Year 8 Drama · Responding — Analyse and Evaluate · 9m read

Commedia dell'Arte

Commedia dell'Arte — Italian street theatre from the 1500s — gave us slapstick, stock characters and improvised comedy still seen in sitcoms today.

Learning objective: Explore the conventions and stock characters of Commedia dell'Arte.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can describe stock characters.
• I can use lazzi and exaggerated physicality.
• I can perform in Commedia style.

Commedia characters are a deck of cards. Each stock character is a card the audience instantly recognises — the greedy old man, the clever servant, the lovers, the boastful captain. Shuffle them into any plot and comedy happens.

Masked comedy

FEATURES:
• Masks, exaggerated movement, improvisation around scenarios, physical comedy (LAZZI — comic routines).

STOCK CHARACTERS:
• ARLECCHINO (Harlequin) — acrobatic, hungry servant.
• PANTALONE — greedy old merchant.
• IL DOTTORE — pompous know-it-all.
• IL CAPITANO — boastful coward.
• INNAMORATI — the young lovers.

INFLUENCE:
• Pantomime, sitcom archetypes, clowning.

| Stock character | Traits | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| Arlecchino (Harlequin) | Clever, hungry servant | Acrobatic, bouncy |
| Pantalone | Greedy old merchant | Hunched, bent knees, shuffling |
| Il Dottore | Pompous, fake expert | Big belly, waddle, talks endlessly |
| Il Capitano | Boastful coward | Puffed chest, big strides, then flees |
| Innamorati | Dramatic young lovers | Elegant, swooning, no mask |

Key ideas at a glance

• Exaggerate: Bigger than life.
• Status drives comedy: Servants outsmart masters.
• Use lazzi: Rehearsed comic bits.
• Play to the audience: Direct address is welcome.

Worked example (Medium)

How would you move as Pantalone?

1. Physicality. Hunched back, knees bent, hand clutching money pouch.
2. Effect. Shows age and greed comically.

Answer: Hunched, bent knees, protecting his money.

Worked example (Medium)

Create a lazzo (comic routine) for Arlecchino trying to catch a fly to eat.

1. Setup. Arlecchino hears a buzz, freezes.
2. Business. Chases, misses, crashes into Pantalone.
3. Payoff. Catches it, about to eat, Pantalone snatches it away.

Answer: A physical routine with build-up, failures and a twist.

Common mistakes

• Under-playing Commedia needs exaggeration. Fix: Go big physically.
• Playing commedia realistically Loses comic style. Fix: Use exaggerated physicality and status.

Commedia's legacy

Commedia dell'Arte toured Europe from the 1500s to the 1700s with improvised plots called scenarios.

Its influence is everywhere: Punch and Judy, pantomime, Molière's comedies, slapstick films like Charlie Chaplin's, and even sitcom character types (the scheming servant, the pompous boss).

Practice questions

1. Comic routines in Commedia are called:

   1. Lazzi
   2. Monologues
   3. Asides
   4. Tableaux

   (1 marks)

2. Describe Il Capitano.

   (2 marks)

3. Which character is a greedy old merchant?

   1. Arlecchino
   2. Pantalone
   3. Il Capitano
   4. Innamorati

   (1 marks)

4. A lazzo is:

   1. A mask
   2. A rehearsed comic routine
   3. A stage
   4. A script

   (1 marks)

5. Explain how status creates comedy in commedia.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• Italian masked improvised comedy.
• Stock characters and lazzi.
• Influence on modern comedy.
• Stock characters + status + lazzi = commedia.