#isabella andreini

[venicepearl]

Isabella Andreini (born Isabella Canali; 1562 – 10 June 1604), also known as Isabella Da Padova, was an Italian actress and writer. Andreini was a member of the Compagnia dei Comici Gelosi, a touring theatre company that performed in Italy and France. The role of Isabella of the commedia dell'arte was named after her.

[commediadell-arte]

A brief introduction to the history, context and characters of Commedia dell’arte and its 21st century relevance in performance and study;

By

Ben-Jamin Newham

Artistic Director

Fools In Progress Theatre Company

This article provides an overview of Commedia Dell'Arte, a style of improvisational theater characterized by masks and stock characters. Characters in this style are versatile and could strategically compliment one another throughout the performances. - Commedia Dell'Arte began as troupes in the early 16th century that were formed by performers such as Angelo Beolco, better known as Ruzzante. His comedic performances of Italian popular pride and the Zanni character type in improvised theatre would become the basis for what is now known as Commedia Dell'Arte. The characters that were performed often had leather masks to emphasize their characteristics and create a professional space for them on stage. Evidence exists from 1560s to 1570s when Ruzzante was performing with his masks, and even earlier references include actress Isabella Andreini in 1520s, and Turi Fantoni in 1540s. The style of Commedia Dell'Arte includes names like Pulcinella, Brighella, Pantalone, Dottore, and Arlecchino which were all used to entertain audiences with various scenarios that would relate to their everyday lives.

"Some early references to this style include names like commedia allimprovissa (the improvised theatre) and commedia zannesca (the zanni-esque theatre)." 6

"Whatever its origins, by the 1520s, performers like Angelo Beolco (il Ruzzante) and early practitioners of the Zanni character type were entertaining audiences with a style that appears to be early Commedia." 6

"Commedia--the so-called Comedy of Masks--had flourished based on a system of character masks, and the material culture of the leather mask was a source of Italian popular pride, even outside of the realm of theatre." 0

"Evidence exists as early as the 1540s that Commedia troupes began to create professional space for female performers, but the late 1560s and 1570s were the Age of the Actress." 6

This style of theatre was developed by the Italian people in the mid-16th century and began with specific troupes that were formed by actors such as Francesco Andreini and his wife Isabella Andreini. These performers became a distinct company called Confidenti, with their own costumes, masks, and characters. It was during this time that Francesco's troupe, Fedeli, was created which also included a Desioi troupe that focused on improvisation and other elements of Commedia Dell'arte. The Gelosi troupe became the most successful of them all and their performances were entirely masked. They filled scenes with their stock characters which each represented a specific character in the audience's life. It is believed that the existence of Commedia Dell'Arte began due to the Black Plague that occurred in the 16th century and Francesco Andreini's husband being affected by it.

"By the mid-16th century, specific troupes of commedia performers began to coalesce, and by 1568 the Gelosi became a distinct company." 5

"Many troupes were formed to perform commedia dellarte, including I Gelosi (which had actors such as Isabella Andreini, and her husband Francesco Andreini[14]), Confidenti Troupe, Desioi Troupe, and Fedeli Troupe." 5

"It was an entirely masked performance, each mask representing a specific character whom the audience would all be familiar with." 4

"Commedia DellArte came into existence sometime after the black plague and some of the stock characters who filled the scenes would have been well known by the Italian people because of this." 4

This led to a form of theatre that began with the use of stock masks and other characters such as actresses in counterpoint roles. This style then came to include additional unmasked characters, which is why today it is one of the most popular theatrical forms (although today it is known as a ‘sitcom’ and is a diverse genre of comedy that encompasses animated sitcoms like ‘The Simpsons’ ,‘Loony Toons’, ‘Family Guy’ through to the great live recorded shows like ‘Frasier’, ‘Mr Bean’ and ‘Modern Family’). Well known characters of Commedia dell’arte such as Arlecchino (the most famous name for the main male servant character), Colombina (the famous female servant), Pantalone, Il Dottore and Brighella are just some of the characters included. The Commedia Dramatis Personae establishes a new tradition that includes the character of Servetta, an unmasked female servant.

"Other characters began as stock masks and developed into well-known characters in the hands of the most talented players." 1

"Some of the most popular characters included Il Dottore or The Doctor, Pantalone, Arlecchino, Arlecchina and Colombina." 4

"The male Lovers, as their counterpoints, also performed unmasked, and additional unmasked characters came to include the servetta (French, soubrette), an unmasked female servant like the famous Colombina." 6

"The advent of the actress also establishes a new tradition of unmasked characters in the Commedia dramatis personae." 6

This stock character type owes its genesis to pantomime and is drawn from comic operas. The types of stock characters used in Commedia are Arlecchino or Harlequin, Zanni and Brighella (low ranking servants), military officers, and foolish old men. These characters represent fixed social types that are common to Gaetano Donizetti's operas such as L'Elisir d'amore and Il columbina. The characters' behavior is characterized by false bravado and exaggerated posturing as a way of conveying a message. For example, the foolish old men were often portrayed with exaggerated physical traits such as a limp or an overly large nose. This style of theatre has been referred to collectively by the term "Tom Foolery".

