Folk commedia dell'arte. Harlequin

COMEDIA DEL ARTE(commedia dell "arte); another name is a comedy of masks, - improvisational street theater Italian Renaissance, which arose by the middle of the 16th century. and, in fact, formed the first ever professional theater.

Commedia dell'arte came out of street holidays and carnivals. Her characters are some kind of social images in which not individual, but typical features are cultivated. There were no plays as such in the commedia dell'arte, only plot scheme, a script that, during the performance, was filled with live replicas, which varied depending on the composition of the audience. It was this improvisational method of work that led the comedians to professionalism - and, first of all, to the development of an ensemble, increased attention to a partner. In fact, if the actor does not carefully follow the improvisational remarks and the line of behavior of the partner, he will not be able to fit into the flexibly changing context of the performance. These performances were the favorite entertainment of the mass, democratic audience. The commedia dell'arte absorbed the experience of the farcical theater, but here the common characters of the "learned comedy" were also parodied. A certain mask was assigned to a particular actor once and for all, but the role - despite the rigid typological framework - endlessly varied and developed in the process of each performance.

The number of masks that appeared in the commedia dell'arte is extremely large - more than a hundred. However, most of them were rather variants of several basic masks.

The commedia dell'arte had two main centers - Venice and Naples. In accordance with this, two groups of masks have developed. The northern (Venetian) was made up of Doctor, Pantalone, Brigella and Harlequin; southern (Neapolitan) - Coviello, Pulcinella, Scaramuccia and Tartaglia. The style of performance of the Venetian and Neapolitan commedia dell'arte also differed somewhat: Venetian masks worked mainly in the genre of satire; the Neapolitans used more tricks, rude buffoonery jokes. According to functional groups, masks can be divided into the following categories: old people ( satirical images Pantalone, Doctor, Tartaglia, Captain); servants (comedy zanni characters: Brighella, Harlequin, Coviello, Pulcinella and the fantesca maid - Smeraldina, Francesca, Colombina); lovers (images closest to the heroes literary drama played only by young actors). Unlike old men and servants, the lovers did not wear masks, were luxuriously dressed, possessed exquisite plasticity and the Tuscan dialect in which Petrarch wrote his sonnets. It was the actors who played the roles of lovers who were the first to abandon improvisation and began to write down the texts of their characters.

Most often, the main actors of the troupe (capo commico) were the authors of the scripts. The first printed collection of scripts was published in 1611 by the actor Flaminio Scala, who led the famous Gelosi troupe. Other most famous troupes are Confidenti and Fedeli.

Italian comedy del arte gave rise to a whole constellation of brilliant actors (many of whom were the first theorists performing arts): Isabella and Francesco Andreini, Giulio Pasquati, Bernardino Lombardy, Marc-Antonio Romagnesi, Nicolo Barbieri, Tristano Martinelli, Teresa, Catarina and Domenico Biancolelli, Tiberio Fiorilli and others. From the end of the 16th century. Troupes began to tour widely in Europe - in France, Spain, England. Her popularity has reached its peak. However, by the middle of the 17th century. the commedia dell'arte began to decline. The tightening of the church's policy towards the theater in general, and especially towards the commedia dell'arte, led to the fact that comedians settled in other countries for permanent residence. So, for example, in Paris, on the basis of the Italian troupe, the Comedie Italienne theater was opened.

Venice masks. Commedia dell'arte masks

Comedy del arte (Italian la commedia dell "arte), or comedy of masks - a kind of Italian folk theater, the performances of which were created by the method of improvisation, based on a script containing a brief plot diagram of the performance, with the participation of actors dressed in masks. Also referred to in various sources as la commedia a soggetto (scenario theatre), la commedia all'improvviso (improvisation theatre) or la commedia degli zanni (zanni comedy).

The number of masks in the commedia dell'arte is very large (there are more than a hundred in total), but most of them are related characters who differ only in names and minor details. The main characters of the comedy include two quartets of male masks, the mask of the Captain, as well as characters who do not wear masks, these are the zanni girls and the Lovers, as well as all the noble ladies and gentlemen.

Male characters
Northern (Venetian) quartet of masks:
- Pantalone (Manifico, Cassandro, Uberto), - The Merchant of Venice, mean old man;
- Doctor (Doctor Balanzone, Doctor Graziano), - pseudo-scientist doctor of law; old man;
- Brighella (Scapino, Buffetto), - the first zanni, an intelligent servant;
- Harlequin (Mezzetino, Truffaldino, Tabarino), - the second zanni, a stupid servant;

Southern (Neapolitan) mask quartet:
- Tartaglia, stuttering judge;
- Scaramuccia, boastful warrior, coward;
- Coviello, the first zanni, a clever servant;
- Pulcinella (Polishinel), second zanni, stupid servant;

The captain is a boastful warrior, a coward, a northern analogue of the Scaramucci mask;
- Pedrolino (Piero, Pajac), servant, one of the zanni.
- Lelio (also, Orazio, Lucio, Flavio, etc.), a young lover;

female characters
- Isabella (also, Luchinda, Vittoria, etc.), young in love; often the heroine was called the name of the actress who played this role;
- Colombina, Fantesca, Fiametta, Smeraldina, etc., are servants.

ZANNI (Zanni) - Common name comedy servant. The name comes from male name Giovanni, who was so popular among common people, which has become a household name for a servant. The Zanni estate includes such characters as Harlequin, Brighella, Pierino, who appeared later. Characteristic features of the nameless zanni are an insatiable appetite and ignorance. He lives exclusively for today and does not think about complex matters. Usually devoted to his master, but dislikes discipline. At least 2 such characters participated in the performance, one of which was stupid, and the other, on the contrary, was distinguished by a fox mind and dexterity. They were simply dressed - in a shapeless light blouse and trousers, usually sewn from flour sacks. The mask initially covered the entire face, so in order to communicate with other heroes of the zanni comedy, it was necessary to raise its lower part (which was inconvenient). Subsequently, the mask was simplified, and it began to cover only the forehead, nose and cheeks. characteristic feature the zanni mask is an elongated nose, and its length is directly proportional to the stupidity of the character.

HARLEQUIN (Arlecchino) - zanni of the rich old man Pantalone. Harlequin's costume is distinguished by its brightness and variegation: it is made up of rhombuses of red, black, blue and green colors. Such a pattern symbolizes the extreme poverty of the Harlequin - his clothes, as it were, consist of countless ill-matched patches. This character can neither read nor write, and by origin he is a peasant who left the impoverished village of Bergamo to go to work in prosperous Venice. By nature, Harlequin is an acrobat and a clown, so his clothes should not restrict movement. With him, the mischievous person carries a stick, with which he often bludgeons other characters.

Despite the penchant for fraud, Harlequin cannot be considered a scoundrel - a person just needs to live somehow. He is not particularly smart and rather gluttonous (the love of food is sometimes stronger than the passion for Columbine, and stupidity prevents the amorous plans of Pantalone from being fulfilled). Harlequin's mask was black, with sinister features (according to one version, the word "Harlequin" itself comes from the name of one of the demons of Dante's "Hell" - Alicino). On his head was a white felt hat, sometimes with fox or rabbit fur.
Other names: Bagattino, Trufaldino, Tabarrino, Tortellino, Gradelino, Polpettino, Nespolino, Bertoldino and so on.

COLOMBINA (Columbina) - servant of the Lover (Inamorata). She helps her mistress in matters of the heart, deftly manipulating the rest of the characters, who are often not indifferent to her. Columbine is distinguished by coquetry, feminine insight, charm and dubious virtue. She is dressed, like her constant suitor Harlequin, in stylized colored patches, as befits a poor girl from the provinces. Columbine's head is adorned with a white hat, matching the color of the apron. She does not have a mask, but her face is heavily made up, her eyes are especially brightly drawn.
Other names: Harlequin, Corallina, Ricciolina, Camilla, Lisette.

PEDROLINO or PIERINO (Pedrolino, Pierino) - one of the characters-servants. Pedrolino is dressed in a loose white tunic with huge buttons and too long sleeves, a round corrugated collar around his neck, and a cap hat with a narrow round crown on his head. Sometimes the clothes had large pockets stuffed with souvenirs of a romantic nature. His face is always heavily whitened and painted, so there is no need to wear a mask. Despite the fact that Pedrolino belongs to the Zanni tribe, his character is radically different from that of Harlequin or Brighella. He is sentimental, amorous (although he suffers mainly from soubrette), trusting and devoted to the owner. The poor man usually suffers from unrequited love to Colombina and from the ridicule of other comedians, whose mental organization is not so fine.
The role of Pierino in the troupe was often played by younger son, because this hero had to look young and fresh.

BRIGELLA (Brighella) - Another zanni, Harlequin's partner. In a number of cases, Brigella is a self-made man who started without a penny, but gradually saved up some money and secured a fairly comfortable existence for himself. Often he is portrayed as the owner of a tavern. Brigella is a big lover of money and a ladies' man. It was these two emotions - primal lust and greed - that froze on his green half-mask. In some productions, he appears as a servant, more cruel in character than his younger brother Harlequin. Brigella knows how to please the owner, but at the same time is quite capable of cheating him, not without benefit to himself. He is cunning, sneaky and can, according to the circumstances, be anyone - a soldier, a sailor, and even a thief.

His costume is a white camisole and trousers of the same color, decorated with transverse green stripes. He often carries a guitar with him, as he is prone to playing music.

Brighella's mask, although it was one of the most beloved by ordinary viewers, as a rule, was in the background of intrigue, the lack of active action was compensated by a large number of inserted tricks and musical interludes. Images close to Brighella are present in the comedies of Lope de Vega and Shakespeare; it is also Scapin, Mascaril and Sganarelle by Moliere and Figaro Beaumarchais.

LOVERS (Inamorati) - the constant heroes of the commedia del arte, gentlemen Colombina, Harlequin and other zanni. The lovers look detached from life, pompous characters. If they move, then in a ballet way, exposing their socks unnaturally. They gesticulate a lot and often look in the mirror. The main features of the Lovers are vanity, painful attention to their own appearance, nervousness, immersion in their feelings and complete ineptitude, which is actively used by the zanni. Even their names sound grandiloquent (the men were usually called Silvio, Fabrizio, Aurelio, Orazio, Ottavio, Lelio, Leandro or Florindo, and the women were Isabella, Flaminia, Vittoria, Silvia, Lavinia or Ortensia).
Inamorati always dressed in the latest fashion, exaggeratedly meticulous and smart. The masks were replaced by a thick layer of make-up, thanks to which the roles of Isabella and Lelio were far from accessible. young actors. In addition, wigs, flies and all kinds of jewelry were an indispensable accessory of their toilet. Young men often dressed up in beautiful military uniform. In the course of the action, the costumes of the Lovers could change several times.

Despite the fact that the intrigue of the comedy is built around the love of the young, lovers always remain in the shadow of zanni masks, and their love is always perceived with a certain amount of irony.

ISABELLA (also, Luchinda, Vittoria, etc.), young lover; often the heroine was called the name of the actress who played this role

PULCINELLA (Pulcinella) - Italian analogue of Russian Petrushka, English Mr. Punch and French Open. typical representative the Neapolitan proletariat with all its characteristic features. It is interesting that Pulcinella is an ambiguous image, he could be in the play both stupid, and cunning, and a servant, and a master, and a coward, and a bully. The name of this character is translated from Italian as "chicken" and is obviously related to his mask, the most noticeable element of which is a large beak-shaped nose. Pulcinella's costume consists of a long baggy white blouse tied at the waist with a leather strap, spacious shapeless pants and an unusual oblong hat. He was often depicted as a hunchback. At first, the hump was barely noticeable, then it began to rapidly increase in size, and the stomach also grew in parallel. The bending of Pulcinella symbolizes his fear of beatings (and in the comedy, everyone who stood higher on the social ladder, that is, very many, beat him).

