Commedia Del’Arte: Its History and Abounding Inspiration
“As long as there is life, my dear friends, laughter will be the weapon of we who mock it even as we struggle to understand it.” - George Herman, A Comedy of Murders
Commedia Del’Arte was a form of theatre that developed in Italy during the sixteenth century and was made popular because of its use of humorous dialogue, exaggerated masks, and cast of colorful characters. Commedia Del’ Arte has impacted and influenced the theatre today by having created foundations in drama and art that transcended history. Not only from a technical view but socially as well, its performances and performers (such as Isabella Andreini) would create a new groundwork for our current theatre world. A basic …show more content…
Each character has its own unique set of attributes and characteristics including gesture, stance, speech, props, and costumes. These traits became standard to the portrayal of the characters. For example, the Innamorati (the lovers) would always be heard speaking in the eloquent Tuscan dialect. They would be of a high class wearing the latest fashions and they would be young and attractive. Signature props would be a handkerchief or flower and they would hold these props elegantly. They were more aware of the audience than the other characters and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the lovers flirting with the audience during a performance. In contrast, another character, Il Capitano would be large and older. This character was satirical towards the military and his costume would be a comic uniform, often with enlarged mis-matching boots. His walk would often be a march and his stances would be standing at a attention with his hand on his sword. The sword was often used as a phallic symbol throughout many performances and Il Capitano would be seen with his sword between his legs pointing outwards. He would wear a mask, with the traditional long and menacing nose. All characters, excluding the innamorati and Pedrolino, also wore …show more content…
The raunchy humor we see in this show is equivalent to what Commedia Del Arte would have been in its time. The show was imagined and brought to life by a group of actors who created for themselves incredibly exaggerated characters based on their own personalities. Throughout the show they take on different roles and characters to tell a story. While the show is scripted, actors in scenes rely heavily on improvisation (Jace). Even the characters that actors have created mirrors the stock characters from Commedia. This is a modern example of what Commedia Del’ Arte was and
“As long as there is life, my dear friends, laughter will be the weapon of we who mock it even as we struggle to understand it.” - George Herman, A Comedy of Murders
Commedia Del’Arte was a form of theatre that developed in Italy during the sixteenth century and was made popular because of its use of humorous dialogue, exaggerated masks, and cast of colorful characters. Commedia Del’ Arte has impacted and influenced the theatre today by having created foundations in drama and art that transcended history. Not only from a technical view but socially as well, its performances and performers (such as Isabella Andreini) would create a new groundwork for our current theatre world. A basic …show more content…
Each character has its own unique set of attributes and characteristics including gesture, stance, speech, props, and costumes. These traits became standard to the portrayal of the characters. For example, the Innamorati (the lovers) would always be heard speaking in the eloquent Tuscan dialect. They would be of a high class wearing the latest fashions and they would be young and attractive. Signature props would be a handkerchief or flower and they would hold these props elegantly. They were more aware of the audience than the other characters and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the lovers flirting with the audience during a performance. In contrast, another character, Il Capitano would be large and older. This character was satirical towards the military and his costume would be a comic uniform, often with enlarged mis-matching boots. His walk would often be a march and his stances would be standing at a attention with his hand on his sword. The sword was often used as a phallic symbol throughout many performances and Il Capitano would be seen with his sword between his legs pointing outwards. He would wear a mask, with the traditional long and menacing nose. All characters, excluding the innamorati and Pedrolino, also wore …show more content…
The raunchy humor we see in this show is equivalent to what Commedia Del Arte would have been in its time. The show was imagined and brought to life by a group of actors who created for themselves incredibly exaggerated characters based on their own personalities. Throughout the show they take on different roles and characters to tell a story. While the show is scripted, actors in scenes rely heavily on improvisation (Jace). Even the characters that actors have created mirrors the stock characters from Commedia. This is a modern example of what Commedia Del’ Arte was and