Political Implications of Commedia dellArte

The Impact of Commedia Dell’Arte Commedia Dell’Arte (CDA) is one of the brightest spots in the history of performing art. It is rather difficult to name a particular year when it appeared, but researchers agree that first records of this type of performing art date back to the middle of the sixteenth century. It has had an enormous impact on the development of the European theatre (Scala Salerno 1967).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Political Implications of Commedia dell’Arte specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The archetypal characters have entered numerous plays to convey certain ideas. Originating from the Italy of the XVI century, Commedia Dell’ Arte has gained several distinct features in the course of its development. According to the historical evidence, the term was copined by the famous Venetian playwright Carlo Godoni (Lennard, 2008, p. 23). The concept of CDA has shaped sinc e then, clearly geared towards the pantomime genre. However, in the XVII century, it was extremely powerful. Molià ¨re, Shakespeare and even modern playwrights resorted to elements of CDA to create their masterpieces. Clearly, theatre is a reflection of the society and, therefore, CDA which was so influential was also a kind of reflection of the society of those days (Henke 2002). It is possible to note that this type of theatrical performance had certain political implications and it often challenged social norms. Scenarios of CDA and Their Implications It is necessary to note that somewhat simplistic scenarios also contributed to certain political implication. This type of performance is characterised by a simple plot where two lovers (who are rich or well-to-do) cannot be together because of some vicious rich people (Richards Richards 1989). At the same time, spectators follow some events of poor people’s lives who try to handle more serious troubles as they can hardly e xist and should focus on ‘careless lives of their masters. Importantly, in the sixteenth century it was a norm to stage events from the life of members of the royal family and noble people. Initially, CDA was not welcome among nobility due to this peculiarity of theatrical performances as they did not find merchants or servants to be worth mentioning in a play (Brockett Ball 2000).Advertising Looking for essay on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More People did not want to see peculiarities of life of ordinary merchants, workers and servants, even though the love story of well-to-do people was central. It is necessary to note that CDA was usually performed during fairs for people who lived in cities (Brockett Ball 2000). Admittedly, city dwellers, merchants, bourgeois, servants, the poor were the first target audience for CDA (Rudlin 1994). However, in the course of time, CDA became widely spread and popular am ong people of all social layers. As has been mentioned above, theatre is only a reflection of the society. However, CDA was also one of the factors that contributed to the change in the social structure and roles played. Bourgeois started playing an important role in the society and they became quite a significant force. Clearly, this empowerment was reflected in CDA as rich people were central characters. Rich people were those who benefited at the end of the performance. Of course, some rich men were often punished, but this punishment was the result of those people being vicious, immoral and not being religious enough. This punishment had nothing to do with an explicit revolt against the rich. At the same time, people were pleased that the rich were punished and saw it as a kind of retribution. It is important to note that these performances had two implications as they were a reflection of the society and a kind of entertainment for people who filled their time with watching the play instead of going to fight those who exploited them. Archetypal Characters in CDA and Their Implications It would be wrong, however, to claim that the CDA was primariy based on two types of characters, i.e., the rich and the poor. As the existing evidence, as well as the researchers conducted on the issue say, there are actually six basic characters used in the CDA genre most often and, therefore, becoming the staples of the genre. To be more exact, these are the so-called â€Å"Sweet Young Thing† (Elliott, Geraci Ebner, 2005, 243), a young female character; â€Å"the Miles Glorious† (Elliott, Geraci Ebner, 2005, 243), who is, paradoxically, often the antagonist, â€Å"the Old Man† (Elliott, Geraci Ebner, 2005, 243), who is also lovesick for the female character, â€Å"the Old Woman† (Elliott, Geraci Ebner, 2005, 243), who supervises the female character, â€Å"the Brave Young Man† (Elliott, Geraci Ebner, 2005, 243), the knight in shining armor, and â€Å"the Clever Slave† (Elliott, Geraci Ebner, 2005, 243), who helps the young woman and the male protagonist â€Å"escape the evil clutches of the Old Man† (Elliott, Geraci Ebner, 2005, 243).