Pantalone (Pantalone) - one of the most famous Venetian masks. Pantalone is an elderly rich merchant who is constantly dragging himself behind some female character(always fails). This image embodied the growing strength of the Venetian bourgeoisie. A characteristic feature of Pantalone's costume is a huge codpiece, symbolizing his imaginary male power. Usually the old man was dressed in a dark red doublet and tight pants of the same color, a black cloak with short sleeves and a small black hat, like a fez. A dagger or a purse hung from his belt, and yellow Turkish shoes with sharp, curved toes served as shoes. The dark brown mask had a prominent hooked nose, shaggy gray eyebrows and the same mustache (sometimes also glasses). Pantalone's beard stuck up, sometimes almost touching the tip of the nose, which gave the old man's profile a special comicality. Often, according to the plot, Pantalone wanted to marry a girl with whom his son was in love, and flirted with Colombina, the servant of his daughter Isabella.

CAPTAIN (Il Capitano) - one of the oldest characters in the commedia dell'arte. The captain in the comedy is never a native of the city where the action takes place, but always comes from somewhere far away. Type of arrogant and unprincipled warriors - braggart and adventurer. Depending on the political situation, he could look like a Spaniard or a Turk, although initially this image is Italian. As a result, his character changed as well. different periods The captain could be a parody of various national traits. Its main features are aggressiveness, unbridled lies about their imaginary exploits, lack of conscience, the desire for enrichment and the desire to appear dandy and handsome. All this was reflected in his costume, which could be different, but always distinguished by ridiculous pretentiousness and brightness. His clothes, in fact, have always been a parody of the military profession: the hat was decorated with feathers of loud colors, his legs were buried in high boots with large garters, the camisole was sewn from fabric in a contrasting diagonal strip, and a huge sword hung from the belt. The Captain's mask could be flesh or dark in color, with a long warlike nose and a menacingly protruding stiff mustache. Its purpose was to indicate the contrast between the true (cowardly and deceitful) nature of the character and who he claims to be.

DOCTOR (Il Dottore) - a mask close in character to Pantaloon, an elderly character, usually the father of one of the Lovers (Inamorati). External features of the Doctor were characterized by obesity (sometimes this hero is truly huge), slowness on the stage and important manners of a man of a scientist. He is a parody of the graduates of the University of Bologna, so he constantly says outwardly meaningful, but in fact absurd latin phrases. Has a penchant for gluttony and pornographic jokes, usually offensive to women. He is not rich. The Doctor's costume is a toe-length black varsity gown, black shoes, stockings and breeches, and a black academic cap. A dark mask with gray tufted eyebrows, as a rule, covered only the forehead and nose. The actor's cheeks remained open - they were brightly blushed to show the character's love for alcohol.
According to the plot, the Doctor often acted as a friend (or rival) of Pantalone and the owner of Pedrolino.

Jester (Jester, Jolly) -represented in commedia dell'arte, this is a classic mask. The Jester first appeared in the Italian theater, then became popular throughout Europe. The costume of this character is distinguished by variegation and multicolor. On the head is a cap with three "ears", to each of which bells are tied.

Scaramuccio (Scaramuccia) is an adventurer and warrior. In later comedies, he often coincided with the image of the Captain. Scaramuccio is usually a servant to one of the older characters. He is most often dressed in all black and wears a black velvet mask.

