An introduction to five Commedia dell’Arte characters

BySian Johnson October 2008

Exploring Prominent Characteristics of the Commedia dell' Arte

Theatron 3 - 'The fools' zanni'

WHAT IS COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE Translated from Italian as “Comedy of Art”

Improvisational form of theatre that originated in Italy in the 15th century

Non naturalistic style of theatre

The form would be a series of short sketches or scenes planned in outline but without scripts and few props

Actors would often communicate directly with the audience through direct address or through asides

Stock characters each with very particular features, roles, costumes , masks and movements

The stage was subdivided into specific areas of action

Performed by established travelling troupes on platform stages outdoors

A range of stock characters, 5 of whom are outlined in the following slides

Click for Here for a podcast from Plushgoolash

IL DOTTORE

Origins: first appeared in the mid 16th century as Gratiano. Doctor is a generic term which doesn’t always mean a medical doctor.

Status: He is a bachelor or widower. He often appears as a lawyer, a judge, or a public notary

Appearance: He is large, fat, dresses in black, and is well groomed; all of which indicates wealth

Props: a white handkerchief

Characteristics: He originates from Bologna universities and claims to be very knowledgeable. and likes to talk about it, a lot!

Plot function: Used to break up the action with extended monologues which are often nonsensical

Fig 1: Il Dottor Baloardo - Maurice Sand: (1653)

Also Known as : The Doctor; Scarpazon; Forbizone; Balanzone;

Baloardo

DOTTORE Mask: covers his forehead and nose only so that his

cheeks could be reddened to show the Dottores fondness for rich food and wine

Physicality: He stands with belly out, is relatively static except his arms which he uses to gesticulate. He walks with tiny steps in a figure of eight movement

Relationships: This character is always popular with ordinary people as he provides plenty of opportunities to ridicule the establishment

Media clips:

Clip 1: Dottore opens the show. Click Here

Clip 2: Dottore and Pantelone. Click Here

Fig 3: Dottore mask by Antonio Fava

BRIGHELLA

Fig 3 : Brighella - Maurice Sand (1570)

Origins: From the upper part of the city of Bergamo where people were renowned for being crafty and quick on the uptake

Status: He is one of the Zanni (lower classes and servants) but has high status as the keeper of an inn or shop. He often appears as a recruiting sergeant, a hangman, fortune teller or waiter. He is really a jack of all trades.

Appearance: He dresses in white with green braiding. White represents his ability to do whatever he likes and green for his tricks.

Props: a dagger, purse and mandolin / guitar. Other props are added when needed

Characteristics: He is quick witted, plays intrigue, deceit and making fun. He enjoys a good time but is wicked rather than evil .

Plot function: Used to stir up the action, creating intrigues and secrets

BRIGHELLA

Fig 4: Brighella mask by Antonio Fava

Mask: Is dark, tanned not unlike the ‘swarthy’ people of Bergamo. The eyes are large and round with a full nose. Some Brighella masks also have a large bristling moustache

Physicality: He stands with knees bent, belly forward, or with weight on one bent leg, his feet constantly move as if the floor is ‘red hot’ and holds his arms behind his back. He moves with cat like precision and perfect balance.

Relationships: with other characters are always exploitative and he has a cynical relationship with the audience

Media clips:

Clip 3: Brigella and Zanni. Click Here Clip 4: Brighella and Arlechino. Click HereClick Here for Podcast 2 from Plushgoolash

CAPITANO

Origins: A fake Spanish or Italian mercenary with no fixed abode

Status: He never belongs the area where the scene is set and so can pretend to have a high status in any scenario

Appearance: He dresses in a mock up of a military uniform and which has changed over time to reflect the latest uniforms (see fig 5 and fig 6)

Props: Carries a sword which he uses all of the time almost as an extension of himself and as part of his exaggerated mannerisms.

