FUN History overview- The italian Comedy

• The Italian Comedy belongs to the ROMANTIC PERIOD and to the 'distant glamour of pageantry and colour'. George Sand called it the "uninterrupted tradition of fantastic humour, in essence quite serious".  Maurice Sand said it was "perfection among plays".
• you could say the Italian Comedy came from the Atellanae, ancient Greek comedies/satires in which whatever plot, every particular role was played by a particular character.
• Harlequin Punch, Columbine and Pantaloon are all examples of Characters that were used again and again in many forms and guises (often in VULGAR PERFORMANCES and FARCES). "They were quaint characters, conventionalised but full of life, rare personalities given to antics as picturesque as the costumes they wore". 

an example of this would be Angelo Beolco's comedy, which he developed in prose, with each character performing in their own, different dialect!!! (dialect was used instead of the audience's language till around early1670s)

each character possessed striking traits which stamped them with DISTINCT PERSONALITIES of their own:

•  manner of speaking and gesturing

•  their own peculiar intonations and dress/costume

 These characters represented people of the living and growing towns e.g. Bergamo and Venice. Actors and public cooperated to great extent in perfecting and standardising the different characters. Each town created a representative type which was its boast and to which their jealous neighbours added a touch of caricature to.                      

16th Century Characters from the Commedia Dell'Arte   

Milan:                     Beltrame and Scapin         

 Naples:  Pulcinella , Scaramouche and Tartiglia

Rome: Meo-Patacca, Marco-Pepe, Cassandrino 

                                                                                           T      u                 Turin: Gianduja 
                                                                                         
                 Calabria: Coviello                                                                        C    a             


All the characters wore MASKS. However women would only wear a little black velvet loup, which was also an indication of a connection with the theatre of antiquity, to protect their beauty).

• The important writers/directors of the 1700 (moment in time in which the Italian Comedy is becoming really fashionable in Paris) were Sacchi, Carlo Gozzi and Goldoni.
• "The Italian Comedy: is immense vitality, due to the genius and mastery of improvisators of their art, rarely equalled in the history of theatre!  This is because of:

1. Strong point of gesture
2. They could represent many things through their actions (they're face were masked so all their emotions were captured by their gestures).
3.  fresh element of sparkle, exuberance and salient expression. (Lke ROBERTO BENIGNI!!!!)
4. absurd/delightfully style in costumes introduced an abundance of colour and atmosphere.
5. inculated a taste for music and elaborated costumes. this was an aid to fantasy and encouraged a cult of the voluptuous.
6. the characters portray a jovial but crude naturalism.  e.g. Harlequin in the "Empereur dans la Lune"; or Scaraouche. 

 "Mad" Harlequin                            as