolitan troupe led by Peppino de Filippo, by puppet companies in Prague, and by students and repertory players in Bristol and London, however carefully their masks copied contemporary illustrations, however witty their improvisation, could only approximate what the commedia dellarte must have been. These compagnie travelled throughout Europe from the early period, beginning with the Soldati, then, the Ganassa, who travelled to Spain,[32] and were famous for playing the guitar and singingnever to be heard from againand the famous troupes of the Golden Age (15801605): Gelosi, Confidenti, Accessi. Corrections? Performances took place on temporary stages, mostly on city streets, but occasionally even in court venues. Pierrot has his Harlequin, and Pantalone has Il Dottore, He's also known for being an older man with money. Eventually the physical comedy came to dominate the performance, and, as the comic business became routine, it lost its vitality. Their performances were considered the great highlight of the event and became a famous event of their rivalry. Some were doctors, others priests, others soldiers, enticed by the excitement and prevalence of theatre in Italian society. Traditionally his mask has a large, hooked nose, bushy eye brows, and often a glued on beard. Poor Pulcinella! However, each troupe had its impresse (like a coat of arms) which symbolized its nature. Cleopatra is not alone in her superb theatricality and dazzling strangeness. Take a comicalEbenezer Scrooge and occassionally add a dash of Family Guy's Herbert, and you'vegot Pantalone. Arlecchino originally wore a tight fitting long jacket with matching trousers that both had numerous odd shaped patches, usually green, yellow, red, and brown. Over time, Commedia Dell'Arte fell out of style and was replaced by other types of theatre. This Commedia Dell . The decline of the commedia dellarte was due to a variety of factors. Archetype: Brighella Pulcinella is sometimes called the Southern Arlecchino because of his similarities to the Harlequin character. In 1589, the Gelosi troupe performed in Florence at the wedding of Grand Duke Ferdinand de Medici and Christina of Lorraine. The Capitano developed as a caricature of the Spanish braggart soldier, boasting of exploits abroad, running away from danger at home. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He has a powdered face but no mask and he is usually costumed in loose-fitting white clothing. The Flaminio Scala scenarios, published in the early 17th century, are the most widely known collection and representative of its most esteemed compagnia, I Gelosi. Though the style's origins are unclear, at least one troupe was extant in Italy by 1545. Il Capitano brags of grand achievements as a lover and military captain, but it's probably all talk. [31] Members would also splinter off to form their own troupes, such was the case with the Ganassa and the Gelosi. The pittore vago can be attributed with establishing commedia dell'arte as a genre of painting that would persist for centuries. The piano piece Carnaval by Robert Schumann was conceived as a kind of masked ball that combined characters from commedia dell'arte with real world characters, such as Chopin, Paganini, and Clara Schumann, as well as characters from the composer's inner world. Commedia dell'arte (meaning: comedy of the art) was a style of Italian street theater that flourished during the 14th-18th centuries. She was called comica gelosa and mainly played the parts of heroine and subretto. This was in reference to the nomadic nature of the troupes, often instigated by persecution from the Church, civil authorities, and rival theatre organisations that forced the companies to move from place to place. The Commedia dell'arte is improvisatory by nature, therefore heavily depends on the skill of the performer. The zanni had already been differentiated as comic rustic and witty fool. The naive Pierrot is known as a sad clown: he is dressed in frills and puffy clothing, but he's in all white and is constantly heartbroken that the vivacious Harlequin has stolen his love, Columbina. 1. Today, the most famous element of Commedia performance is its highly recognizable characters. The most famous early company was the Gelosi, headed by Francesco Andreini and his wife, Isabella; the Gelosi performed from 1568 to 1604. The danzatrice probably accompanied the troupes and may have been in addition to the general cast of characters.

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