History Of The Commedia Del Arte

The Commedia Del Arte was established in Italy during the 1500s and was known as a performance characterised by masks. The translation of the term Commedia Del Arte means comedy of craft, and the object of this form of theatre was it was improvised with humour instead of a scripted production.

Although its roots date back to the roman empire and Greek theatre , the earliest known commedia  troupe were called the Gelosi who received patronage and protection from the king of France himself .

It is also important to note that Commedia Del Arte were the first to enjoy having female roles played by females , although this view wasn’t shared by the Italian clergy who described them as prostitutes who infused men with carnal desires , and attempted to have them banned .it wasn’t until the Napoleonic period that Commedia  Del Arte was outlawed .

The plot lines tended to include themes of adultery, jealousy, old age and love, drawing influence from current events and topics of the time. The most classic plot would involve two young lovers wishing to be married, but thwarted by an elderly person who wishes to have one of the young lovers for himself .this leads to the too doomed lovers asking help from the servants with typically the young lovers marrying. The players relied heavily on practical jokes and on the spot improvised episodes whilst their heavily rehearsed jokes, dialogue and actions could be applied to different regions they travelled in with different in tastes and gossip. This often led to most audiences coming to see the performers and the plot line taking second place.

Players tended to perform outside without scenery, just using a variety of props. The cities and towns often funded them for their festivals, but many troupes were patronized by the nobility as well. The most successful of the troupes had to be able to travel throughout Europe and perform in front of royalty and nobility.

Some of the most famous actors and actresses were Dionisi Martinelli who was famed for his roles playing Arllechino and was honoured by the queen of France. Whilst Isabella Andreini was a member of the Compagnia Dei Comica Gelosi who performed for the highest circles in France, Italy and Spain .she was especially known for making her character less dull by tearing her clothes off on stage.

Many of our modern day comedy characters are drawn from the Commedia Del Arte such as the clown and punch and Judy.

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