Commedia Dell'arte

Commedia dell'arte is a theatrical form started in Northern Italy in the fifteenth century which became popular all over Europe. It is performed by open air troupes specializing in this art form. This art form places attention on improvisation, exaggerated gesture, and a host of colorful stock characters which are used to convey the story of the play.

The common characters in any play would be the innamorati, the vecchi, the zanni and the trademark lazzi. The innamorati is the main characters of the performance and are normally young lovers who are being hindered by the vecchi. The vecchi ranges from a jealous guardian or another spouse. They are fundamentally the antagonists in each play. The innamorati seek help from the zanni to beat the vecchi and the story normally ends on a happy note.

The only scripted point in the entire performance is the lazzi. It works as an interlude for the zanni to show off their special skills and don't have anything to do with the normal performance. This could be music, acrobatics or fighting.

Vecchi was normally played by Il Capitano or Il Dottore. Il Dottore is a big red-cheeked doctor who is drunk all the time. He is shown wearing a black mask that cover only the cheek or nose. His character is known to be dumb and blabbering. Il Capitano is a bully who appears in a military uniform and shows off all the time. He is a coward and known to take credit for other people's good deeds. Both of them are made to be completely terrible.

Characters like the ones above have distinctive qualities and traits that are normally explained by the actors. The mask partially or completely covers the face, putting emphasis on dialogue and exaggerated gestures. In all or some facets of Western culture can be found the remains of conscious or subconscious presence of the Commedia dell'arte. Using sexual language and black humor, commedia dell'arte was a rebellious act against the cold and planned acts of the Italian plays. It poked fun at the socio-political scene and made for a humorous night out in the town and was a very important development in the history of theatre, and the history of Europe.

"Commedia Dell'arte." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/comm/hd_comm.htm>.
"Commediainfo." Commediainfo. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.commedia-dell-arte.com/commediainfo.htm>.
Image: "Commedia Dell'arte." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commedia_dell'arte>.