Tartaglia (Italian: Tartaglia, stutter) - character-mask of the Italian comedy dell'arte. Represents the southern (or, Neapolitan) quartet of masks, along with Coviello, Scaramuccia and Pulcinella. In France, this mask did not take root.
The Tartaglia mask appeared in Naples c. 1610 One of the first interpreters of it were the actors Ottavio Ferrarese and Beltrani da Verona.
Origin: Spaniard who does not speak Italian well.
Occupation: civil servant public service: he can be a judge, a policeman, a pharmacist, a notary, a tax collector, etc.
Costume: a stylized official costume, a uniform hat on a bald head; big glasses on the nose.
Behavior: He is generally an old man with a fat belly; always a stutterer, his signature stunt is the fight against stuttering, which turns a serious monologue, for example, in court, into a comical stream of obscenities.
The mask reaches its greatest popularity by the second half of the 17th century. In the XVIII century. in fiabs Carlo Gozzi this role was played by the actors Agostino Fiorilli and Antonio Sacchi, but in Gozzi this mask no longer has such a limited scope, in his fiabs this mask can be worn, for example, by the minister (fiaba "The Raven") and the royal son ("Love for Three Oranges") .

COVIELLO (Italian Coviello, French Covielle) - character-mask of the Italian commedia dell'arte, the first zanni, the southern version of Brighella. Represents the southern (or, Neapolitan) quartet of masks, along with Tartaglia, Scaramuccia and Pulcinella.
The name of the mask comes from Iacoviello, a Neapolitan pronunciation of the name Giacomino, Yacoviello Giacometto - that was the name of one of the creators of this mask.
Origin: former peasant, a native of Cava or Acerra (ancient cities near Naples), speaking a bright Neapolitan dialect. Occupation: servant.
Costume: wears a tight-fitting suit, but may occasionally wear simple pantaloons and a vest; often with a sword and mallet stick in his belt; wears a hat with feathers.
Mask: red, with a long, beak-like nose; often wears glasses. Behavior: always acts with cunning, pressure, clever invention, intelligence; grimaces a lot, dances and plays the mandolin or guitar).
The mask was formed late XVI V. and was typical of Southern Italy. An attempt to move it to the north was unsuccessful, because. lost its recognition and southern temperament; retaining only the external form, the mask became shameless and obscene. However, it received an unexpected development in France, where Molière saw this mask and used it in his comedy "The Tradesman in the Nobility"

Absence close to the people dramaturgy forced the actors to rework literary plots in the script and in the course of action, compose the text of their roles themselves, while maintaining the main conflict of the Renaissance comedy - the struggle between the old way of life and the new young forces. But Love triumphed over everything - in the name of the joys of love, the most cunning intrigues, the most daring practical jokes, substitutions and disguises were built.

Each character speaks his own dialect: Pantalone - in Venetian; Doctor - in Bolognese (first law university built in Bologna) Captain - in neopolitan; Servants - in Bergamo; Lovers - in Tuscan: literary language Italy.
The mask in the Comedy Del Arte had double value: firstly, it was a stage accessory, and secondly, the mask expressed a certain social type, with once and for all established psychological traits, unchanged appearance and corresponding dialect. Having once chosen such a mask, the actor did not part with it throughout his entire stage life.

REVIVAL THEATER - European theater in the historical era of the late Middle Ages (16-17 centuries). It was the time of the formation of a new social system, the replacement of the feudal social formation with a capitalist one. The Renaissance was marked not only by the formation of a new humanistic worldview, but also by many great discoveries and inventions, as well as a rapid surge in the development of culture and almost all types of art.

The term "Renaissance" or "Renaissance" (French renaissance - rebirth) was introduced into the cultural context by Giorgio Vasari. The term reflected the main trend in the art of that era - an orientation towards classical examples of ancient art, which for ten centuries (after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century) was actually banned.

If in the Middle Ages the dominant worldview is determined by the conflict between the spiritual and the carnal, between God and the devil, then in the Renaissance the main doctrine lies in harmony, freedom, comprehensive development personality. The medieval ideals of fanatical asceticism are being replaced by humanistic ideals, in the center of which is the image of a person who is free in his thoughts and feelings, the master of his destiny, radiating the joy of a full-blooded life.

Renaissance theater in different countries Western Europe had his individual characteristics firmly inscribed in the socio-cultural aspect of the development of their country and sharply distinguishing it from the Renaissance theater of other countries. The Renaissance theater developed most interestingly and indicatively in three countries of Western Europe, and the main lines of development have very little in common with each other.

