Why commedia dellarte popular

This form became more prevalent a few years later around the 17thth Century. The actors would travel in troupes around to different cities and later on, different countries to perform improvised comedies for the locals.

In early modern Italy, segregation was a prominent part of society. There were ghettos for the Jews; the prostitutes and lower class would live in specific areas of the city just as the rich and the elite had their own parts of the city which they inhabited.

For example, the balcony in early modern Italy was a liminal space predominantly used by higher class females. These elite females would not dare be seen outside of the house and although they were sometimes scrutinized for being on their balcony it was deemed more appropriate than to be standing in their doorways on the street, that was for the lower class women.

Ritiratezza was an Italian ideology, not to draw attention to ones self and it was considered a trait that a desired woman would be expected to have. Women were watched carefully while in the public eye and criticized if they lacked this virtue.

Representations in the theatre have more to offer in this context than paintings, in spite of the artificiality of stage settings. In addition to the visual spectacle, the simultaneous use of two levels on a stage in an outdoor scene may have more to teach us.

While lower-class female characters could also appear out of doors as they did in the real world, higher-status women with reputations to protect were only made visible to the audience through the mechanism of using an upper level of the stage in the form of windows or, less frequently, balconies.

These permitted them to interact with actors down below, observing them covertly, exchanging amorous looks and words, listening to serenades. This was not only a way of enforcing these standards but also allowed for the social class of specific characters to be made clear to the audience. For example a woman on a balcony or in a window, the audience would automatically make the connection that she must be of the upper class.

Although it reinforced these standards, this method could also be used to cause controversy. If an elite female character up on a balcony or in a window demonstrated poor ritiratezza, then those watching would be shocked and would think critically of the character.

As it moved elsewhere across Europe it continued to evolve and adapt based on the cultural preferences of its adoptive countries. In England, The Punch and Judy puppet shows, still popular today, owe their concept to the Pulcinella mask from the Neapolitan the city of Napoli version of the form.

Unfortunately Commedia took a big hit during the 17th century in Great Britain, mostly due to the Puritan influence. The Puritans were not big supporters of the arts of any kind and shows were often banned altogether.

Napoleon also played his part in limiting its spread. During his occupation of Italy, proponents of reform and critics of French rule used the carnival masks to hide their identities while pushing political agendas, challenging social rule, and hurling insults and criticisms at the regime.

His banning was a major blow as Commedia did not resurface again until in Venice, and much of its original quality has been lost history. Occasionally, stock characters acted out stories from mythology and ancient Greek and Roman comedies as well.

Beyond the most basic plot elements, the only scripted components of the performance were lazzi —rehearsed interludes of comic stage business, music, acrobatics, or fighting—often unrelated to the development of the scenario.

Each stock character of the commedia evolved a distinct set of attributes—characteristic speech, gestures, props, and costume —that became standard to the portrayal of the character. All characters except Pedrolino and the innamorati wore masks, a tradition deriving from ancient Roman comedies , Atellanae Fabulae, that featured character types similar to those of the commedia.

Because the mask partially or entirely obscured facial expression, emphasis was placed on dialect often reflecting regional stereotypes, as a foil to the elegant Tuscan speech of the innamorati and exaggerated gesture to convey emotion and intention.

These distinctive costumes and stylized postures held particular appeal for modelers of small sculpture such as Franz Anton Bustelli ca. The cast of vecchi included Il Dottore, a wealthy old doctor from Bologna who speaks in non sequiturs, often quoting Latin inappropriately, and Pantalone, a miserly Venetian.

The latter is distinguished by a costume of red vest, breeches, and hose, a black cassock, and a mask with hooked nose. A comically large codpiece alludes to his womanizing tendencies. Il Dottore wears black academic robes and a black mask that covers only the forehead and nose. He is usually depicted as obese and red-cheeked from drinking too much wine. Playing either a vecchio or a zanni , the bullying braggart Il Capitano appears in a military uniform and carries a sword, proclaiming his war victories.

Il Capitano lends many of his traits to a later character, the waggish Scaramuccia Scaramouche. For elaboration, loose-fitting garments alternated with very tight, and jarring color contrasts opposed monochrome outfits. Except for the inamorato , males would identify themselves with character-specific costumes and half-masks. The zanni precursor to clown , such Arlecchino , for example, would be immediately recognizable because of his black mask and patchwork costume.

While the inamorato and the female characters wore neither masks nor costumes unique to that personage, certain information could still be derived from their clothing. Audiences knew what members of the various social classes typically wore, and also expected certain colors to represent certain emotional states.

All the fixed character types, the figures of fun or satire , wore colored leather masks. Their opposites, typically pairs of young lovers around whom the stories revolved, had no need for such devices. In modern Italian handcrafted theater, masks are still created in the ancient tradition of carnacialesca. The inclusion of music and dance into commedia performance required that all actors have these skills.

Frequently at the end of a piece, even the audience joined in on the merrymaking. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance.