What are the two types of Commedia?

Zanni: servants, clowns; characters such as Arlecchino (also known as Harlequin), Brighella, Scapino, Pulcinella and Pedrolino. Vecchi: wealthy old men, masters; characters such as Pantalone and il Dottore. Innamorati: young upper class lovers; who would have names such as Flavio and Isabella.

What are the 3 categories in Commedia dell arte?

With few exceptions, all characters of the Commedia dell’arte belonged to one of three categories: masters, lovers, servants.

What was the role of the theatre troupe in Commedia dell arte?

Commedia Dell’Arte is often referred to as the actor’s theatre, as those who participated in this particular form were writers, editors, and performers of their own work. Actors worked from a basic outline, requiring an great understanding of structure and the arch of the pieces being performed.

What 3 groups did Commedia characters belong to?

Commedia characters are fixed types who fall into one of three categories:

  • The Servants (eg: Arlecchino or Columbina)
  • The Masters (eg: Pantalone)
  • The Lovers (eg: Isabella and Flavio )

What is commedia dell’arte style?

Commedia dell’arte is a theatrical form characterized by improvised dialogue and a cast of colorful stock characters that emerged in northern Italy in the fifteenth century and rapidly gained popularity throughout Europe.

Why does Pantalone wear red?

Pantalone represents the love of money. His costume is red and black, and he wears tight-fitting trousers and a flowing cape to suggest his flair and worldliness. Pantalone is known for wearing a brown or black mask with a hooked nose, and sometimes he is depicted with a mustache or flowing wide beard.

What is a Pantaloon man?

Pantaloon, Italian Pantalone, stock character of the 16th-century Italian commedia dell’arte—a cunning and rapacious yet often deceived Venetian merchant. Later versions of the character sometimes wore long trousers (pantaloons).

What are the main themes and issues of commedia?

Conventional themes in Commedia dell’Arte include jealousy, love and old age, while plot elements typically involve young lovers (innamorati in Italian) kept apart by various influences, such as the objections of an older generation (miserly parents or grandparents) called vechi.

Is the commedia dell’arte really Street Theatre?

The depiction of Commedia dell’Arte as “street theatre” is a simplified myth, for the reality was that Commedia players performed wherever possible—but ideally indoors where it was easier to monitor ticket revenue and to control the various aspects of the performance.

Where did the commedia dell’arte troupe come from?

Commedia dell’arte Troupe on a Wagon in a Town Square, by Jan Miel, 1640. Commedia dell’arte (UK: /kɒˈmeɪdiə dɛl ˈɑːrteɪ/, US: /kəˈ- -ti, -ˈmɛd-/, Italian: [komˈmɛːdja delˈlarte]; meaning “comedy of the profession”) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italy, that was popular in Europe from the 16th to the 18th century.

Who is an example of a commedia dell’arte playwright?

Another popular scenario writer and theatre practitioner was Carlo Gozzi (1720-1806) who’s Five Tales for the Theatre is a rare example of scripted Commedia in which the characters are given a preface of the story and then actual lines to perform. This form became more prevalent a few years later around the 17th-18th Century.

Where was the Comedie-Italienne theatre most popular?

Commedia dell’arte, (Italian: “comedy of the profession”) Italian theatrical form that flourished throughout Europe from the 16th through the 18th century. Outside Italy, the form had its greatest success in France, where it became the Comédie-Italienne.