Commedia dell’Arte
1.
What does Commedia dell’Arte mean?
Commedia dell’Arte quite simply translates to mean ‘The Art of Comedy’ in Italian.
2.
Where did it come from?
The true origins of Commedia dell’Arte are debated and uncertain. Mainly due firstly to
the lack of records and secondly to the likelihood that Commedia was simply an
evolution of previous theatre forms. Many characteristics of Commedia actors and
performances contain similarities to those of Thespis and his travelling shows and Greek
actors who combined acting with acrobatics and tumbling.
Commedia dell’Arte comes first began on Italy’s streets as a form of theatre and
entertainment. The troupe’s would travel from town to town during the summer
months to perform their newly composed shows to the peasants and citizens of the
various towns. The stage and set was carried on a cart and was easily mountable and
demountable so for ease and speed. The stage was often simply planks of wood propped
upon barrels or the sides of carts. It was a small stage often only 3x4 m which is why
only a few actors performed on stage at a given time (excluding the finale).
These shows were humorous and entertaining with the stock characters being
recognisable across the country and within various troupes. These characters were
usually of two social levels, the vecchi, old men (usually the wealthy upper class) or the
zanni, servants. The scenarios performed by the actors usually involved the zanni
eventually fooling the vecchi, much to the enjoyment of the audiences often on a similar
level to the zanni. Commedia had evolved this way to provide entertainment for the
lower class. It allowed citizens to mock and jest at the Italian aristocracy without fear of
punishment because they were protected by the idea ‘of just acting’. This allowed
people to relax and easily relate to the commedia characters.
3.
Provide an outline of what was happening in Italy and Europe at this time – focus on
political / military events. Discuss how this impacted on the troupes.
In the 1500’s the monarchy and social hierarchies were a crucial part of everyday life.
Punishments were severe and in fear of offending Lords and the Monarchy, theatre and
many people lived in fear. As a result Commedia began to emerge. It allowed the
working class and everyday citizens to mock and jest at the wealthy in a same manner
but through the safety of it all being ‘just a performance’.
Many of the characters represented people in various towns. The audience, usually the
peasants or working class could often associate themselves with the zanni, usually
Arlecchino or Columbina. As a result the plays would appeal to these people allowing
the zanni to jest at often their employees or wealthy men of the town. However if
people of importance took offence to the Commedia actors strife could occur. It was
known for Commedia troupes to be punished and even executed for their accusatory
language and jests towards these people.
Italy was in a fluid state during the 1500’s. Italy wasn’t its own unified nation until far
later in the 19th century. As a result Italy often faced threats and feared Spain and
France, both of which were aiming at expanding their empires. As a result Italy was
often under increasing demands and pressure from the two governments. This was a
tough and often tight time for Italy with many people fearing the Spanish or French
government to invade at any time. For commedia this resulted in the development of
some its most well-known characters. The most famous of these was Il Capitano, the
Spanish soldier who idealised himself and boasted his impressive feats as a soldier.
Capitano became the butt of many of Commedia’s jokes. Capitano was mocked to be
stupid, fearful and idiotic. This provided great entertainment for many Italian citizens
giving them reason to jest one of the counties which had been the cause of great
political anxieties.
4.
Describe the living conditions for peasants in Italy at this time.
The living conditions were quite harsh in Italy during the 1500’s. The peasants often
lived in squalor. The peasants lived a simple lifestyle often working as vendors, shop
workers or other simple everyday working class jobs. Their homes were often scarce
with rush flooring in relative poverty. During this time in the renaissance period,
monetary wealth was growing alongside Italy’s economy.
Entertainment was often sort apart from theatre from cockerel fighting, bear baiting,
gambling and drinking. It was a patriarchal society but with increasing female
involvement. Peasant women would often work in bars or as washer women to name a
few. Due to poor hygiene, sickness was ripe during this period and without access to
regular water supplies, the city was often dirty with filth and human waste. With lacking
medical knowledge much was based upon superstition and theories.
5.
Find images of upper class Italian citizens. What conclusions can you draw about their
lifestyle and wealth?
These pictures provide various ideas about life in Italy during the renaissance period. The
immaculate detail on the women’s bodices and dresses displays the immense wealth of these
women and their families. What this portrays is that despite the seemingly high levels of poverty
there was in fact large amounts of wealth as well. These figures have all been painted which again
shows their easy and relaxed lifestyles. Their hands are portrayed as delicate and white as is their
skin which emphasises the lack of physical work that they’ve done.
6.
Where was commedia played? Why was this preferred?
Commedia dell’Arte was originally played in the town centres and market places. The
reason for this was because it allowed easy access for their target audiences, the
peasants. What this meant for the troupes was their actions and projection needed to
be over exaggerated so to be practical in a large noisy space. These places were also very
busy so the troupe could attract a large audience. The larger the audience the more
likely it was to make larger funds from donations similar to street performers today.
7.
Why was commedia such a popular form of theatre at this time?
Commedia was incredibly popular at this time for various reasons. The first was that the
characters were accessible to the audience. People could easily associate themselves in
the characters and those of people around them .This added to the comedy and made
sure people felt involved in the play.
Commedia also made mockeries of figures in society including the Spanish, academics,
rich old men and others. If a town had particularly well-known figures commedia actors
were renowned for inserting the odd reference and alluding to these people in their
plays. This again enhanced the comedy as they over-exaggerated of employers or figures
of importance.
Commedia was also usually free entertainment. Yes at the end a hat or bucket was
passed around and a few coins spared but basically free or very cheap. This added to the
appeal as people watched these performances often as a break from their everyday
work. Having a Commedia troupe come to town was new and exciting. Massagers would
announce their arrival and people would wait expectantly to see the developments from
last years performances as well as the familiar characters again. These troupes were
fairly common but rare enough to arouse excitement and suspense for what each troupe
was going to perform.
8.
Explain why stock characters are used by contemporary script writers and why they
continue to engage modern audiences.
Stock characters were just as effective when first introduced as they are today. Modern
TV shows, movies and plays all incorporate these characters for humour and easy
recognition. The first reason is about humour, audiences are able to understand in
general terms the characteristics of the characters if they can associate them with the
usual stock characters. In for example ‘Night at the Museum’ Ben Stiller plays a
stereotypical Arlecchino like character. He is stupid, innocent and ignorant of his
surroundings. As a result audiences are able to grasp his stupidity and laugh at his
mistakes and responses to situations. These characters we associate with humour so as
soon as we make a realisation we can progress with the story.
This moves us to the second point which is easy recognition. The more these characters
are used the easier it becomes to quickly recall their characteristics. Audiences can then
much faster than without a stock character mould build a bigger picture. It means we
can foreshadow events and reactions to circumstances. Take Cinderella for example. She
represents a Columbina-like character. Gentle, innocent, hardworking, has a peasant-like
status which all allow the audience to relate too. Then as the story progresses the
audiences knows that they’re meant to like this character and hope for her best
interests. Then when the finale arrives and she overcomes all obstacles it means more
emotion flows in the piece. Due to this easy recognition it means audiences need less of
an introduction into the storey as they can quickly associate their emotions with various
characters.
Bibliography
All About Clowns, 2009, Commedia Stock Characters, viewed 7 May, 2011,
<http://www.allaboutclowns.com/commedia-stock-characters.html#columbina>.
Lepg, 2004, The Sixteenth Century, viewed 7 May, 2011, <http://www.lepg.org/sixteen.htm>.
Shane Arts, 2009, Brief History of Commedia dell'Carte, viewed 7 May, 2011, <http://www.shanearts.com/commedia-history.htm>.
Tripod, 2006, Rise of Monarchial States, viewed 6 May, 2011,
<http://ap_history_online.tripod.com/apeh5.htm>.