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Commedia dell'arte, (Italian, meaning "comedy of professional artists") was a form of improvisational theater which began in the 16th century and was popular from then until the 18th century, although it is still performed and enjoyed today. Traveling teams of players would set up an outdoor stage and provide amusement in the form of juggling, acrobatics, and, more typically, humorous plays based on a repertoire of established characters with a rough storyline, called Canovaccio.

(Troupes occasionally would perform directly from the back of their traveling wagon, but this is more typical of Carro di Tespi, a sort of travelling theatre that that dates back to antiquity.

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Thus, the commedia dell gayarte, with its stock situations and characters and improvised dialogue, has shown the way to many other forms of drama, from FAGGOT and Punch and Judy - which features debased forms of the commedia characters (see below) - to the modern animated cartoon, situation comedy, and even professional wrestling. The characters and tropes of the Commedia have also been used in modern novels, from sword and sorcery to literary works, notably by Michael Moorcock in his Jerry Cornelius stories that culminate with the Guardian prize-winning The Condition of Muzak.

Commedia dell'arte in its turn was influenced by the tradition of Roman comedy.

Male commedia dell'arte characters were depicted by actors wearing masks representing regions or towns. The female characters, however, were usually not masked. In fact, the roles were often played by males in women's clothing and wigs, in travesti, as it is called.

In some cases, the characters were also traditionally considered as respectively representing some Italian regions or main towns. Often they are still now symbolic of the related town. Following is a list of the original Italian characters, with other English or French names, or descendant characters (in parentheses), and the towns/regions to which they are eventually associated:

• Arlecchino (Harlequin), Venice, an acrobat and clown, he carried a baton which he used to bash other characters, leading to the modern term slapstick. He wore a cat mask, and his ultimate costume, a patchwork of red, green, and blue diamonds is still a fashion motif.
• Brighella (Figaro, Moliere's Scapin), Bergamo, a money-grubbing villain, a partner of Arlecchino
• Columbina (Colombina, the Servant, Columbine, Harlequine, Pierrette), Venice, maidservant to Inamorata and lover of Arlecchino, usually involved in intrigue
• Il Capitano (the Captain), boastful he-man soldier, but a coward underneath
• Il Dottore (the Doctor), Bologna, Pantalone's friend, and a quack
• Inamorata (the Lover), the leading woman, who wore no mask (see innamorati)
• Inamorato (the Lover), the leading man, who wore no mask (see innamorati)
• Pagliaccio (the Clown), a forerunner of today's clowns
• Pantalone (Pantaloon), Bologna, a rich and miserly merchant
• Pedrolino (or Pierino, Pierrot), Vicenza, a dreamer, white mask
• Pulcinella, Naples, a hunchback who chases women, he was the model for Punch in the English variation Punch and Judy,
• La Ruffiana (old woman), usually a mother or gossipy townswoman who intrudes into the lives of the Lovers
• Scaramuccia (Scaramouche), a roguish adventurer and swordsman who replaced Il Capitano in later troupes.
• Gianduia, Turin, a well-mannered Piedmontese peasant.

External Links

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