The principles of Renaissance art - including theater - were laid down in Italy. Appeal to the ideals of antiquity in Italian art began almost several centuries earlier than in the rest of Western Europe - first in literature, then in fine arts(13th century - Dante Alighieri; 14th century - Francesco Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio; 15th c. - Michelangelo Buonarroti and Rafael Santi). For the Italians, the Renaissance was the revival of their own traditions, their own cultural heritage.

However, the history of the Italian theatrical Renaissance is very paradoxical: the Italian Renaissance, with its unsurpassed masterpieces of the visual arts - painting, sculpture - did not produce a single playwright equal in scale to Shakespeare (England), Lope de Vega or Calderon (Spain). The causes of this paradox have been widely studied in cultural and art history literature. The main ones are considered to be two - in many respects interconnected.

The first explains this phenomenon from the point of view of the specific features of the theatre. The theatrical action is always based on conflict - the fundamental driving force of a theatrical work, both a play and a performance. However, the concept of conflict in itself contradicts the ideological ideals of harmony, powerfully sounding in Italian literature and fine arts.

The second reason is based on the principles of social functioning. theatrical art. For its flourishing, a certain idea is needed that unites different strata of society, national self-consciousness, the so-called. "broad folk background". However, in the 14th-15th centuries. Italians felt more like citizens of individual cities than of the whole country.

And yet, here, precisely in Italy, the foundations of a new humanistic theater were laid: comedy, tragedy, pastoral were revived; an opera was created; the first theater buildings were built; the principles of professional stage and square theater were developed, and an impetus was given to the theoretical understanding of dramatic canons.

The development of the Renaissance Italian theater mainly followed two lines: the so-called. "scientific comedy" - la commedia erudite (literary tragedy can be attributed to the same line with some stretch) and folk improvisational theater - Commedia dell'arte, which had a huge impact on the development of the entire world theatrical art.

The Italian "scholarly comedy", to the creation of which major writers and thinkers of the 15th-16th centuries turned (Ludovico Ariosto, Niccolò Machiavelli, Pietro Aretino, Giordano Bruno), was predominantly dogmatic rehashing of ancient plots and was more likely designed for the academic interest of a narrow circle of scientists and enlighteners. The same tendencies are characteristic of Italian Renaissance tragedy (Gian Giorgio Trissino, Giovanni Rucellan, Luigi Alamanca, Torquato Tasso, and others). By the end of the 16th century the development of the Italian Renaissance comedy and tragedy was almost completed. But by this time, the third genre of Italian dramaturgy, the pastoral, had grown stronger and gained great popularity.

The most striking page of the Italian Renaissance was then and remains the improvisational street theater of masks - commedia dell'arte, which essentially formed the first professional theater in history.

The development of all genres of the literary theater of the Italian Renaissance was accompanied by a turning point in the world theatrical architecture: the development and practical implementation of special theatrical buildings of a new type, the “rank” or “tiered” theater. Based on the principles of theatrical architecture of Vitruvius (1st century BC), the Italian reformer architect Sebastian Serlio in his book On Architecture (1545) created a general concept of theatrical construction, including the arrangement of the stage and the auditorium as a harmonious whole. It also outlines the innovative principles of theatrical and decorative art, including the creation of picturesque scenery with a perspective. The search for Serlio in the 16th–17th centuries were continued by architects Andrea Palladio, Vincenzo Scamozzi, Giovanni Battista Aleotti, Bernardo Buontaletti.

COMEDIA DEL ARTE(commedia dell "arte); another name is a comedy of masks, an improvisational street theater of the Italian Renaissance, which arose by the middle of the 16th century and, in fact, formed the first professional theater in history.

