Italian Theatre (Commedia dell’arte)

Commedia dell’arte is an Italian theatre form that was popular in Europe from the 16^th through the 18^th century. In Italian, the name translates into “comedy of the profession”. Outside of Italy it had great success in France and parts of England. The earliest known production was in Padua in 1545. Plays of this kind were normally performed in the open space by troupes of actors, and performances were based on a basic plot in which actors improvised their own dialogue. Actors were able to tailor the performance to the audience and make sly remarks or bawdy jokes when they felt it was appropriate.

Plots were commonly based on the struggles of young lovers who weren’t able to be together because of one or more elders. The lovers would seek assistance from servants, who would intervene cunningly and bring the play to a happy ending. Another popular plot was a servant character outwitting the foolish master. Sometimes, stories from mythology or ancient tales were acted out. Specific actors were allowed to show off a particular skill, which that actor would then become famous for.

Characters traditionally wore masks and took on a distinct set of attributes that became specific to the portrayal of that character. All of the characters except for the two lovers and the comic servant wore masks. Because the mask blocked facial expressions, emphasis was put on the dialect and gestures were exaggerated to convey emotion and tone.

Commedia dell’arte came to a decline after the 18^th century and eventually became a lost art form. This was due to a variety of factors. The rich humor was lost on foreign audiences, comic performances lost their vitality, and as time passed the roles no longer reflected real life because actors stopped altering characters. The last traces of the art were in England in the early 1700s. However, it made an impact on other dramatic art forms.

Sources cited:

Commedia dell’arte. Metmuseum.org. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/comm/hd_comm.htm

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Commedia dell’arte. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/art/commedia-dellarte