Commedia Dell’ Arte

1. Commedia Dell’ Arte Andrew Ooms, Kyle Washington

2. What is Commedia Dell’Arte? • Comedia Dell’ Arte is an Italian unwritten or improvised drama. The first recorded commedia dell'arte performances come from Rome as early as 1551. It often involved portrayals of disgraceful or silly love scenes. Clever tricks played on Gullible figures often to outwit them or gain their possessions. • Each male character has an opposite or rival. Each woman had someone they could confide in. • All roles were extremely specific and set to a specific theme or character. • The plays always try to evoke an array of emotions, often hilarity and intent to parody views or generalizations thought by the general populous.

3. Photo Video!

4. Character Description • Arlechinno - servant, moves quickly, usually serves, Pantalone, Capitano or Dottore, dim-witted with flashes of cleverness. • Capitano- Cowardly, portrays himself as the perfect specimen, perfect captain, commanding, brash, and intelligent, but in reality very weak and submissive and an ill performing captain. • Columbina- Maid of one of the old man or wife of Arlechino. • Dottore-Usually is a head of a family, important, directly confronts the audience tells them things. • The Innamorati (The Lovers) -Isabella, Lelio, Flavio and Vittoria are examples of these characters, in love with each other and themselves. • Pantalone – Usually has alot of money, plays a role of conflict very often, for example wanting to marry the same woman his son wants to marry.

5. Character Video