Commedia dell'arte emerged from street festivals and carnivals. Her characters are some kind of social images in which not individual, but typical features are cultivated. There were no plays as such in the commedia dell'arte, only the plot scheme was developed, the script, which in the course of the performance was filled with live replicas, which varied depending on the composition of the audience. It was this improvisational method of work that led the comedians to professionalism - and, first of all, to the development of an ensemble, increased attention to a partner. In fact, if the actor does not carefully follow the improvisational remarks and the line of behavior of the partner, he will not be able to fit into the flexibly changing context of the performance. These performances were the favorite entertainment of the mass, democratic audience. The commedia dell'arte absorbed the experience of the farcical theater, but here the common characters of the "learned comedy" were also parodied. A certain mask was assigned to a particular actor once and for all, but the role - despite the rigid typological framework - endlessly varied and developed in the process of each performance.

The number of masks that appeared in the commedia dell'arte is extremely large - more than a hundred. However, most of them were rather variants of several basic masks.

The commedia dell'arte had two main centers - Venice and Naples. In accordance with this, two groups of masks have developed. Northern (Venetian) were Doctor, Pantalone, Brigella and Harlequin; southern (Neapolitan) - Coviello, Pulcinella, Scaramuccia and Tartaglia. The style of performance of the Venetian and Neapolitan commedia dell'arte also differed somewhat: Venetian masks worked mainly in the genre of satire; the Neapolitans used more tricks, rude buffoonery jokes. By functional groups, the masks can be divided into the following categories: old people (satirical images of Pantalone, Doctor, Tartaglia, Captain); servants (comedy zanni characters: Brighella, Harlequin, Coviello, Pulcinella and the fantesca maid - Smeraldina, Francesca, Colombina); lovers (images closest to the heroes of a literary drama, who were played only by young actors). Unlike old men and servants, the lovers did not wear masks, were luxuriously dressed, possessed exquisite plasticity and the Tuscan dialect in which Petrarch wrote his sonnets. It was the actors who played the roles of lovers who were the first to abandon improvisation and began to write down the texts of their characters.

Most often, the main actors of the troupe (capo commico) were the authors of the scripts. The first printed collection of scripts was published in 1611 by the actor Flaminio Scala, who led the famous Gelosi troupe. Other most famous troupes are Confidenti and Fedeli.

The Italian commedia dell'arte produced a whole constellation of brilliant actors (many of whom were the first theorists of stage art): Isabella and Francesco Andreini, Giulio Pasquati, Bernardino Lombardy, Marc-Antonio Romagnesi, Nicolo Barbieri, Tristano Martinelli, Teresa, Catarina and Domenico Biancolelli, Tiberio Fiorilli and others. From the end of the 16th century. Troupes began to tour widely in Europe - in France, Spain, England. Her popularity has reached its peak. However, by the middle of the 17th century. the commedia dell'arte began to decline. The tightening of the church's policy towards the theater in general, and especially towards the commedia dell'arte, led to the fact that comedians settled in other countries for permanent residence. So, for example, in Paris, on the basis of the Italian troupe, the Comedie Italienne theater was opened.

Commedia dell'arte had a huge impact on the development of world theatrical art. Its echoes are clearly visible in the dramaturgy of Moliere, Goldoni, Gozzi; in the 20th century - in the work of directors V. Meyerhold,

The Commedia dell'Arte is a European theater that first emerged in Italy during the Renaissance.

The appearance of the Commedia dell'Arte

During the Renaissance in Italy, schools of professional actors actively began to emerge. New scripts appeared, which at first were written by the speakers themselves. This is how the Commedia dell'Arte was born. The exact translation of this term sounds like "professional theater", but later it began to be interpreted as a "comedy of masks".

Commedia Del Arte

The first mention of the Commedia dell'Arte began to appear in the middle of the 16th century. Her performances almost immediately became a favorite spectacle for the public. The atmosphere of unbridled fun reigned in the theater, which was supported by the antics and jokes of the actors, their ridiculous antics, stupidity, tricks, musical numbers and other elements of the show.

The main differences between the Comedy Del Arte and other performances were: the presence of masks, buffoonery and improvisation. Other minor features were multilingualism, a large number of music and songs, ease of staging at any venue.

The favorite script of the Commedia dell'Arte was love affair. Usually the plot revolved around two lovers trying to stand up to their stupid old parents.

