What is Commedia dell’arte

Commedia dell’arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating in Italy.

The characters of the commedia usually represent fixed social types and stock characters, such as foolish old men or devious servants.

Although commedia dell’arte flourished in Italy during the Mannerist period, there has been a long-standing tradition of trying to establish historical antecedents in antiquity. While we can detect formal similarities between the commedia dell’arte and earlier theatrical traditions, there is no way to establish certainty of origin.

The first recorded commedia dell’arte performances came from Rome as early as 1551. Commedia dell’arte was performed outdoors in temporary venues by professional actors who were costumed and masked, as opposed to commedia erudita, which were written comedies, presented indoors by untrained and unmasked actors.

Arlecchino

Harlequin inherits his physical agility and his trickster qualities, as well as his name, from a mischievous “devil” character in medieval passion plays.

The Harlequin is characterized by his chequered costume. His role is that of a light-hearted, nimble, and astute servant, often acting to thwart the plans of his master, and pursuing his own love interest, Colombina, with wit and resourcefulness, often competing with the sterner and melancholic Pierrot. He later develops into a prototype of the romantic hero.

The primary aspect of Arlecchino was his physical agility. He was very nimble and performed the sort of acrobatics the audience expected to see. The character would never perform a simple action when the addition of a cartwheel, somersault, or flip would spice up the movement.

Early characteristics of Arlecchino paint the character as a second zanni servant from northern Italy with the paradoxical attributes of a dimwitted fool and an intelligent trickster.^[4][10] Arlecchino is sometimes referred to as putting on a show of stupidity in a metatheatrical attempt to create chaos within the play. Physically, Arlecchino is described as wearing a costume covered in irregular patches, a hat outfitted with either a rabbit or fox’s tail, and a red and black mask.^[4] The mask itself is identified by carbuncles on the forehead, small eyes, a snub nose, hollow cheeks, and sometimes bushy brows with facial hair. Arlecchino is often depicted as having a wooden sword hanging from a leather belt on his person.

Aside from his acrobatics, Arlecchino is also known for having several specific traits such as:

• Appearing humpbacked without artificial padding
• The ability to eat large amounts of food quickly
• Using his wooden sword like a fan
• A parody of bel canto

Pantalone

Pantalone is the metaphorical representation of money in the commedia world.

While the social standing of merchants may have changed through many centuries, the intent for Pantalone was to ensure that he had the status that allowed him to meddle in the affairs of others. Pantalone is usually the father to one of the “Innamorati” (the lovers), another stock character found in commedia. He is driven to keep his child and their respective lover apart. Pantalone is presented either as a widower or bachelor, and despite his age, makes numerous passes at the women within the commedia world, “though he is always rejected”. Pantalone never forgets a deal and his merit is based on actions, not words. He is also described as being petty, and he never forgets or forgives even the smallest things.

Pantalone is characterized as loving his money and having emotional extremes. With his sinister and often inhumane treatment towards his fellows, Pantalone is perceived to be a pivotal part of commedia. His importance is represented in almost every commedia production; often placing him at the beginning of the comedy.

Pantalone is described as being too self-absorbed to notice and interact much with the audience, but he is so obvious that it serves the same purpose.

Zanni

Zanni is a character type of Commedia dell’arte best known as an astute servant and trickster.

The Zanni comes from the countryside and is known to be a “dispossessed immigrant worker”. Through time, the Zanni grew to be a popular figure who was first seen in commedia as early as the 14th century. The English word zany derives from this persona.

The name Zanni (as well as Zuan) is a variant of the name Gianni and was common in the Lombard-Venetian countryside which provided most of the servants to the wealthy nobles and merchants of Venice. In Italian it is specifically a name of someone whose identity is not of any importance. It is one of the oldest characters in Commedia dell’arte but over the course of time became subdivided into a number of similar characters with more specific traits. These included Arlecchino, Pulcinella, Mezzettino and Truffaldino, as well as Beltrame and Brighella. Arlecchino, for example, was more representative of a jester than an ordinary servant and was frequently depicted as very acrobatic. Zanni was shortened to Zan when used to provide further identification of an individual.

The Zanni’s costume usually consists of white baggy clothing. This was similar to the dress of peasants and farmworkers of the time. A specific type of Zanni, Brighella, wore accents of green to indicate his tricky and devious nature. Arlecchino, however, was known for his irregular colored patches that eventually became the essence of the entire outfit. The Zanni are also known to sport a peaked hat and a wooden sword. The Zanni at first wore a full faced carnival mask, but because of the need for dialogue between Pantalone and the Zanni, the bottom of the mask was hinged and eventually cut away altogether. The longer the nose of the Zanni, the stupider he is said to be.

Dottore

Il Dottore “the Doctor”; commonly known in Italian as Dottor Balanzone or simply Balanzone, is a commedia dell’arte stock character, one of the vecchi, or “old men”, whose function in a scenario is to be an obstacle to the young lovers

Rotund and fond of drink and food but mostly chocolate. Il Dottore is also fond of girls however is untruthful and gets caught cheating several times; he is a love rat. Il Dottore is representative of the learned intellectual class, and as such is meant to playfully parody the educated elite. He attended the University of Bologna, and pretends to be an expert in many subjects, talking constantly, but usually having no idea about that of which he speaks. Depending on the portrayal, however, he can actually be very educated, and bore the other players into leaving the stage. The preferred crowd favorite, however, is the Dottore who speaks nonsense. Il Dottore walks with his chest up, knees bent, and with a bouncy movement, taking small steps; he gesticulates with his hands and fingers, making room around him by keeping others at bay. He stands in one position and plants himself to make a point. Il Dottore can be the father to one of the innamorati, usually either Columbina or Isabella. There are, however, existing scenarios in which Dottore is not a father, specifically “the Tooth-Puller”, or Il Cavadente. There is also precedence for Il Dottore to be cuckolded.

Unlike the majority of half masks in Commedia dell’Arte, Il Dottore’s mask is unique in that it is a one-third mask; the mask itself is meant to be a parody of a Bolognese jurisconsult. The actor’s cheeks may sometimes have rouge applied to imply that Il Dottore is fond of drinking. His costume is usually all or mostly black and he frequently wears a black felt hat with long, trailing robes. Under his black robes are shorter black robes and black shoes. The ruffaround Il Dottore’s neck didn’t come into play until his popularity in France grew, at which point it was adopted in 1653 by Agostino Lolli.

Pulcinella

Pulcinella (Italian pronunciation: [pultʃiˈnɛlla]), a male name derived from “pulcino,” meaning chick, and “pollastrello,” meaning rooster, is a classical character that originated in commedia dell’arte of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry.

Engineered specifically to be the star of southern Italy, he is described as “the voice of the people, as the direct expression of a people as lively and spirited as the Neapolitans is never questioned. Pulcinella’s versatility in status and attitude has captivated audiences worldwide and kept the character popular in countless forms.

Pulcinella was raised by two “fathers”, Maccus and Bucco, who were as different as two parents could be. Maccus is described as being terribly witty, sarcastic, rude, and cruel, while Bucco is a nervous thief who is as silly as he is full of himself. This duality manifested itself in both the way Pulcinella is shaped and the way he acts. Physically, the characteristics he inherited from his fathers attributed to his top-heavy, chicken-like shape. He inherited his humpback, his large, crooked nose, and his gangly legs from Maccus. His potbelly, large cheeks, and gigantic mouth come from Bucco. Due to this duality of parental lineage, Pulcinella can be portrayed as both a servant and master depending on the scenario. “Upper” Pulcinella is more like Bucco, with a scheming nature, an aggressive sensuality, and great intelligence. “Lower” Pulcinella, however, favors Maccus, and is brilliantly described by Pierre Louis Duchartre as being “a dull and coarse bumpkin. This juxtaposition of proud, cunning thief from the upper class and loud, crass pervert from the servant class is one that is key to understanding Pulcinella’s behaviors.

Duality is the name of the game with Pulcinella. He either plays dumb, though he is very much aware of the situation or- he acts as though he is the most intelligent and competent, though he is woefully ignorant. He is incessantly trying to rise above his station, though he does not intend to work for it. He is a social chameleon, who tries to get those below him to think highly of him, but is sure to appease those in positions of power. Pulcinella’s closing couplet translates to “I am Prince of everything, Lord of land and main. Except for my public whose faithful servant I remain.”

However, because his world is often that of a servant, he has no real investment in preserving the socio-political world of his master. Nevertheless, he is always on the side of the winner, though he often doesn’t decide this until after they’ve won. No matter his initial intent, Pulcinella always manages to win. If something ends poorly, another thing is successful. If he is put out in a sense, he is rewarded in another. This often accidental triumph is his normal. Another important characteristic of Pulcinella is that he fears nothing. Consequences are of no mind to him, as he will be victorious no matter what. It is said that he is so wonderful to watch because he does what audience members would do were they not afraid of the consequences.

Colombina

Columbina (in Italian Colombina, meaning “little dove”; in French and English Colombine) is a stock character in the Commedia dell’Arte.

The role of the female servant was originally that of an entr’acte dancer. Women were not allowed to be part of the story that was being played out on stage, but they were allowed to have a dance in-between the action. Eventually these women became the buxom and gossipy servants of characters that were already allowed on stage. Eventually they became the counterparts to the Zanni characters. She was very down to earth and could always see the situation for what it actually was. She was very infrequently without something to say to or about someone.

She is dressed in a ragged and patched dress, appropriate to a master of the arts. These characters were usually played unmasked, but with bonnets. She was also known to wear heavy makeup around her eyes and carry a tambourine, which she could use to fend off the amorous advances of Pantalone. There is record of Columbine using numerous disguises to trick Harlequin. Where most other characters are content with one disguise, Gheraldi’s Colombine has several different disguises to confuse Harlequin and to keep the audience on their toes.

She was often the only functional intellect on the stage. Columbine aided her mistress, the innamorata, to gain the affections of her one true love. She is sometimes the lover of Harlequin, but not always. She may be a flirtatious and impudent character, indeed a soubrette.

Capitano

Il Capitano (Italian for “The Captain”) is one of the four stock characters of Commedia dell’arte. He most-likely was never a “Captain”, but rather appropriated the name for himself.

He is often a braggart and a swaggerer who can maintain his claims only by benefit of the fact that none of the locals know him. He is usually a Spaniard given the fact that for most of the late Renaissance to well into 17th century, parts of Italy were under Spanish domination. He was most likely inspired by the boisterous Iberic caudillos who told tall tales of their exploits either in the conquest of the Americas or in the wars with Germany.

Il Capitano often talks at length about made up conquests of both the militaristic and carnal nature in attempts to impress others, but often only ends up impressing himself. He gets easily carried away in his tales and doesn’t realise when those around him don’t buy his act. He would be the first to run away from any and all battles and he has trouble enough talking to and being around men. He is also extremely opportunistic and greedy. If hired by Pantalone to protect his daughter from her many suitors, Capitano would set up a bidding war for his services or aid between the suitors and Pantalone while wooing her himself. If he is hired to fight the Turks, he will bluster about fighting them to his last drop of blood, but when the Turks seem to be winning, he will join them. When they are driven off, he will change sides again and boast about his loyalty and bravery.