"Zanni is one such stock character type that is a collective term for all the low ranking servants of commedia, including Arlecchino (Harlequin), Columbina, Brighella and Pulchinella." 2

"The characters of the commedia usually represent fixed social types and stock characters, such as foolish old men, devious servants, or military officers full of false bravado." 5

"For example, pantomime, which flourished in the 18th century, owes its genesis to the character types of the commedia, particularly Harlequin." 5

"The comic operas of Gaetano Donizetti, such as Elisir damore, draw readily upon commedia stock types." 5

The Neapolitan troupe of theatre playwrights, Commedia Dell'arte performers, and students repertory players have been around for centuries. They originally began in the 16th century in Renaissance Italy with the development of opera stock characters and puppet companies. By witnessing theatrical virtuosity and clever wit behind their improvisation, audience members were described as being "in awe" of their performances. Not only did they copy contemporary illustrations but they also copied their masks which lampooned the wealthy powerful landowners of the time. This style of theatre provided a unique dramatic technique that was highly entertaining to watch. Commedia Dell'arte has experienced several revivals throughout history; during the 19th century an Italian actor by the name of Filippo joined the ranks and became known as Il Vecchi in 1860s. He became very popular due to his portrayals of a certain stock type character known as Peppino who was an old man with a heart of gold.

"Il Vecchi (the old men) joined the ranks of commedia, as a stock type that lampooned the wealthy, powerful landowners of Renaissance Italy." 2

"Through their association with spoken theatre and playwrights commedia figures have provided opera with many of its stock characters." 5

"As for the product, 16th- and 17th-century commedia dellarte performers set new standards in dramatic technique and audience members described witnessing a theatrical virtuosity never seen before." 0

"Revivals, notably in the 1960s by a Neapolitan troupe led by Peppino de Filippo, by puppet companies in Prague, and by students and repertory players in Bristol and London, however carefully their masks copied contemporary illustrations, however witty their improvisation, could only approximate what the commedia dellarte must have been." 1

Commedia dell'arte was popular in sixteenth century Italy and gave rise to modern theatrical productions. The productions were performed in the street or public square with little scenery and actors relied on their wits to convey characters and create atmosphere. Characters were often stock, but with the actors’ capacity for improvisation, each production was unique. Male characters were more common than female ones and form a crucial part of the setting. Performances usually took place outdoors, as life in the streets was a major source of inspiration for these productions.

"It was the actors who gave the commedia dellarte its impulse and character, relying on their wits and capacity to create atmosphere and convey character with little scenery or costume." 1

"It was conventional for sixteenth-century productions of the Commedia dellarte to take place in the street or the public square, a setting which privileged male characters." 4

"This Italian, street theatre was not just simply a form of entertainment but it was crucial part of life in the streets of early-modern Italy." 4

Commedia dell’arte was a physical and improvisational theatre that was created by theatre practitioners in the 16th century. This style of theatre focused on painting broad comedy while also incorporating music, dance, and acrobatics. Its origins are still unclear, but it is known that the style was popular throughout Italy. It has been said that the first to document this style of theatre was Flaminio Scala, a playwright who wrote scenarios for commedia performances during the 17th century. Carlo Gozzi also used commedia dell’arte in his own scripted plays. Goldoni is credited with helping to legitimize commedia dell’arte as a true theatrical form. He had written many plays himself and included many elements from commedia dell'arte performances into them - including minor performers and gentle brushstrokes which he used to tell his tales. He wrote about given characters such as Arlecchino (also known as Harlequin), Brighella, Pantalone, Dottore Balanzone and Il Capitano that all belong to a troupe called I Gelosi.

"Flaminio Scala, who had been a minor performer in the Gelosi published the scenarios of the commedia dellarte around the start of the 17th century, really in an effort to legitimize the form--and ensure its legacy." 5

"Despite the loss in Western theatre of its direct connections to commedia dellartes origins, the genre was sometimes used as a training component in physical and improvisational theatre at the beginning of the 21st century." 1

"Another popular scenario writer and theatre practitioner was Carlo Gozzi (1720-1806) who is Five Tales for the Theatre is a rare example of scripted Commedia in which the characters are given a preface of the story and then actual lines to perform." 4

"Nevertheless, the playwright demonstrates his care for the genre and his love of the characters by painting broad comedy in gentle brushstrokes." 0

Vincenza Armani was born in Italy and became a commedia performer at the Italian National Theatre in the late 1700s. By the time he wrote his first play for the stage, he had already become famous as an actor in commedia repertoire. His works helped to define Italian theatre history, and his influence spread throughout Europe, even reaching as far as France where his plays were performed at the French National Theatre. He also helped Carlo Goldoni with his work by creating more realistic representations of characters on stage than had been seen before. This confirmed a major landmark in theatre history and was given great acclaim by Carlo Goldoni himself who saw it as a primacy of more realistic characters over traditional ones.

"Either way, his work helped to shape a new Italian national theatre based on more realistic characters, more naturalistic representations and the primacy of the playwright over the actor." 0

"In his view, Commedia had given a propitious birth to modern theatre, but it was high time for the Italian stage to grow up." 0

"The French playwright was quick to "share" their material as well, borrowing heavily from the commedia repertoire in the creation of a French national theatre." 0

"Another major landmark in theatre history was first confirmed in 1566 when a Commedia performer named Vincenza Armani became the first documented professional actress." 6

It was a popular form of theater with performances often taking place in city squares as well as theaters. Commedia dell'Arte is associated with many players, among which are Tiberio Fiorillo and Francesco Andreini. Each actor has their own characteristic mask and costume and portray different types of characters such as Scaramuccia, the French Scaramouche, or the Capitano. The walk, pose and gesture were very important elements that added to the understanding of each character. There were also clever compliments between characters that added a great element of comedy to each performance.

"The characters in Commedia DellArte are extremely versatile and would strategically compliment one another throughout the performances." 4

"In Commedia, the characteristics of a character (such as a walk, a pose, or a gesture) are just like wearing a mask." 3

"Thus, though many players are individually associated with parts--the elder Andreini is said to have created the Capitano, and Tiberio Fiorillo (1608-94) is said to have done the same for Scaramuccia (the French Scaramouche--for an understanding of the commedia dellarte, the mask is more important than the player." 1

Commedia dell'Arte is a form of theater that first appeared in Italy in the 16th century. It is based on stock characters, such as il Capitano, Pantalone, and Arlecchino. These characters have always been and continue to be found in numerous variations throughout the literature and performances of Commedia dell'arte meaning there is no definitive right or wrong and as long as the style remains there is great freedom for a performer who knows they can’t make a mistake. This provides confidence which radiates to aspects of their life far beyond the stage or classroom.

"Numerous variations of Il Capitano can be found in commedia scenarios - sometimes he is masked, sometimes unmasked; sometimes he is an incompetent phoney, sometimes a wealthy and eligible suitor." 2

"In Performance and Literature in the Commedia Dell Arte by Robert Henke, he discusses how the term stock character does not give the creative and versatile characters justice." 4

Cited Sources

https://www.shakespearetheatre.org/watch-listen/a-well-made-comedy-the-legacy-of-commedia-dellarte-carlo-goldoni/ 0

https://www.britannica.com/art/commedia-dellarte 1

https://learningthroughtheatre.co.uk/commedia 2

https://www.theatrefolk.com/blog/create-a-commedia-dellarte-character/ 3

https://justinborrow.wordpress.com/2014/07/16/commedia-dellarte-the-theatre-of-the-streets/ 4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commedia_dell%27arte 5

https://www.factionoffools.org/whats-commedia 6

[toponomasticafemminile]

Ritratto di una grande attrice risorgimentale: Carlotta Marchionni

ITA: Carlotta Marchionni fu una grande attrice del teatro italiano di primo Ottocento, paladina del Risorgimento e impareggiabile interprete delle tragedie di Vittorio Alfieri e di Silvio Pellico. Per lei furono coniate due medaglie, onore fino ad allora riservato solo a Isabella Andreini nel 1605.

ENG: Carlotta Marchionni was a great actress of Italian theatre in the early 19th century, a paladin of the Risorgimento and an incomparable interpreter of the tragedies of Vittorio Alfieri and Silvio Pellico. Two medals were coined for her, an honour previously reserved only for Isabella Andreini in 1605.

🖊️: Laura Candiani

L’articolo completo su Vitamine vaganti/Read more on Vitamine vaganti 

[emmapeclass22]

Commedies Dell’Arte: performers

Isabella Andreini

Columbine

La Ruffiana

Ballerina

[emmavlclass2022]

Commedie Dell’Arte performers:

Arlecchino

Brighela

Il Capitano

Il Dottore

Pantalone

Pedrolino

Pulcinella

Scarramuccia

Inamorata

Isabella Andreini

[unabashedqueenfury]

Reign 2013-2017

Mary and Francis

Qual ruscello veggiam d’acque sovente

povero scaturir d’alpestre vena

sì, che temprar pon le sue stille à pena

di stanco Peregrin la sete ardente

ricco di pioggia poi farsi repente

superbo sì, che nulla il corso affrena

di lui, che ’mperioso il tutto mena

ampio tributo à l’Ocean possente;

tal da principio havea debil possanza

a danno mio questo tiranno Amore,

e chiese in van de’ miei pensier la palma.

Hora sovra ’l mio cor tanto s’avanza,

che rapido ne porta il suo furore

a morte il Senso, e la Ragione, e l’Alma.

( Sonnet IV, Isabella Andreini, Rime, 1601 )

[thetudorslovers]

Isabella Andreini (born Canali) was the leading actress in the Compagnia dei Gelosi (Company of Jealous Ones), the most popular commedia dell’arte troupe of sixteenth-century Italy and famed throughout Europe. In 1578, Isabella married fellow actor Francesco Andreini and together they performed with the Gelosi until her death. She was also a writer of sonnets, songs, and the enormously successful pastoral play Mirtilla (1588). She died in Lyon of a miscarriage—what would have been her eighth child—at the age of forty-two.

Poets and a number of composers and musicians left tributes in her honor. She inspired many French poets, notably Isaac du Ryer (d. c. 1631).

Andreini was known and infamous because of her intimacy onstage. She connected with people and used complex characteristics to make her characters realistic and relatable.

The commedia dell'arte "lover" stock character, Isabella, was named from Andreini's most famous character and used by subsequent commedia dell'arte troupes. In particular, this school of theater has studied the posthumous works of Andreini, Rime, Parte seconda and Fragmenti de alcune scritture.

Many women in early commedia dell'arte troupes are credited with advancing much of the improvisational tools used by the art form; Andreini is included in this legacy as a performer in the Gelosi troupe.

[shakespearenews]

Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” written around 1600, has origins in the medieval Scandinavian legend of Amleth. The tale likely reached England via French writer François de Belleforest’s adaptation published in 1570 in his collection “Histoires tragiques.” But Ophelia doesn’t make an appearance in that story.

The influence of Isabella Andreini may have found its way to Shakespeare as he was creating the character Ophelia. Andreini was a commedia dell’arte actress in 16th century Italy (where women performed on the public stage while they didn’t in England). Her stock character called Isabella “was a character that sang, who quoted different songs and who also was mad with romantic love,” Williams said.

As for Ophelia’s name, credit may go to another of Shakespeare’s influences, “Arcadia,” a pastoral poem by the Italian writer Jacopo Sannazaro that features a nymph named Ofelia. About a century after the poem appeared in bookshops in Naples, onstage in London Richard Burbage’s Hamlet said to Ophelia, “Nymph, in thy orisons / Be all my sins remembered.”

[perilleonedisanmarco]

↬ Historical venetian women | my favourite women in no particular order (part 1/?)

[widvile-blog]

Isabella Andreini (1562 - 10 June 1604)

[mostly-mundane-atla]

@jughead-is-canonically-aroace playwrite, director, actress, award-winning poet, and contemporary to Shakespeare, Isabella Andreini once wrote a dialogue, meant to be performed by her and her husband, where her character argued for the virtue of words and her husband's character argued for the virtue of weapons. This gave us the line "arms are natural" and though in this context "arms" means "weapons" and the point is that animals have natural defenses, it cracks me up every time I think about it.

I bring this up because I read your reply and the first thought that came to my mind was "arms are natural and so are nonbinary identities"

[lammermoor-lace]

Isabella Andreini, scrittrice, accademica, cantante nonché la più famosa attrice della Commedia dell’Arte. Alla sua morte il Tasso scrisse un sonetto che cominciava: “Piangete, orbi teatri...”. Ma lei stessa era una poetessa di un certo livello, la cui fiera e volitiva personalità, caratterizzata da un amore totalizzante per l’Arte, traspare dai versi che compose:

Di tentar fama io mai non sarò stanca 

Perché ‘l mio nome invido oblio non copra: 

Benché m’avveggio, che sudando à l’opra 

Divien pallido il volto, e ‘ l crin s’imbianca.

[princelestatdelioncourt]

Character Name

The Innamorati (Lovers Class)

(The characters of Isabella, Lelio, Flavio and Vittoria are all part      of the Innamorati.  However since there are so many more      Commedia dell'arte characters that are part of this same class that are      not fully developed by Commedia dell'Carte, we gave them their own "catch      all" page to include research on this vital class of commedia characters      that may not be specific to the four characters listed above.  If you      are seeking general information on the Innamorati, but sure to      consult the web pages of the afore mentioned characters as well.)      

In Italian, the Lovers (of whom four-two would-be pairs - are      usually needed for a full scenario) are called innamorati.        The males have names such as Silvio, Fabrizio, Aurelio, Orazio, Ottavio,      Ortensio, Lelio, Leandro, Cinzio, Florindo, Lindoro, etc.;  the      females:  Isabella, Angelica, Eularia, Flaminia, Vittoria, Silvia, Lavinia, Ortensia, Aurelia, etc.  - Rudlin      

Whether their names are Flavio, Ottavio, Orazio, Silvio, Leandro or      Cinthio del Sole; Federigo, Lelio, Mario, or Fulvio - all reveal a fatal      trace of fatuity. - Duchartre

Status    

High, but brought low by the hopelessness of their infatuation.      -Rudlin

Costume

The latest fashion.  Males sometimes dressed as young soldiers      or cadets.  Wigs.  Actresses would show off their wardrobe in      the better companies by changing costume several times during the course      of the action. -Rudlin

They had no particular costume, but dressed in the latest fashion of      the period to which they belonged. - Duchartre      

Wore stunning silk dresses, often in antique Renaissance style with      necklaces of gold and pearls. - Gordon      

Gentry-class dress, nice looking, modest, cute.  Usually with a      heart motif  -Little

Origin (History) 

The aristocracy of the Italian Renaissance courts amused themselves      with a form they called commedia erudita based on the plays of      Terence and Plautus, for example Calandria by Cardinal Bibbiena      which, like Shakespeare's later Comedy of Errors, is based on      Plautus' Menaechmi.  As the professional improvised comedy      looked to extend its range it seemed to have borrowed the Lovers from the      amateur form.  - Rudlin

The most prominent Isabella, Isabella Andreini, belonged to the      troupe of Gelosi. - Laver

Physical Appearance

Had to be young, well set up, courteous, gallant even to the point      of affectation - in short, a blade and a dandy.  - Duchartre

Young and attractive – Rudlin      

The lovers and wooers of the Commedia dell'arte were always dapper      and engaging and just a trifle ridiculous. - Duchartre

Mask

No actual mask, but heavy make-up.  Mascara and beauty spots      for both sexes.  The make-up in fact becomes a mask enabling      performers to play the role well into middle age, or even beyond - Giovan      Battista Andreini, son of Francesco, played Lelio until he was 73.        Vizard or loup could be worn for disguise, usually made of black      velvet.  This was a normal accoutrement for society ladies when      walking to a rendezvous and could be half- or full-face.  But since      it has not expression it does not count as a mask in the Commedia sense,      although it does provide plenty of plot potential, enabling, for example,      Columbina to attend rendezvous in her mistress's place.  - Rudlin      

Occasionally wore a mask that just covered eyes or a loop mask. -      Laver

Signature Props  

 Handkerchief.  Posy.  Fan for women.    -Rudlin

Stance

They lack firm contact with the earth.  Feet invariably in      ballet positions, creating an inverted cone.  Chest and heart      heavy.  They are full of breath, but then take little pants on      top.  Sometimes when situations become too much for them, they      deflate totally.  – Rudlin

Always very proud.

Walk   

They do not walk as much as tweeter, due to the instability of      their base.  First the head leans the other way to the body      sway.  Then the arms have to be used, one above the other, as a      counterweight.  -Rudlin

Poses

Various depending on individual character.

  Movements

Actors would use the same dancing masters as the well-to-do whom      they were parodying in order to point up the ridiculousness of exaggerated      deportment.  Movement comes at the point of overbalance leading to a      sideways rush towards a new focus, with the arms left trailing      behind.  Stop at the new point (usually the beloved or some token      thereof) before (almost) touching it.  The Lovers have little or no      physical contact.  When there is any, the minimum has maximum      effect.  - Rudlin

Exaggerated movements of the hands, like feathers flapping in the      wind.  -Fletcher

Gestures

Often while holding a handkerchief or flower, etc. in the leading      hand.  The arms never make identical shapes.  Because of their      vanity, they frequently look in a hand mirror, only to become upset by any      minor imperfection which is discovered.  Even in extremis they are      always looking to see if a ribbon or a sequin is out of place.  A      button found on the floor or a blemish in the coiffure equals        disaster. - Rudlin

 Speech Language 

Tuscan, making great display of courtly words and      baroque metaphors.  Well read, knowing large extracts of poems by      heart (especially Petrarch).  They speak softly in musical sentences      - in contrast with the zanni.  Their sentences are often      flamboyant, hyperbolical, full of amorous rhetoric.  By the end of      the 17th Century in Paris, the Lovers spoke French.  -  Rudlin

Animal      

Various depending on individual character.

Relationships

They relate exclusively to themselves - they are in love with      themselves being in love.  The last person they actually relate to in      the course of the action is often the beloved.  When they do meet      they have great difficulty in communicating with each other (usually      because of the nerves).  And they relate to their servants only in      terms of pleading for help.  The Lovers love each other, yet are more      preoccupied with being seen as lovers, undergoing all the hardships of      being in such a plight, than with actual fulfilment.  Consequently      they frequently scorn each other and feign mild hatred; they rebut,      despair, reconcile, but eventually end up marrying in the way of true love      when the game is up and they know they cannot play any more.  After a      quarrel the male may try a serenade to win back favour.  This will be      (dis)organized by Zanni:  he employs musicians who are drunk or      spends the money on something else and has tu use tramps off the      street.  The result is total chaos, but in the end the serenade is      beautifully played and sung because everyone miraculously turns out to be      good at their job after all.  - Rudlin

Relationship to Audience

Extremely aware of being watched. Play with the audience for      sympathy in their plight. Occasionally flirts with spectators.    -Rudlin

Frequent Plot Function

Indispensable.  Without them and their inability to resolve      their own problems, there would be no function for the zanni, no      struggle between the ineffectuality of youth and the implacability of      age.  The lovers are never alone on stage - they always have someone      with them or spying on them. - Ruldin

Their function was to depict a state of mind rather than to paint a      personality.  - Duchartre

Characteristics        

Thought their protestations would melt a heart of stone, there      always seems to be a comic side to everything they say.  One wonders      if the explanation does not lie in the fact that love often robs the lover      of all sense of his or her own absurdity, even though he or she may be the      most rational of living men or women under ordinary      circumstances.

Whatever the names of the lovers in the commedia dell'arte, they had      no other trait as 'characters' than that of being in love. - Duchartre      

Three, like primary  colors:  fidelity, jealously and      fickleness.  They are vain, petuluant, spoilt, full of doubt and have      very little patience.  They have a masochistic enjoyment of enforced      seperation because it enables them to dramatize their situation, lament,      moan, send messages, etc.  When the Lovers do meet they are almost      always tongue-tied and need interpreters (i.e. a zanni and/or a servetta)      who proceed to misinterpret their statements, either through stupidity      (Zanni), malicious desire for revenge (Brighella) or calculated      self-interest (Columbina).  Their attention span is short like young      children’s.  The fear that they might be nobodies keeps them      hyper-animated.  Their element is water:  they are very wet      creatures indeed.  The females are more passion-wrought and energetic      than their male counterparts.      

The lovers exist very much in their own world- and in their own      world within that world.  Self-obsessed and very selfish, they are      more interested in what they are saying themselves and how it sounds than      in what the beloved is saying.  They are primarily in love with      themselves, secondarily in love with love, and only consequentially in      love with the beloved.  What they learn, if anything, from the      tribulations of the scenario is the need to reverse these priorities.      

They do, however, come off better than most other Commedia      characters:  there is no viciousness in them, and less to be      reproached for – except vanity and vapidness, which, given their parents,      they can hardly be blamed for.  They represent the human portential      for happiness.  – Rudlin      

The lover had to play with dash and be able to simulate the most      exaggerated passion.  - Duchartre      

“If then true lovers have ever been crossed It stands as an edict in destiny. Then let us teach our trial patience,       Because it is a customary cross, As due to love as thoughts, and dreams, and sighs, Wishes, and tears – poor fancy’s followers.”

Shakespeare

[danielaandsurroundings-blog]

accadde...oggi: nel 1604 muore Isabella Andreini

accadde…oggi: nel 1604 muore Isabella Andreini

(Isabella Andreini è una delle donne del mio saggio “Moderata Fonte e le altre” NdT)

…

Prima diva nella storia del teatro italiano, Isabella Canali Andreini è una delle più celebri interpreti della Commedia dell’Arte assieme al marito Francesco, sulle scene Capitan Spavento da Vall’Inferna, e al figlio Giovan Battista, in commedia Lelio e, proprio insieme al coniuge, ha fatto parte della Compagn…

[rweiler69]

Italian Renaissance Theatre

Image by Fashion and Art via Pinterest

Background

Niccolo Machiavelli outlined in his work The Prince that rulers must protect their subjects no matter what- even if it is unethical.

The merchant class gained more money during the Renaissance

The De Medicis family in Florence gave financial support to artists

Humanism began to spread across the country

The concept focused on people rather than gods.

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)

Wrote The Divine Comedy, which was written in the vernacular (Italian) instead of Latin

In the mid-15th century, Johannes Gutenberg made literature available with the printing press.

People like Galileo, Copernicus, and Kepler demystified the cosmos.

Painting by Isabella Andreini via World4.eu

Dramas / Genres

Tragedies and Comedies

Sacra rappresentazioni (Sacred Representations) developed in the 1300s and 1400s

religious dramas in the medieval style

Eccerinus by Alberino Mussato is often cited as the first tragedy of the Renaissance.

Achilles by Antonio Laschi is also noted as the earliest Renaissance tragedy

The renewal of interest in classical dramatic traditions was inspired by several developments:

A revival of the teaching of Greek close to the end of the 1300s

a transfer in 1453 of surviving Greek and Roman manuscripts after the fall of *Constantinople.

the publication of all the extinct plays attributed to Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plautus, Terence, and Seneca

the dissemination of the writings of Aristotle and Horace

*Note: Constantinople had been the center of the eastern Roman empire

Intermezzi and Pastorals

Intermezzi were short pieces depicting mythological tales

Presented between the acts of full-length plays

required spectacular scenic effects

Pastorals were short, ribald comic pieces that had been presented as a follow-up to Greek tragedies.

the subject matter is romance

Not overtly bawdy or sexual in style or subject matter

Opera

Developed at a Florentine academy at the end of the 16th century

Earliest works based on Greek Mythology

Considered a form of music because it is completely sung

Aria- a solo song accompanied by the orchestra

Recitative- sung dialogue

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) is considered the greatest 18th-century opera composer.

Commedia dell'arte

Italian for "play of professional artists"

Commedia companies usually consist of 10 performers, 7 men, and 3 women

mainly associated with comedy

Scenarios- short scripts without dialogue

Commedia characters used lazzi (bits of physical comic business)

Zaibaldoni- manuscripts that contain jokes, comic business, and repeated scenes and speeches

Image via CulturalHertitageOnline

Theatre Architecture

Teatro Olimpico

Oldest surviving theatre constructed during the Italian Renaissance

Premier production was Sophocles Oedipus the King

Designed as a miniature indoor Roman theatre

Sat 3,000 spectators

Had a raised stage

The facade of the scene house was meant to look like a street.

Theatre at Sabbioneta

Had 250 seats

Erected for the Academia de Confidenti

Teatro Farnese and the Proscenium Stage

Built into the Great Hall of the Palazzo Della Piolotta

Had horseshoe seating

Fit 3,500 spectators

Had the first proscenium arch stage

Could have had a temporary arch and added a permanent one later

Image via italianrenaissancetheatre

Perspective in Scene Design

Perspective gave depth to a stage

Sebastian Serlio

Introduced perspective and have 3 basic settings

a tragic setting: showing a street or stately house

a comic setting: showing a common street scene

a pastoral setting: showing trees, hills, and cottages

Used angled wings

Flats hinged in a fixed position and painted in perspective.

The back of the stage was raked, meaning slightly raised

Advances

Note: The angle-wing setting was virtually impossible to shift scenes

The flat wing was introduced

A series of individual wings on each side of the stage

Enclosed at the very back by two shutters that met in the middle

Groove System

The earliest method of scene shifting for flat-wing setting

Wings and shutters were placed in grooves in and above the stage floor

The grooves allowed these elements to slide offstage easily and quickly so that a new series of wings and shutters could be immediately revealed to the audience.

Torelli

Nicknamed "the Great Wizard"

Pole and Chariot System

Poles were attached to scene flats that went below the stage floor, where they connected to wheels.

The chariots were wheels that ran in tracks.

Flats were moved offstage smoothly with a series of connected ropes and pulleys.

An entire set of flat wings could be removed simultaneously by turning a single winch

one set could almost dissolve into another

Special Effects

Glories- flying machines

trapdoors

primitive sound-effect devices to simulate thunder and wind

Works Consulted:

Wilson, Edwin, and Alvin Goldfarb. Living Theatre: A History of Theatre. W.W. Norton & Company, 2018.

[mebwalker]

  Pierrot and Harlequin, Mardi Gras by Paul Cézanne, 1888

Origins

Atellana comedy

Plautus

Passion Plays

  Arlecchino, as we know him, is a stock character dating back to seventeenth-century Commedia dell’arte. He also has origins in the atellana farce of Roman antiquity (4th century BCE). In fact, the use of stock characters is a feature of the atellana. Moreover Commedia dell’arte characters could be borrowed from commedia erudita. Molière‘s (1622 – 1673) Miser or L’Avare (1668) was borrowed from Plautus‘ (c. 254 – 184 BCE) Auluraria (The Pot of Gold).

However, in European countries, comedy has more immediate origins. It emerged as a brief mirthful form, a mere interlude, during lengthy medieval Passion Plays, Mystery Plays and Miracle Plays. Passion Plays were extremely long, so interludes, comedy, were inserted between the “acts” to keep the audience entertained. These became popular and eventually secularized the religious plays. However, Passion Plays have not disappeared totally. For instance, the Oberammergau Passion Play (Bavaria) has been performed since 1634, keeping alive the birthplace of farces and tom-foolery.

Harlequin

Hellequin, Herla, Elking

Tirstano Martinelli, the first Harlequin

Zanni (servants)

British harlequinades (eighteenth-century)

  It would appear that the commedia dell’arte’s Arlecchino (Harlequin) was also culled out of Passion Plays, where he was a devil: Hellequin, Herla, Erlking and other spellings and names. The origin of the name is attested by 11th-century chronicler Orderic Vitalis (1075 – c. 1142). The name Harlequin was picked up in France by Tristano Martinelli, the first actor to play Harlequin. (See Harlequin, Wikipedia.)[i] Tristano played the role of Harlequin from the 1580s until his death in 1630. At this point, Harlequin became a stock character, an archetype, in the Commedia dell’arte. Given that the success of the Commedia dell’arte performances depended on an actor’s skills, we can presume Tristano was a fine comedian.

Arlecchino (Arlequin, Harlequin) is a zanno, a servant whose function was called Sannio in the Atellana, Roman farcical comedies. There were many zanni, (Brighella, Pulchinello, Mezzetin, Truffadino, Beltrame, and others). Their role was to help the young lovers of comedy overcome obstacles to their marriage. This plot is consistent with the “all’s well that ends well” of all comedies. We have already met the blocking characters of the commedia dell’arte. Pantalone is the foremost. But his role may be played by Il Dottore, or Il Capitano, or some other figure. 

Although a zanno has the same function from play to play, as do blocking characters, the alazôn, zanni otherwise differ from one another. For instance, Arlecchino, a zanno, is different from Pierrot. Harlequin is not the growingly sadder clown of Romantic and pantomimic incarnations. He is not Jean-Gaspard Deburau‘s Battiste, nor is he Jean-Louis Barrault‘s Baptiste. He is the clever, nimble, but clownish zanno.

Harlequin’s Characteristics

Arlecchino is, in fact, the most astute and nimble of zanni or servants. He is an acrobat. This is one of his main attributes. Moreover, he wears a costume of his own, another distinguishing factor.

At first, the Harlequin wore a black half mask and a somewhat loose costume on which diamond-shaped coloured patches had been sewn. He would then wear a tight-fitting chequered costume mixing two or several colours. Paul Cézanne‘s (1839–1906) Harlequin is dressed in black and red, but Pablo Picasso changes the colours worn by his numerous Harlequins.

Harlequin leaning (Harlequin accoudé) by Picasso, 1901

Les Deux Saltimbanques (Two Acrobats) by Picasso, 1901

Arlequin’s Progress

the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in France 

Blois

I Gelosi

Petit-Bourbon

Scenario 

  In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Italians were very popular at the French court and so was Harlequin. As of 1570-71, Commedia dell’arte actors were summoned by the King of France to perform in royal residences. In 1577, the Italians were called to Blois by Henri III during an assembly of Parliament. The famous I Gelosi (The Jealous Ones; 1569-1604) “was the first troupe to be patronized by nobility: in 1574 and 1577 they performed for the king of France.” (See I Gelosi, Wikipedia.) La Commedia dell’arte most famous performers in seventeenth-century France were Isabella and Francesco Andreini. Isabella died in childbirth (1604), but her son’s troupe, the Compagnia dei Fedeli would be invited to perform at Louis XIII’s court.

In short, in the seventeenth century, Harlequin was in France. In fact, at one point, les Italiens shared quarters with Molière at the Petit-Bourbon, a theatre. Matters changed in 1697, when the commedia performed a “fausse prude” (false prude) scenario that offended Madame de Maintenon (27 November 1635 – 15 April 1719), Louis XIV‘s second wife. In French seventeenth-century representations, Pierrot loved Columbine who loved Harlequin (Arlecchino).

Commedia dell’arte troupe, probably depicting Isabella Andreini and the Compagnia dei Gelosi, oil painting by unknown artist, c. 1580; in the Musée Carnavalet, Paris (Photo credit: Britannica)

  Pulcinella, by Maurice Sand

John Rich, as Harlequin

British Harlequinades: Pantomime & Slapstick

pantomime

slapstick

Pulcinella (Polichinelle, Punchinella)

“Punch and Judy”

a new scenario

  In eighteenth-century Britain, John Rich[ii] (1682 – 26 November 1761, the son of one of the owners of Drury Lane Theatre and the founder of Covent Garden Theatre (Royal Opera House) performed the above-mentioned harlequinades in which “he combined a classical fable with a grotesque story in Commedia dell’arte style involving Harlequin and his beloved Columbine.”[iii] In Britain, harlequinades, became “that part of a pantomime in which the Harlequin and clown play the principal parts.”[iv] Harlequinades also contained a Transformation Scene.[v] Associated with the British Harlequin are pantomime, slapstick comedy and puppetry. Yet, this British Harlequin is rooted in the sixteenth-century Commedia dell’arte. It seems that the best of these English clowns was played by Joseph Grimaldi (18 December 1778 – 31 May 1837).

However, British harlequinades also featured Pulcinella who originated in the seventeenth-century Commedia dell’arte but had roots in Atellana comedy and was a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry. Given his ancestry, Pulcinella could and did inspire Mister Punch of “Punch and Judy,” a puppet show. (See Harlequin, Wikipedia.)

British harlequinades differ from continental versions of Arlequin (FR) or Arlecchino.

“First, instead of being a rogue, Harlequin became the central figure and romantic lead. Secondly, the characters did not speak; this was because of the large number of French performers who played in London, following the suppression of unlicensed theatres in Paris.” (See Harlequin, Wikipedia.)

It seems harlequinades were played in “Italian Night Scenes,” following a main and serious performance. In their scenario, “Italian Night Scenes” focused on Harlequin who loved Columbine but was opposed by a greedy Pantalone, Columbine’s father. Pantalone would chase the young lovers “in league with the mischievous Clown; and the servant, Pierrot, usually involving chaotic chase scenes with a policeman.” Moreover the “night scenes” started to grow longer to the detriment of the previous performance. (See Harlequinade, Wikipedia.)

In other words, in Britain, Harlequin out-clowned Pierrot. As for Pulcinella, although he had appeared, he could not out-clown Harlequin. Furthermore Pulcinella grew into Punch (Punchinella) and, as mentioned above, he migrated to the land of puppetry. But above all, British harlequinades were hilarious: genuine slapstick. Moreover they were pantomimic as would be Jean-Gaspard Debureau‘s (Battiste) as well as Jean-Louis Barrault‘s (Baptiste). Baptiste is nimble and precise, but in England, the chaotic “chase” had begun. The last harlequinade was played in 1939.

The Ballets Russes, Stravinsky, Picasso

Sergei Diaghilev‘s enormously successful Ballets Russes were inspired by the commedia dell’arte.  Diaghilev commissioned a ballet version of Pulcinella, composed by Igor Stravinsky and choreographed by Russian-born Léonide Massine. Furthermore, Pablo Picasso, who had already painted characters from the Commedia dell’arte, Harlequin in particular, designed the original costumes and sets for the ballet (1920).

Harlequin and other members of the Commedia are associated with Pierre de Marivaux (4 February 1688 – 12 February 1763). Marivaux wrote many plays for the Comédie-Française and the Comédie-Italienne. But we are skipping Marivaux’s polished Arlequin because the discussion would be too long and too complex. We will instead look at images, Picasso’s in particular, and provide the names of innamorati, lazzi and zanni, but that will be my last post on the Commedia dell’ arte itself.  

My best regards to all of you.

  Colombine

Arlequin poli par l’amour, Marivaux

RELATED ARTICLES

Leo Rauth’s “fin de siècle” Pierrot (27 June 2014)

Pantalone: la Commedia dell’arte (20 June 2014)

Sources and Resources

Commedia dell’arte (shane-arts)

Development of Pantomime (The)

Harlequin everywhere you look (thoughtsontheatre)

Masques et bouffons (comédie italienne), 1860. (See Maurice Sand, in Wikipedia.) Maurice Sand’s book is available online at Masques et bouffons (comédie italienne)

Marivaux’s Arlequin poli par l’amour (EN)

____________________

[i] “Arlecchino,” Phyliss Hartnoll, ed. The Oxford Companion to the Theatre, 3rd edition (Oxford University Press, 1967 [1951])

[ii] “John Rich”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 28 Jun. 2014 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/502381/John-Rich>.

[iii] Oxford English Dictionary

[iv] Early Pantomime (Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

[v] The “batte,” Harlequin’s stick, became a magic wand used by a fairy to effect a change of scenery or transform the characters. It is called “trickwork.”

“commedia erudita”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 29 Jun. 2014 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/127767/commedia-erudita>.

“Compagnia dei Gelosi”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 28 Jun. 2014 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/228004/Compagni-de-Gelosi>

“Harlequin”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 28 Jun. 2014 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/255421/Harlequin>.

“Passion play”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 28 Jun. 2014 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/445807/Compagnie-Passion-Play>

Seated Fat Clown, by Pablo Picasso, 1905

Arlequin et Colombine

© Micheline Walker

June 30, 2014

WordPress

Arlecchino, Arlequin, Harlequin Origins Atellana comedy Plautus Passion Plays   Arlecchino, as we know him, is a stock character dating back to seventeenth-century