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Political Implications of Commedia dell’Arte specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As one can see clearly, with such a cast of characters, it is hard to bend teh rules of the genre and create an original CDA. However, introducing a bit of diversity into the given list, one can create a truly original work, as some of the authors have shown in a very graphic way. One of the most distinctive features of CDA is the use of specific characters which were created on the basis of some archetypal agents within any society. Thus, Pantalone is a rich person who enjoys the top status in the society (Rudlin 1994). Admittedly, this character embodies vices ascribed to the r ich who exploit poor people. Characters that deserve special attention are Pulcinella and Brighella who often perform roles of evil employers who can humiliate poor people and servants (Rudlin 1994). Appearance of such characters and especially the roles they played during the performance can be regarded as a reflection of the shift in the society. The very existence of these characters was a challenge to the social norms that existed at that time. On the one hand, rich people (who were not noble) became central characters and were presented as a powerful force that controlled many people’s lives. This was striking for the nobility of that time. However, this was close to reality as merchants were becoming stronger than nobility. On the other hand, these characters were often punished and mocked at. This was a reflection of people’s attitude towards the rich people. They were hated and despised. At the same time, one of the most loved characters is Arlecchino who is a quick-witted servant who has to survive in the world of the rich (Rudlin 1994). Admittedly, these are the most archetypal characters which reveal the timeless confrontation, i.e. the rich versus the poor. Arlecchino is always hungry (just like poor people), and he has to work for his masters. He solves their problems and he is often punished for nothing (Rudlin 1994). People who watched those performances could recognise themselves easily and could lament over the unfairness of the world or enjoy the small victories of the poor (or sufferings and punishment of the rich).Advertising Looking for essay on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This character can also be regarded as a challenge to the accepted social norms as servants had a very specific role in the Middle Ages. They completed all the necessary tasks but they were often invisible as the nobility perceived the servants as flock, furniture or a shadow that was there when it was needed. However, CDA made everyone see that servants did not only existed but helped their masters immensely and could even punish rich people. Servants were often smart and resourceful. The Use of Lazzi in CDA Apart from the archetypal characters, CDA is also characterised by the use of the so-called lazzi. Lazzi were used to â€Å"enliven a performance when audience interest lagged†¦ to embroider on a situation, or to fill a gap in the action† (Brockett Ball 2000, p. 127). Lazzi were often based on some latest news or gossip (Gordon1983). This part of the performance had a really important impact in the long run. Thus, successful lazzi were often copied and performed by many theatre groups. Therefore, discussion of burning issues was turned in the form of a quarrel or fight. The viewers were passive participants of the discussion and they often adopted this or that standpoint. Any meaningful political or social changes were reflected in CDA and spread all over Europe as this form of performing art was popular in many European countries. Lazzi also challenged social forms that existed in the society. For instance, in lazzi, servants could sometimes revenge on their masters or those who insulted them (Brockett Ball 2000). Of course, in reality, no poor could rebel against the master with impunity. Any attempt of the poor to insult the rich was punished severely. However, this was not the case with CDA. This was a kind of reflection of poor people’s (i.e. the major part of the target audience) aspirations and hidden desires (Fava 2007). Spectators saw some kind of justice and were very pleased that at least some servants could stand up for th emselves. This idea of social justice was present in many performances and it reconciled people with the reality as they were distracted from their burning problems, at least, for some time. Conclusion On balance, it is possible to state that CDA had political implications and challenged the society as it revealed the wrongs of the world in a very grotesque form. Poor people could recognise themselves in the play, enjoy the happy ending and some small victories of the poor (and ‘good’ rich people, i.e. lovers) in the play. The new form also reflected the shift in the society where nobility lost a lot of points and bourgeois became empowered. Apart from this, CDA also challenged some social norms as the viewers were exposed to new trends, which could become some of the factors that had certain impact on the development of the entire society. This form of performing art was one of numerous sources of spreading the latest trends. Therefore, it is difficult to put a price o n CDA as it affected the development of theatre as well as the western society. Reference List Brockett, O Ball, R 2000, The essential theatre, Univeristy of Michigan, Michigan. Elliott, K, Geraci, C, Ebner,D, 2005, Barron’s how to prepare for the SSAT/ISEE, Barron’s Educational Series, Hauppage, NY. Fava, A 2007, The comic mask in the Commedia dell’Arte: actor training, Improvisation, and the Poetics of Survival, Northwestern University Press, Evanston. Gordon, M 1983, The comic routines of Commedia dell’Arte, Hopkins University Press, London. Henke, R 2002 Performance and literature in the Commedia dell’Arte, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Lennard, J, 2008, William Shakespeare: Hamlet, Humanities – EBooks, New York, NY. Richards, K Richards, L 1989 The Commedia dell’Arte: a documentary history, Blackwell, Oxford. Rudlin, J 1994, Commedia dell’Arte: an actor’s handbook, Routledge, London. Scala, F Salerno, H 1967, Scenarios of the Commedia dell’Arte: flaminio scala’s il teatro delle favole rappresentative, New York University Press, New York. This essay on Political Implications of Commedia dell’Arte was written and submitted by user Jed1d1ah to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.