Characteristics: He thinks he is strong and brave and an all round good guy but is in fact a coward. He will change sides to suit his purpose and be a danger to himself and his own side when he does fight

Also Known as :Giangurglo; Coccodrillo; Fanfarone; Spezzaferro;

Spavento

Fig 5: Captain Spavento  (year 1577) Maurice Sand

Fig 6: Captain Spezzaferro

(year 1668) Maurice Sand

CAPITANO Plot function: is always ‘unmasked’ revealed

as a coward and transformed from “pride to humility, confidence to panic’ (Rudlin 1994 p 123)

Mask: Has a long and unashamedly phallic nose

Physicality: Stand with feet apart back straight and chest forward. He has two walks. Mountain Walk with large exaggerated steps and a Promenade walk strutting and preening

Relationships: Always addresses the audience so as to draw their admiration but the audience is never fooled

Fig 7: Il Capitano mask by Antonio Fava

Media clips:

Clip 5: Capitano enters! Arnold Sandhause Training Videoclick Here

ZANNI The Zanni refers to a group of characters, most of whom have no individual names. Zanni is also a stock

character in Commedia

Origins: He is from the mountains, the collapse of the farming markets following cheaper imports from other countries. he is driven by poverty to find work in the cities.

Status: As an immigrant worker and servant, he is the lowest in status of all of the commedia characters

Appearance: He dresses in white as this is the cheapest attire available as it is stitched together from flour bags

Props: nothing of his own but looks after things belonging to others

Characteristics: Undisciplined and resentful of authority but faithful, not at all self reflective. Moves quickly from one task to another and is eternally hungry. Poverty drives him to eating, or trying to eat, everything and anything that comes his way.

Fig 8: Zanni - Maurice Sand

ZANNI

Fig 9: Zanni mask by Antonio Fava

Plot function: zanni is used to add confusion to any situation

Mask: Supposed to be chicken like and like other commedia characters, the longer the nose the more stupid the character

Physicality: There are many specific walks Rudlin (1994) mentions as many as 6 different types as well as varying degrees of agility. However Zanni’s movements are always urgent and dynamic as if always in a hurry to the next job.

Relationships: He addresses the audience directly but as a whole rather than picking out individuals

Media clips:

Clip 6: Zanni takes a letter for his master. Click Here Clip 7: La Fame Dello Zanni: Dario Fo performs a monologue

in which Zanni describes the extent of his hunger so much that he wants to eat himself. Click Here

PANTALONE

Origins: From Venice, the wealthiest and most powerful trading port in Italy with control over trade extending across the Adriatic Sea into North Africa and the Near East.

Status: He is the highest of all characters. With his great wealth, he control s of all of the finance and social order within the Commedia world and commands obedience.

Appearance: He dresses in the ancient Venetian style all in tight fitting red with a black cloak and skull cap. Sometimes with a phallic codpiece.

Props: a large gold medallion and chain with a dagger

Characteristics: Miserly and greedy for money which he thinks can buy everything. He never forgives or forgets a transgression and easily becomes enraged.

Plot function: He tends to halt the action by interfering or trying to control what is happening in some way.

Fig 10: Pantalone (year 1550) - Maurice Sand

Also Known as :Giangurglo; Coccodrillo; Fanfarone; Metamoros;

Spavento

PANTALONE Mask: A long hooked nose with bushy eyebrows

complimented by a long moustache and pointed beard. By contrast to other characters the long nose does not denote stupidity.

Physicality: he has the appearance of an old man stooping forward. He is short, lean and walks in small steps at the same pace everywhere he goes. Speaks in a high pitched chicken like style.

Relationships: He is not aware of the audience and is mean, narrow minded demanding and self indulgent

Media clips:

Podcast 3 from PlushGoolash click Here

Clip 8: Pantalone in action. Click Here Clip 9: Pantalone; from rehearsal into performance .

Click Here

Fig 11: Pantelone Mask by Antonio Fava

IMAGE REFERENCES Fig 1: Il Dottor Baloardo 1653 by Maurice Sand [online] Available at:

http://www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/dottori.html. [Accessed 2nd July 2009] Fig 2: Dottore mask by Antonio Fava [online] Available at:

http://sylvia-zietze.net/index.htm [Accessed 2nd July 2009] Fig 3 : Brighella 1570 by Maurice Sand [online] Available at:

http://www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/brighella.html [Accessed 2nd July 2009] Fig 4: Brighella mask by Antonio Fava [online] Available at:

http://www.improlokos.fr/Improlokos/Limpro.html [Accessed 10th July 2009] Fig 5: Captain Spavento 1577 by Maurice Sand [online] Available at:

http://www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/captain.html [Accessed 10th July 2009] Fig 6: Captain Spezzaferro 1668 by Maurice Sand [online] Available at:

http://www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/captain.html [Accessed 10th July 2009] Fig 7: Il Capitano mask by Antonio Fava [online] Available at: h

ttp://www1.american.edu/IRVINE/jenn/capitano.htm#mask [Accessed 10th July 2009] Fig 8: Zanni undated by Maurice Sand [online] Available at:

http://www.shane-arts.com/Commedia-Zanni.htm [Accessed 12th July 2009] Fig 9: Zanni Mask by Antonio Fava [online] Available at:

http://www.shane-arts.com/Commedia-Zanni.htm [Accessed 12th July 2009] Fig 10: Pantalone 1550 by Maurice Sand [online] Available at:

http://www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/pantalone.html [Accessed 12th July 2009] Fig 11: Pantelone Mask by Antonio Fava [online] Available at:

http://www.worldartswest.org/plm/guide/locator/italian.shtml [Accessed 13th July 2009]

MEDIA CLIP REFERENCES Clip 1: Dottore opens the show. Café Floriani by Livewire Theatre Company. [online]

(posted 9 December 2006) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q-VQsv5ZQo [Accessed 2 July 2009]

Clip 2: Dottore and Pantalone. The Servant Of Two Masters. [online] (posted 22 November 2008) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZClmgQ5p0UU&NR=1. [Accessed 21 July 2009]

Clip 3: Brighella and Zanni. Accademia Commedia dell'Arte Mosca 2008 Zagni Brighella. Piccolo Teatro Milano. [online] (Posted 25 February 2009). Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVD6Q5VoA_w&feature=PlayList&p=A1C3A9527D7F73F0&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4. [Accessed 21 July 2009]

Clip 4: Brighella and Arlechino. Accademia Commedia dell'Arte Mosca 2008 Brighella Arlechino. Piccolo Teatro Milano. [online] (Posted 24 February 2009) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyHWR54k3zk&feature=PlayList&p=A1C3A9527D7F73F0&index=5&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL. [Accessed 21 July 2009].

Clip 5: Capitano enters. Arnold Sandhause training video. [online] (Posted August 2008) Available at: http://www.vimeo.com/1559218 [accessed 21st July 2009]

Clip 6: Lo zanni(G.Mancini)"La commedia dell'arte”. [online] (Posted 14 February 2007) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd5c7a2SRSo [Accessed 21 July 2009]

Clip 7: La Fame Dello Zanni: by Dario Fo. [online] (Posted 22 March 2007) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCm9IApf1rA&feature=related [Accessed 22 July 2009]

Clip 8: Pantalone in action. [Online] (Posted 26 May 2009) Available at: http://www.mytopclip.com/v/26841,commedia-dell-arte-pantalone-.html [Accessed 22 July 2009]

OTHER REFERENCES/ BIBLIOGRAPHY Delpiano, R. (1998-2007) Italian Comedy Commedia Dell’Arte. [online] Available

at: http://www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/dottori.html. [Accessed 2nd July 2009].

Commedia dell Carte Theatre Company (undated) Commedia dell’Arte Resources [online] Available at http://shane-arts.com/commedia-stock-characters.htm [Accessed 16th July 2009]

Fava. A., (undated) The official website for the Internationally renowned Commedia dell'Arte practitioner. [online] Available at: www.commedibyfava.it [accesssed 16 July 2009]

Rudlin. J., (1994). Commedia dell’Arte An Actors Handbook. Routledge. London Lecoq.J., (2000). The Moving Body: Teaching Creative Theatre. Methuen.

London.

All podcast are by Luke Tait and Ric Marriott of Plushgoolash and are available via you tube: Podcast 1: available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B5cICTiR1E accessed 21st

July 2009 Podcast 2: available at Podcast 3: available at

PODCASTS

Sian Johnson Theatre ArtsSianjohnson1@yahoo.co.uk www.sianjohnson.co.uk

CONTACTS