Influence of Commedia dell'arte

A detailed Summary of Influence of Commedia dell'arte

Commedia dell'Arte has two major elements: improvisation and stock characters (Brockett 150). Stock characters were so important that usually one actor played the same role throughout his career. Commedia dell'Arte was created for the common people since most earlier Italian shows were put on for an aristocratic audience.

The characters of commedia dell'Arte were either straight or exaggerated roles (Brockett 150). The young lovers were like the pop culture in Italian theater. They dressed in the styles of the time, they were clever, and they were attractive (and not masked). They could illustrate how strange the other characters were. The male lover's father rejected the son's lover. The young woman had both old and young male lovers (Brockett 150). The character roles were usually master or servant.

The masters were usually ridiculous. There was the Capitano, who was an exaggerated character who bragged about his ample love abilities and fighting, but who was actually a coward and not so great in the sack. Pantalone was an old man, a merchant, who would pretend to be a young man and court the young ladies. Il Dottore was Pantalone'

s friend. Il Dottore, the doctor, was an asshole to his family and a braggart about his knowledge.

The Comic Illusion has a very clear example of the stock characters in Commedia. There are three different plays going on, with the same actors playing the same type of roles. There is a pair of young lovers, a maid, a man servant, and a nobleman. The action is almost always the same- there is a rivalry between two men and the maid is always there to move the action along- a similar role played by the zanni in Commedia dell'Arte.

Don Juan is also similar. Don Juan is sort of a Capitano. He dresses in an exaggerated manner. He is a braggart about his lovemaking and will always be prepared to fight. He has no reverence for anything other than himself. He also has a servant to help him along and give him advice. The young women can all be seen as young lovers, although they are quite a bit more foolish than the Commedia lovers. Don Juan's servant, Sganarelle, also plays an important servant role by explaining the action to the audience and moving the action along. He also separates himself from the noble class and plays to the general a

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Approximate Word count = 770
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts

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