Not all actors wore masks, but, as a rule, only old lovers and servants. It is believed that the origin of such costumes is associated with the traditions of carnival costumes. The appearance of masks became a prerequisite for the emergence of theatrical roles.

Heroes of the Commedia dell'Arte

All the characters were common social types of people. Usually ten heroes were present in the action: two old men, two servants, two lovers and two mistresses, a maid and a captain.

Old Pantalone was a caricature of Venetian merchants. He was stingy, prudent and suspicious. Another old man - the Doctor - was a parody of a lawyer scientist from Bologna. He was a pedant, a talker and an imaginary scientist. At the end of the performance, the old people were left fooled by everyone.

Old Man Pantalone

The Zanni servants were the most comical characters in the Commedia dell'Arte. As a rule, one of them was smart, the other was stupid. They were the main characters, creating intrigue in the performance and making the audience laugh. The audience has always been on their side. Their jokes and witticisms were buffoonish in nature and were called lazzi. The most popular zanni were Pulcinella and Harlequin.

Harlequin

The maid - Servette - was also an integral part of the performance. Her role was to entangle intrigue and complicity in love affairs his mistress.

Lovers and Mistresses were perfect image youth of the 16th century. They were young, beautiful, educated and smart. But their only occupation was love.

The captain was a military adventurer, bandit and rapist, whose main features were cowardice and bragging.

Significance of the Commedia dell'Arte

Thus, the Commedia dell'Arte represented a whole era in the life of society. All her characters were caricatures of the most common types of people.

Later, in the Commedia Del Arte, less and less attention was paid to the plot and more to pantomime, pop numbers. Thus, it became fertile ground for the emergence of the circus and many other types of theatrical genres.

Until now, the Commedia dell'Arte has been a model of the high professionalism of the actors, striking with the richness of stage techniques and outstanding acting on stage. She became an inspiration for the creativity of all the greatest playwrights new time: Shakespeare, Moliere, Lope de Vega and others.

Commedia dell'arte or comedy of masks is an improvisational street theater of the Italian Renaissance that arose by the middle of the 16th century and, in fact, formed the first professional theater in history.

Commedia dell'arte emerged from street festivals and carnivals. Her characters are some kind of social images in which not individual, but typical features are cultivated. There were no plays as such in the commedia dell'arte, only the plot scheme was developed, the script, which in the course of the performance was filled with live replicas, which varied depending on the composition of the audience. It was this improvisational method of work that led the comedians to professionalism - and, first of all, to the development of an ensemble, increased attention to a partner.

In fact, if the actor does not carefully follow the improvisational remarks and the line of behavior of the partner, he will not be able to fit into the flexibly changing context of the performance. These performances were the favorite entertainment of the mass, democratic audience. The commedia dell'arte absorbed the experience of the farcical theater, but here the common characters of the "learned comedy" were also parodied.

A certain mask was assigned to a particular actor once and for all, but the role - despite the rigid typological framework - varied and developed endlessly in the process of each performance. The number of masks that appeared in the commedia dell'arte is extremely large - more than a hundred. However, most of them were rather variants of several basic masks.

The commedia dell'arte had two main centers - Venice and Naples. In accordance with this, two groups of masks have developed. Northern (Venetian) were Doctor, Pantalone, Brigella and Harlequin; southern (Neapolitan) - Coviello, Pulcinella, Scaramuccia and Tartaglia. The style of performance of the Venetian and Neapolitan commedia dell'arte also differed somewhat: Venetian masks worked mainly in the genre of satire; the Neapolitans used more tricks, rude buffoonery jokes.

By functional groups, the masks can be divided into the following categories: old people (satirical images of Pantalone, Doctor, Tartaglia, Captain); servants (comedy zanni characters: Brighella, Harlequin, Coviello, Pulcinella and the fantesque maid - Smeraldina, Francesca, Colombina); lovers (images closest to the heroes of a literary drama, who were played only by young actors).

We offer a look at the colorful gallery of characters from the Italian commedia dell'arte: