Popular character in the Italian comedy of masks. Theme: comedy del arte

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

Commedia dell'arte came out of street parties and carnivals. Her characters are some kind of social images in which not individual, but typical traits 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 remarks that 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. Indeed, if the actor does not closely follow the improvisational cues and the partner's line of behavior, 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 spectator. Commedia dell'arte has absorbed the experience of farcical theater, however, common characters of the "learned comedy" were also parodied here. A certain mask was assigned to a specific actor once and for all, but the role - despite the rigid typified framework - varied and developed endlessly in the course of each performance.

The main characters of the commedia dell'arte

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

Male characters

Northern (Venetian) quartet of masks:

Pantalone

Magnifico, Cassandro, Uberto

• Origin: Venetian with his typical dialect.
• Class: old merchant, rich, almost always stingy.
• Costume: The pantalone wears very tight red pants (pantalons), a short vest jacket in the same color. He wears a woolen cap and a long black cloak and yellow slippers. He wears a gray mustache and a narrow gray beard.
• Mask: his mask is red or brown (earthy) in color, it covers half of the face; he has a long, aquiline nose, gray mustache and pointed beard, which should have a special comic effect when he speaks.
• Behavior: Pantalone is usually the center of intrigue, and, as a rule, always remains the victim of someone, most often the Harlequin, his servant. He is sickly and frail: he constantly limps, groans, coughs, sneezes, blows his nose, stomach aches. This person is lustful, immoral, he passionately seeks the love of young beauties, but always fails. His gait is that of an old man, he walks with a slightly crooked back. He speaks in a sharp, shrill, "old man's" voice.

Doctor

Dr. Balandzone, Dr. Graziano

• Origin: Bolognese lawyer, with a tough, rude dialect.
• Class: pseudo-scientist doctor of law (very rarely - doctor of medicine, then klystyrs, chamber pots, dirty linen, etc. were added to his suit)
• Costume: a long black robe is obligatory, under which he wears a black jacket and black short pantaloons, black shoes with black bows, a black leather belt, and a black cap on his head. The costume is complemented by white cuffs, a wide white collar around the neck and a white scarf tucked into the belt.
• Mask: black with a huge nose, covers, as a rule, the entire face, but sometimes only the forehead and nose, then the Doctor's cheeks are deeply reddened.
• Behavior: like Pantalone, he is an old man, deceived by other characters in the comedy. This person is very fat, his stomach protrudes forward, makes it difficult free movement and is clearly visible. It is difficult for him to bend over and walk. He is as lustful as Pantalone. He is a vain, ignorant pedant, speaking in incomprehensible Latin terms and quotes, which he mercilessly misinterprets. A bit eccentric and very fond of wine.

The Doctor's mask required a very good command of the Bologna dialect, as well as a lot of erudition to improvise and create a comic effect from scraps of knowledge.

Brighella

Scapino, Buffetto

• Origin: former peasant, a native of Bergamo, speaking a staccato, monosyllabic, ending-eating Bergaman dialect.
• Class: servant.
• Costume: a linen blouse, long trousers, a cloak and a white cap - a white suit and trimmed with green lace; yellow leather shoes. At the belt there is a black purse, behind the belt is a dagger (sometimes wooden, but more often a real one).
• Mask: hairy, dark in color with a black mustache and with a black beard sticking out in all directions.
• Behavior: dexterous and resourceful, often thieving servant; cheeky with women, impudent with old people, brave with cowards, but helpful to the strong; always loud and loud. At first, evil and ruthless, by the XVIII century. Brighella becomes softer and more cheerful. He is always against old people who prevent the young from living, loving and pursuing happiness. The actors playing this mask are required to be able to play the guitar and master basic acrobatic tricks.

Harlequin

Mezzetino, Truffaldino, Tabarino

• Origin: A native of Bergamo, who moved in search of a better life to the richest city - Venice.
• Class: servant.
• Costume: peasant shirt and pantaloons, trimmed with multi-colored patches - pieces of fabric in the shape of rhombuses. The costume is very colorful; predominantly yellow, but there are pieces of different colors - green, blue, red. On his head is a hat decorated with a hare's tail. There is a purse on the belt. Shod in very light shoes that allow him to move freely and perform acrobatic stunts.
• Mask: black with a huge wart on the nose. The forehead and eyebrows are deliberately highlighted, with black tousled hair. Sunken cheeks and round eyes indicate his gluttony.
• Behavior: The Harlequin is cheerful and naive, not as smart, not as dexterous, not as resourceful as Brighella, therefore he easily does stupid things, but he perceives the following punishments with a smile. He is lazy and looks for every opportunity to evade work and take a nap, he is a glutton and a womanizer, but at the same time courteous and modest. And if Brighella is admired for her dexterity, then the Harlequin should evoke sympathy for his ridiculous adversity and childish sorrows.

Southern (Neapolitan) quartet of masks

Tartaglia

• Origin: Spaniard who speaks Italian poorly.
• Class: official on public service: he can be a judge, policeman, pharmacist, notary, tax collector, etc.
• Costume: an official suit is stylized, a uniform hat on a bald head; huge glasses on the nose.
• Behavior: as a rule, he is an old man with a fat belly; always a stutter, his trademark trick is the fight against stuttering, as a result of which a serious monologue, for example, in court, turns into a comic stream of obscenities.

Scaramuccia

Scaramucci's mask partly repeated the northern mask of the Captain, but carried less political satire. This was no longer a Spanish invader, but a simple type of boastful warrior, close in spirit to some of Plautus's characters. He is boastful, loves to scold, but as soon as it comes to a fight, he cowardly runs away or, if he does not have time to escape, will invariably be beaten.

The Scaramucci mask also gave birth to the characters Pasvariello (servant, drunkard and glutton), Pasquino (cunning and deceitful servant) and, in France, Crispen (rogue servant).

Coviello

• Origin: former peasant, native of Cava or Acerra (ancient cities near Naples), speaking a vibrant Neapolitan dialect.
• Class: servant.
• Costume: wears a tight-fitting suit, but sometimes can be dressed in simple pantaloons and a vest; often with a sword and a mallet 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, dances and plays mandolin or guitar a lot).

Pulcinella

• Origin: a peasant who moved to the city from ancient Acerra near Naples.
• Class: servant, but can also act as a gardener, and as a watchman, can be a merchant, artist, soldier, smuggler, thief, bandit.
• Costume: clothes made of rough hemp fabric, wearing a high pointed hat.
• Mask: with a large "cock" or with a hooked nose (priapic type).
• Behavior: a hunchback speaking in a high, piercing voice. The main feature of his character is stupidity, but not always: he can be smart and dexterous, like Brighella (however, it is important that the image created on the stage is uniform and reveals one thing - either cunning or Pulcinella's stupidity). Its negative qualities are laziness, gluttony, criminal inclinations. He sprinkles jokes, often very obscene.

*****
Captain

Origin: Spain. He spoke broken Italian, sprinkled his speech with Spanish words.
Class: soldier.
Costume: The captain wore a somewhat caricatured military suit of the Spanish cut.
Mask: the actor playing the Captain performed without a mask.
Behavior: The image of the Captain is distinguished by a great satirical sharpness. This is a coward pretending to be brave, a boastful warrior warrior-like from the plays of Plautus. He is characterized by cold arrogance, greed, cruelty, stiffness and bragging, hiding cowardice. When one of the characters orders him to do something or forces him to commit a decisive act, he retreats and looks for an excuse to refuse to execute the order or the reason why he cannot perform the act. At the same time, the Captain tries not to lose face, using magnificent speech and bravado. In his conversations, there are many wild tales that even the most gullible spectators do not believe in. The captain adores female society, where he brags about the feats he invented. Columbine, using the Captain, makes Harlequin jealous.

Female characters

Isabel

also, Lucinda, Vittoria, etc.

Young lover; often the heroine was named after the actress who played this role.

Columbine

Fantesca, Fiametta, Smeraldina

Origin: a peasant girl who feels insecure and unusual in the city.
Class: a maid, usually under the Pantalone or Doctor, a zanni girl.
Costume: usually dressed in a pretty fluffy dress; in a later theater (from the 18th century), he often appears in a dress made of patches, similar to the Harlequin costume.
Mask: does not wear a mask.
Behavior: initially, it is a village idiot, similar in character to the mask of the Harlequin; her honesty and decency are emphasized, as well as always a good mood. In French theater Fanteski's peasant features have faded away, the mask has acquired the character of a typical French soubrette.

Lovers

A pair of young lovers, a must in any scenario. There were always two such couples in a good troupe.

Unlike the comic characters of the comedy, they never wear masks and are always dressed in expensive costumes, their speech is exquisite - they speak the Tuscan dialect, i.e. in literary Italian. They rarely improvise, their speeches are usually memorized. Lovers can wear different names, most often, Lelio, Orazio, Flavio, Florindo for boys and Isabella, Vittoria, Flaminia for girls; they can also be called by the names of the actors playing these roles.

The constituent elements of the commedia dell'arte

Masks

The leather mask was an obligatory attribute covering the face of a comic character, and was originally understood exclusively in this sense. However, over time, the whole character began to be called a mask. The actor usually played the same mask. The actor who played Brigell rarely had to play Pantalone, and vice versa. The scenarios changed often, but the mask - much less often. The mask became the image of the actor, which he chose at the beginning of his career, and playing him all his life, supplemented with his artistic personality. He did not need to know the role, it was enough to know the script - the plot and the proposed circumstances. Everything else was created during the performance by improvisation.

The device of the troupe and the canon of the performance

The system of the performing arts of the commedia dell'arte was formed by the end of the 16th century. and improved over the next century. In 1699, the most complete comedy code was published in Naples, "Dell'arte representiva, premediata e all'improviso", composed by Andrea Perucci.

The play begins and ends with a parade with all the actors, with music, dance, lazzi (buffoon tricks) and tomfoolery, consists of three acts. Short interludes were performed between acts. The action must be limited in time (twenty-four hour canon). The plot scheme was also canonical - young lovers, whose happiness is hindered by old people, overcome all obstacles thanks to the help of dexterous servants. The troupe should have a kapokomiko who parses the script with the actors, decodes the lazzi and takes care of the necessary props. The script is selected strictly in accordance with the masks that are in the troupe. This is at least one quartet of masks and a couple of lovers. Also, a good troupe should include two more actresses, a singer (ital. La cantatrice) and a dancer (ital. La ballarina). The number of actors in the troupe was rarely less than nine, but usually it did not exceed twelve. For the scenery, it was required to designate a street, a square, two houses in the back, on the right and on the left, between which the backdrop was pulled.

Script and improvisation

The basis of the performance in the commedia dell'arte is the script (or canvas), - this is a very brief summary of the episodes of the plot with detailed description actors, the order of going on stage, the actions of the actors, the main lazzi and props. Most of the scripts are reworking of existing comedies, short stories and short stories for the needs of an individual troupe (with its own set of masks), hastily sketched text that is hung backstage during the performance. The script is usually comedic in nature, but it can be a tragedy, or a tragicomedy, or a pastoral (in the collection of scripts by Flaminio Scala, played on the stage by the Gelosi troupe, tragedies are present; sometimes she played tragedies, however, without much success).

This is where the art of improvisation by Italian comedians came into play. Improvisation makes it possible to adapt the play to a new audience, to the news of the city, the improvisational spectrum is more difficult to subject to preliminary censorship. The art of improvisation consisted of resourceful delivery of remarks combined with appropriate gestures and the ability to reduce all improvisation to the original script. Successful improvisation required temperament, clear diction, proficiency in declamation, voice, breathing, good memory, attention and resourcefulness, requiring instant reaction, and rich imagination, excellent body control, acrobatic dexterity, the ability to jump and somersault over the head were required - pantomime , as body language, acted on a par with the word. In addition, the actors, playing the same mask throughout their lives, gained a solid baggage of stage techniques, tricks, songs, sayings and aphorisms, monologues, and could freely use this in a variety of combinations. Only in the 18th century. playwright Carlo Goldoni took Italian drama away from script to fixed text; he buried the decadent commedia dell'arte, and on its grave erected an immortal monument in the form of the play "Servant of two masters."

Dialects

The dialect was one of the essential elements that characterize the mask. First of all, this applies to comic and buffoon masks, since noble masks, ladies, gentlemen and lovers, speak literary language Italy, i.e. in the Tuscan dialect in its Roman pronunciation. The dialect complements the characterization of the character, indicating its origin, and also gives its comic effect.

Used materials from Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Krugosvet

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 00:18 + to the quote pad

Venetian carnival masks

These are the characters of the Italian Commedia dell'Arte, special kind street theatrical performance, which originated in Italy in the 16th century.

Harlequin, Columbine, Pierrot, Pulcinella and other characters, each of which differed in a certain character, style of behavior and manner of dress, entertained city dwellers with their performances, enjoyed incredible popularity and became popular favorites for several centuries.

Therefore, once a year, during the famous Venetian, everyone who wants to take part in a mesmerizing extravaganza acquired his own mask of one of the heroes and, hiding his true face from those around him, plunged into the abyss of unrestrained multi-day fun

Currently, carnival masks are one of the world famous symbols of Venice.

What are traditional Venetian imagery?

This is undoubtedly the Cat, the Citizen, the Plague Doctor, Bauta, the Venetian Lady.

The process of making a Venetian carnival is outwardly simple.

A plaster mold smeared with petroleum jelly is taken and filled from the inside with a layer of papier-mâché prepared according to a special recipe. The resulting workpiece is dried and sanded, then holes for the eyes are cut out in it. After that, they begin to decorate.

Masks are often coated with a layer of special paint to make them look like they were old-fashioned. Surface decoration is often a slow and painstaking process using acrylic paints, gold and silver foil, enamel, varnish, expensive fabrics, crystals, feathers, beads ... it all depends on the artist's imagination. Some pieces are so beautiful and skillfully crafted that they are intimidating to wear.

The prices for such masterpieces often amaze the imagination no less than their appearance.

Classic masks not related to theater include:

Bauta is one of the most popular Venetian masks.

It appeared in the 17th century and served as an effective cover for members of any class and gender. Despite her eerie appearance, she was especially loved by the people, who wore it in combination with a long black cloak that hides her figure and a triangular hat - tricorno.

The origin of the name is unknown (according to one version, it is associated with the Italian word "bau" or "babau", meaning a fictional monster that frightened young children (something like our Babay or Buka).

Bauta was considered an ideal mask for high-ranking officials who loved to go "to the people" anonymously. Interestingly, the lower part of it was arranged in such a way that a person could eat and drink without exposing his face. Bauta has no gender, no age, no faith, no class.

To put on a bautta is to renounce an annoying individuality, to abandon your own face, to free yourself from moral norms. To the question "who did it?" Bauta replies: "The mask ..."

Attached to the mask was a piece of black silk that completely covered the lower part of the face, neck and back of the head and gave the whole outfit a mysterious and slightly eerie shade. A triangular black hat trimmed with silver lace was worn on his head. White silk stockings and black shoes with buckles were worn at the bout.

This mask was extremely popular with the Venetians and they were willing to pay a large sum to have the finest laces and fabrics of the highest

Venetian mask "Cat"

The Venetian carnival owes its mask of the Cat to an old funny legend.

It tells how a poor Chinese man came to Venice with his old cat. There were no cats in the city, but there were an abundance of mice. The hungry animal pounced on its prey and in a few days freed the island republic from rodents. The Doge was so happy that he presented the Chinese with untold treasures and sent him home with great honor. The wonder animal remained in the palace in case of future invasions.

Another poor Chinese, seeing such a thing, decided that even if the naive Venetians were ready to pay so much money for a cat, he would get a hundredfold from them for silk and other "decent goods". The Chinese man got into debt, bought goods and went to the land of unafraid idiots. The Doge was speechless at the sight of new goods from China, and when he found it, he promised to give his greatest jewel for them. Shook hands.

The cat went to China back)))

Volto.

Also known as Citizen, because it was worn on legal days by ordinary citizens. Volto is the most neutral of all masks, copying the classic shape of the human face.

It was attached to the head with ribbons (some Voltos had a handle instead of ribbons on their chins).

Venetian Lady (Dama di Venezia)

A very elegant and sophisticated mask, depicting a noble Venetian beauty of the Titian era - elegant, decorated with jewelry, with intricately styled hair.

The Lady has several varieties: Liberty, Valerie, Salome, Fantasy, etc.

Moretta

The most mysterious, most romantic mask is "SERVETTA MUTA" (mute maid), but the more familiar name is "MORETTA" (Moretta, dark-skinned woman).

And among the people it was called "HUSBANDS", since in place of the mouth of the mask there was a small peg from the inside, which had to be clamped with your teeth so that the mask would stay in front of your face - according to Casanova, such masks made women mysterious, and most importantly ... silent ...

It was an oval of black velvet. The name most likely comes from "Moor", which means black in Venetian. This black perfectly emphasized the noble pallor of the face and the red Venetian hair color. No wonder this mask was so loved by the ladies of the upper class.

A mask of the new moon, a mask of deceptive female obedience and hidden male fear. Silent maenad mask made of soft leather or velvet. Mask of Hecate. A night watchdog mask that could transform the eternal virgin Diana into a greedy black Venus. Mysterious stranger, hiding her face and voice ... The ability to communicate only with gestures ... Mystery and seduction ... Nowadays moretta mask is made only to order.

In shops selling masks "mask of silence" not to find

The creepiest mask of the carnival is the Plague Doctor.

She didn't show up for fun.

Plague epidemics more than once covered Venice and, due to the high population density, claimed many lives. The only people, at least somehow struggling with the disease, doctors for personal safety put on long-nosed masks on their faces.

It was believed that these "beaks" with aromatic substances placed in them can protect them from infection.

For the same purpose, doctors wore dark long cloaks made of linen or waxed over their usual clothes, and took a special stick in their hands so as not to touch the patient with their hands.

Of great interest is the mask "gnaga" (from the Italian "gnau" - "meow"),

with which the Venetian expression "to have the audacity of a nyaga" is associated.

The wearer of this costume, consisting of a badly worn, torn dress and a cat mask, had to imitate the cat's tongue with a "meowing" voice and feline habits with movements.

It is considered a mask of homosexuals.

The Inquisition forbade the dressing of men into women, any manifestation of Sodom's sin was strictly persecuted on all days, except for the carnival. Usually a person in this mask appeared surrounded by friends disguised as children. The costume should be an old, vulgar-flamboyant female outfit of the 16th century of any social group. It is necessary to imitate meowing with a voice, and feline habits with wiggling movements.

Commedia dell masks Commedia dell arte (Italian la commedia dell "arte),

or comedy of masks - a kind of Italian folk theater

.The number of masks in the commedia dell'arte is very large (there are more than a hundred of them), but most of them are related characters, which differ only in names and minor details.

The main characters of the comedy include two quartets of male masks, the Captain's mask, as well as characters who do not wear masks, these are zanni girls and Lovers, as well as all noble ladies and gentlemen. The number of masks in the comedy Del Arte is very large (there are more than a hundred of them),

Male Characters Northern (Venetian) Quartet of Masks:

Pantalone (Magnifico, Cassandro, Uberto), a Venetian merchant, a mean old man;

Doctor (Doctor Balandzone, Doctor Graziano) - pseudo-scientist Doctor of Law; old man;

Brighella (Scapino, Buffetto), the first zanni, an intelligent servant;

Harlequin (Mezzetino, Truffaldino, Tabarino) - second zanni, stupid servant;

Southern (Neapolitan) Quartet of Masks:

Tartaglia, stutterer judge; - Scaramuccia, boastful fighter, coward;

Coviello, first zanni, clever servant;

Pulcinella (Polychinelle), second zanni, foolish servant;

Captain, - a boastful warrior, coward, northern analogue of the Scaramucci mask;

Pedrolino (Pierrot, Pagliacci), servant, one of the zanni. - Lelio (also, Orazio, Lucio, Flavio, etc.), a young lover;

Female characters

Isabella (also Lucinda, Vittoria, etc.), a young woman in love; often the heroine was named after the actress who played this role; - Columbine, Fantesca, Fiametta, Smeraldina, etc., are maids.

ZANNI Common name comedy servant

The name comes from the male name Giovanni, which was so popular among common people, which has become a household name for a servant.

The zanni class includes such characters as Arlecchino, Brighella, Pierino, who appeared later.

Nameless zanni is characterized by insatiable appetite and ignorance.

He lives exclusively for today and does not think about complex matters. Usually loyal to his master, but does not like discipline. The play was attended by at least 2 such characters, one of whom was dull, and the other, on the contrary, was distinguished by a fox's mind and dexterity. They were dressed simply - in a shapeless light blouse and trousers, usually made from flour sacks.

The mask initially covered the entire face, so to communicate with other characters in the zanni comedy, you had to lift the lower part of it (which was inconvenient).

Subsequently, the mask was simplified, and it began to cover only the forehead, nose and cheeks.

A characteristic feature of the zanni mask is an elongated nose, and its length is directly proportional to the stupidity of the character.

BRIGELLA (Brighella) - another zanni, partner of Harlequin.

In some cases, Brighella is a self-made man who started out without a penny, but gradually accumulated money and provided himself with a fairly comfortable existence.

He is often portrayed as the owner of a tavern. Brighella is a big money lover and 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. Brighella knows how to please the owner, but at the same time is quite capable of cheating him, not without benefit for himself. He is cunning, nosy and can, according to circumstances, be anyone - a soldier, a sailor, and even a thief.

His suit is a white camisole and pants of the same color, decorated with transverse green stripes. He often has a guitar with him, as he is inclined to play music.

Brighella's mask, although it was one of the most beloved by a simple spectator, as a rule, was in the background of intrigue, the lack of active action was compensated for big amount plug-in tricks and musical interludes.

Images close to Brighella are present in the comedies of Lope de Vega and Shakespeare; they are also Scapin, Mascarille and Sganarelle Moliere and Figaro Beaumarchais.

Harlequin (Arlecchino) - zanni of the rich old man Pantalone.

The Harlequin costume is bright and colorful: it is made up of rhombuses in red, black, blue and green.

Such a pattern symbolizes the extreme Poverty of the Harlequin - his clothes seem to consist of countless poorly chosen patches.

By nature, Harlequin is an acrobat and a clown, so his clothes should not hinder his movements.

The mischievous person carries a stick with him, with which he often blunts other characters. Despite his penchant for fraud, Harlequin cannot be considered a scoundrel - a person just needs to live somehow. He is not particularly smart and rather gluttonous (love for food is sometimes stronger than passion for Columbine, and stupidity prevents the fulfillment of Pantalone's amorous plans).

The Harlequin's mask was black, with ominous features (according to one version, the word "Harlequin" itself comes from the name of one of the demons of Dante's "Hell" - Alichino).

On his head was a white felt hat, sometimes with fox or rabbit fur.

Other names: Bagattino, Trufaldino, Tabarrino, Tortellino, Gradelino, Polpettino, Nespolino, Bertoldino, etc.

Columbina is the servant of the 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 decorated 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 fluted collar around his neck, and a cap with a narrow round crown on his head.

Sometimes the clothes had large pockets filled with romantic souvenirs.

His face is always heavily whitewashed 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 sabrets), trusting and loyal to the owner. The poor man usually suffers from unrequited love to Columbine and from the ridicule of the other comedians, whose mental organization is not so fine.

The role of Pierino in the troupe was often performed younger son because this hero had to look young and fresh

LOVERS (Inamorati)

The unchanging heroes of the commedia del arte, gentlemen of Columbine, Harlequin and other zanni.

V lovers look out of touch with life, pompous characters.

If they move, then in a ballet way, unnaturally exposing their socks.

They gesticulate a lot and often look in the mirror.

The main traits of Lovers are vanity, painful attention to their own appearance, nervousness, immersion in their feelings and complete inability, which is actively used by zanni.

Even their names sound pompous (the men were usually called Silvio, Fabrizio, Aurelio, Orazio, Ottavio, Lelio, Leandro or Florindo, and the women were Isabella, Flaminia, Vittoria, Silvia, Lavinia or Ortenzia). Inamorati always dressed according to latest fashion, exaggeratedly carefully and elegantly.

The masks were replaced by a thick layer of makeup, thanks to which the roles of Isabella and Lelio were available to far from young actors. In addition, wigs, flies and all kinds of adornments were an indispensable accessory for their toilet. Young men often dressed up in a beautiful military uniform... In the course of the action, the costumes of the Lovers could change several times. Despite the fact that it is around the love of the young that the intrigue of the comedy is built, lovers always remain in the shadow of zanni masks, and their love is always perceived with a certain amount of irony.

ISABELLA (also, Lucinda, Vittoria, etc.) -

young lover; often the heroine was named after the actress who played this role.

PULCINELLA (Pulcinella) - Italian analogue of Russian Parsley, the English Mr. Punch and the French Punchinel.

A typical representative of the Neapolitan proletariat with all its characteristic features.

It is interesting that Pulcinella is an ambiguous image, he could be a stupid, and a 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 associated with 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, loose, 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 belly also grew in parallel. Pulcinella's hunchback symbolizes his fear of beatings (and in the comedy everyone who was higher on the social ladder beat him, that is, very many).

Pantalone is one of the most famous Venetian masks.

Pantalone is an elderly wealthy merchant who constantly drags on female character(always to no avail). This image embodied the growing class of the Venetian bourgeoisie.

A characteristic feature of the Pantalone suit is the huge codpiece, symbolizing his imaginary masculine strength. Usually the old man wore a dark red camisole and tight-fitting trousers of the same color, a black cloak with short sleeves and a small black hat, like a fez. On his belt hung a dagger or purse, 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 his nose, which made the old man's profile especially comical.

Often, according to the plot, Pantalone wanted to marry a girl with whom his son was in love, and flirted with Columbine, the servant of his daughter Isabella.

The CAPTAIN (Il Capitano) is 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.

The type of insolent and unprincipled warrior is a braggart and adventurer.

Depending on the political situation, he could look like a Spaniard or a Turk, although this image was originally Italian.

Accordingly, his character also changed - in different periods the Captain could represent a parody of various national features.

Its main features are aggressiveness, unrestrained lies about their imaginary exploits, lack of conscience, striving for enrichment and a desire to appear dandy and handsome. All this was reflected in his costume, which could be different, but was always distinguished by an absurd 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 drowning in high boots with large garters, the camisole was sewn from fabric in a contrasting diagonal strip, and a sword hung on a belt of an enormous size.

The Captain's mask could be flesh or dark in color, with a long belligerent nose and a menacingly protruding stiff mustache.

Its purpose was to highlight the contrast between the true (cowardly and deceitful) nature of the character and who he claims to be.

JOKE (Jester, Jolly) - represented in the commedia dell'arte, this is a classic mask.

The Jester first appeared in Italian theater, then became popular throughout Europe. The costume of this character is variegated and multicolored. On the head there is a cap with three "ears", to each of which bells are tied.

TARTALIA (Italian Tartaglia, stutterer) is a character-mask of the Italian commedia dell'arte.

Represents a 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 g.

Origin: Spaniard with poor Italian speaking. Occupation: civil servant: he can be a judge, policeman, pharmacist, notary, tax collector, etc. Suit: an official suit is stylized, a uniform hat on a bald head; huge glasses on the nose.

Behavior: as a rule, he is an old man with a fat belly; always a stutter, his trademark trick is the fight against stuttering, as a result of which a serious monologue, for example, in court, turns into a comic stream of obscenities.

In addition to the characters - Zanni, in the Venetian comedy Del Arte, there were old characters and characters - pseudo-intellectuals:

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

The term "Renaissance" or "Renaissance" (French renaissance - revival) was introduced into the cultural context by Giorgio Vasari. The term reflected the main trend of 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 is concluded in harmony, freedom, and all-round development of the individual. The medieval ideals of fanatical asceticism are being replaced by humanistic ideals, in the center of which is the image of a person, free in his thoughts and feelings, the master of his fate, radiating the joy of a full-blooded life.

The Renaissance theater in different countries of Western Europe had its own 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 most interesting and revealing Renaissance theater developed in three countries of Western Europe, and the main lines of development have very little in common.

The principles of Renaissance art - including theater - were laid in Italy. The 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 Petrarca and Giovanni Boccaccio; 15th century - Michelangelo Buonarroti and Rafael Santi). For Italians, the Renaissance was a 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 - has not produced a single playwright equal in scale to Shakespeare (England), Lope de Vega or Calderon (Spain). The reasons for this paradox have been widely studied in the culturological and art history literature. The main of them are considered to be two - in many respects interconnected.

The first explains this phenomenon in terms of the specific features of the theater. Conflict is always at the heart of theatrical performance - the fundamental driving force of a theatrical work, both play and performance. However, the concept of conflict in itself contradicts the ideals of the worldview of harmony, which sound powerfully in Italian literature and the visual 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 identity, the so-called. "Wide folk background". However, in the 14-15 centuries. Italians felt more like citizens of individual cities than of the whole country.

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

The development of the Renaissance Italian theater basically proceeded along two lines: the so-called. "Learned comedy" - la commedia erudite (literary tragedy can be attributed to the same line with some stretch) and folk improvisational theater - Commedia dell'arte, which 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 and 16th centuries (Ludovico Ariosto, Niccolo Machiavelli, Pietro Aretino, Giordano Bruno) turned to. educators. The same tendencies are characteristic of the Italian Renaissance tragedy (Gian Giorgio Trissino, Giovanni Rucellan, Luigi Alamanca, Torquato Tasso, etc.). By the end of the 16th century. the development of the Italian Renaissance comedy and tragedy is almost over. But by this time the third genre of Italian drama - pastoral - had grown stronger and gained great popularity.

The brightest page of the Italian Renaissance was then and remains the improvised street theater of masks - comedy del arte, in fact, 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 theater architecture: the development and practical implementation of special theater buildings a new type - "ranked" or "tiered" theater. Starting from 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 auditorium as a harmonious whole. It also outlines the innovative principles of theatrical and decorative art, including the creation of scenic scenery with a perspective. Searlio's search in the 16th and 17th centuries. were continued by architects Andrea Palladio, Vincenzo Scamozzi, Giovanni Battista Aleotti, Bernardo Buontaletti.

COMEDY DEL ARTE(commedia dell "arte); another name is the comedy of masks, an improvised 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 came out of street parties and carnivals. Her characters are some kind of social images in which not individual, but typical traits 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 remarks that 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 the partner. Indeed, if the actor does not closely follow the improvisational cues and the partner's line of behavior, 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 spectator. Commedia dell'arte has absorbed the experience of farcical theater, however, common characters of the "learned comedy" were also parodied here. A certain mask was assigned to a specific actor once and for all, but the role - despite the rigid typified framework - varied and developed endlessly in the course 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 more likely variants of several basic masks.

The commedia dell'arte had two main centers - Venice and Naples. In accordance with this, two groups of masks were formed. The northern (Venetian) one was the Doctor, Pantalone, Brighella 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 Neapolitan used more tricks, crude buffoonery jokes. By functional groups, masks can be divided into the following categories: old men (satirical images of Pantalone, Doctor, Tartaglia, Captain); servants (zanni comedy characters: Brighella, Harlequin, Coviello, Pulcinella and fantesque maid - Smeraldina, Francesca, Columbine); lovers (images that are closest to the heroes of a literary drama, played only by young actors). Unlike old men and servants, lovers did not wear masks, were luxuriously dressed, possessed exquisite plastic art 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 record the texts of their characters.

The scriptwriters were most often the troupe's main actors (capo commico). The first printed collection of scripts was released in 1611 by the actor Flaminio Scala, who directed the famous Gelosi troupe. Other most famous troupes are Confidenti and Fedeli.

Italian comedy del arte gave a whole constellation brilliant actors(many of whom were the first theorists of performing arts): Isabella and Francesco Andreini, Giulio Pasquati, Bernardino of Lombardy, Marc Antonio Romagnesi, Nicolo Barbieri, Tristano Martinelli, Teresa, Catarina and Domenico Biancolelli, Tiberio Fiorilli, etc. From the end of the 16th century. troupes began to tour widely throughout Europe - in France, Spain, England. Its 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 in relation to the theater in general, and especially to the commedia dell'arte, led to the fact that comedians settled in other countries for permanent residence. For example, in Paris, on the basis of an Italian troupe, the Comedie Italianne theater was opened.

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

COMEDIA DEL ARTE (Commedia dell'ar-te) is a commedia dell'ar-te, a genre of Italian te-at-ral-no-go representation, based on nic im-pro-vi-zation with the participation of mustache-chi-vyh per-so-na-zhey (ma-juice).

In the name of the under-chirk-chick, the professional ha-rak-ter of the activities of the troupes of the commedia dell'arte (Italian arte - pro-fess-sia, re-mes-lo). Ro-di-na commedia dell'arte - se-ve-ro-east of Italy. The first but-ta-ri-al-ny act, fixing the formation of the ak-tersky corpse, yes-ty-ru-it-xia 1545 ; the first mentions of representations with the participation of ma-juice go back to the 1550s. Of the several troupes that arose in the last third of the 16th century, the general-ev-ro-pei-po-po-lyarity of the sn-ska-li "Je -lo-zi "(among-di ak-te-rov - F. An-d-rei-ni, the creator of the mask Ka-pi-ta-na, and his wife Isa-bel- la) and "Kon-fi-den-ti" (the actor of this corpse-py T. Mar-ti-nel-li gave the classical form to the mask of Ar-le-ki-na, cos -dan-noy A. Na-zel-li on the pro-name Zan Ga-nas-sa).

Mas-ka in the commedia dell'arte is also an element of the scenic cos-tyu-ma (though with a closed face you-stu-pa-li only buf-von -so-na-zhi), and fixed am-p-lua ak-te-ra, with which he switched from p'e-si to p'e-sous and from the corpse-py into the corpse-poo. Masks from-li-cha-were between-w-do-boo-kos-ty-m, language and sub-zet-noy function. Masks of old men (father or co-per-nickname of the hero, not rarely on dia-lek-takh: ve-not-qi-an-sky at Pan-ta-lo-not, b-lonsky with use-pol-zo-va-ni-em la-ti-niz-mov at Dok-to-ra), servants or zan-ni (the syllable function is the same as that of a slave in a pal-lia-te or a servant in a scholarly com-medi ; language - ber-ga-m-dialect; usually you-stu-pa-li in pair: clever, cunning, leading in-tri-gu Bri-gel -la or Ska-pi-but and tu-sing, rude, not-o-d-d-n-ny, but at the same time ve-gray and simple-soul Ar-le-kin or Truf-fal-di-no), slu-jean-ki (mas-ka evo-lu-tsio-ni-ro-va-la from the female va-ri-an-ta Ar-le-ki-na k ob-ra-zu graceful and sharp-ro-clever sub-ret-ki), Ka-pi-ta-na (as-goes to ob-ra-zu hwa-st-li-vo- go warrior, sy-zhet-naya function - co-per-nickname of he-roy; language - is-pan-sky or lo-ma-ny Italian-yang); in love ge-ro-ev.

South of Italy do-ba-vil to this-mu na-bo-ru mas-ki Kov-el-lo (va-ri-ant Bri-gell-ly), Pul-chi-nell-ly (va-ri -ant Ar-le-ki-na, pra-ro-di-tel of French Po-li-shi-no-la, English Pan-cha and Russian Pet-rush-ki), Tar-ta-li (va-ri -ant old-ri-ka), Ska-ra-much-chi (var-ri-ant Ka-pi-ta-na). Ru-ko-vo-di-tel of corpses used the functions of ad-mi-ni-st-ra-to-ra, re-zhis-ser-ra and dra-ma-tur-ga. Ak-te-ry ras-in-la-ha-li with the so-called scene-na-ri-em, where there was ras-pi-san in-row-dock dey-st-viya, but from-day-st-in -valued the text re-p-lick, which-rye im-pro-vi-zi-ro-va-lis. Up to us, it has come down in ru-ko-pi-sih or in pub-li-ka-tsi-yakh about 700 scenes-na-ri-ev (the first scene was published in 1602, the first collection of scenes-na-ri-ev - in 1611). In the no-menk-la-to-re ma-juice, the sy-zhet-naya scheme of the classic com-media (any number of five-st-vii from the side of the old-riov-fathers; in-three-ha, which-to-ruyu are carried by the servants), but in the re-per-tua-re comedy del arte were both heroic, and tra-gi-comic, and pas-to-ral-nye pies.

Commedia dell'arte played-ra-la op-re-de-lai-a role in the form-mi-ro-va-nii of a professional te-at-ra in Italy and for its pre-de-la-mi - oso -ben-no in Is-pa-nii, where, since 1572, Dzan Ga-nas-sa has been settled, and in France, where the te-atr of the Italian com-medii ra-bo-tal (with pe-re-ry-va-mi) from the end of the 16th century to the end of the 18th century. On ak-ter-sky tech-ni-ku Mol-e-ra, game-r-she-go in the Para-Riga te-at-re "Pet-Bur-Bon" in 1658-1660, a large T. Fio-rill-li, the creator of the mask, Ska-ra-much-chi (in France - Ska-ra-mus), was influenced by the influence. Game-rav-shy in Pa-ri-same since 1662 D. Bian-ko-lel-li pre-vrat-til Ar-le-ki-na from tu-va-va-to-go uval-nya to the Ost -ro-um-no-go and ci-nich-no-go shu-ta, and his wife, daughter and granddaughter created-yes-whether ob-times not-ve-sta Ar-le-ki- na - Ko-lom-bi-ny (1683). It was in France that ut-ver-di-las mas-ka Pie-ro and the per-so-na-zhi of the commedia dell'arte entered the big com-me-di-grafia (Sh. Duf-re-ni, J.F. Ren-yar, P. Ma-ri-vo). K. Gol-do-ni-bo-rol-Xia with comedy del arte, but at the same time use-pol-zo-shaft of her masks; in the creative work of K. Gotz-ti, his literary counterpart, the comedy del arte pe-re-zhi-la last take off. In Germany, the experience of the comedy del arte was addressed by ro-man-ti-ki (L. Tik, E.T.A. Goff-man); in Russia (where the corpses of the commedia dell'arte gastro-li-ro-va-li since 1733) - sim-in-lis (A.A.Block) and on-next-to-vav-shi traditions of Se-reb-rya-no-go ve-ka te-at-ral-nye re-gis-se-ry (N.N. Ev-reinov, V.E.Mey-er- hold, A.Ya. Tai-rov, E.B. Vakh-tang-gov).

Editions:

Peretz V.N. Italian-yang-ko-medii and in-ter-medii, presented at two im-pe-rat-ritsy An-ny Io-an-nov-ny in 1733-1735 Tek-st. P., 1917;

Commedie dell'arte. Mil., 1985-1986. Vol. 1-2;

Pandolfi V. La comme-dia dell'arte. Storia e testo. 2 ed. Firenze, 1988. Vol. 1-6.

Additional literature:

Mik-lashevsky K. La commedia dell'arte, or Te-atr of Italian-Yang com-me-di-an-tov XVI, XVII and XVIII centuries. SPb., 1914;

Dzhi-ve-le-gov A.K. Ital-yang people-native com-media (com-media dell'arte). 2nd ed. M., 1962;

Tavi-ani F. La commedia dell'arte e la società ba-rocca. Roma, 1969. Vol. 1-2.

Illustrations:

J. Cal-lo. Ka-pi-tan Es-gan-ga-ra-to - Ka-pi-tan Ko-cod-ril-lo (lane-so-na-zhi ko-medii del ar-te). Etching from the series "Ball-li di Sfes-sa-nia". 1622. BDT Archive.

Back forward

Attention! Slide previews are for informational purposes only and may not represent all the presentation options. If you are interested in this work, please download the full version.

2 slide- COMEDY DEL ARTE (commedia dell "arte); another name is the comedy of masks, - an improvised street theater of the Italian Renaissance, which arose in the middle of the 16th century and, in fact, formed the first professional theater in history.
Commedia dell'arte came out of street parties and carnivals. Her characters are some kind of social images in which not individual, but typical traits 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 remarks that 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 the partner. Indeed, if the actor does not closely follow the improvisational cues and the partner's line of behavior, 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 spectator. Commedia dell'arte has absorbed the experience of farcical theater, however, common characters of the "learned comedy" were also parodied here. A certain mask was assigned to a specific actor once and for all, but the role - despite the rigid typified framework - varied and developed endlessly in the course of each performance.

3 slide- The very name "Commedia dell'arte" contains an opposition to the Renaissance "scholarly" theater, which, as we have already said, was an amateur theater. La commedia - in Italian, not only "comedy" in our sense, but theater in general, a spectacle; arte is an art, but also a craft, a profession. In other words, we are talking about a show played by professionals.
The names of Harlequin, Pierrot or Columbine are known to everyone, but few people know that these heroes of the folk theater have their prototypes in the characters of the commedia dell'arte. An idea of ​​the scenarios of the commedia dell'arte is given by the first of the collections that have come down to us (1611), composed by Flamineo Scala, the leader of the most famous troupe "Gelosi". Several more collections were published after him. Unfortunately, we hardly have the earliest short scenarios that could fit on a piece of paper. They came in a later literary treatment. In addition, by the end of the 17th century. they began to approach literary drama. The scripts were very different. 99% were comedies, but there were also tragedies and pastorals. For example, in the tragedy of Nero, along with Seneca and Agrippina, Brighella and other masks acted. (By the way, it was the "Gelosi" troupe that first performed the Tasso pastoral "Aminta" in the summer residence of the Dukes D "Este, on the Belvedere island in the middle of the Po River. The role of Sylvia was played by the best actress of the troupe - the incomparable Isabella Andreini.)

4 slide- Semi-professional troupes began to appear in Italy (especially in Venice) already at the beginning of the 16th century. Mainly artisans took part in them. The Venetian patricians willingly invited them to their home celebrations, where they performed the comedies of Plautus and Ternetius, eclogies, farces and momaria - musical pantomimes in masks. At the end of the "theater season", most of the members of these associations returned to their original professions: they did carpentry, carpentry, and tinker with boots. However, the most talented of them made acting their main profession.

5 slide – A special role in the development of semi-professional theater was played by Angelo Beolko from Padua (1502-1542) - the author of comedies and farces from peasant life, in which he infused motives from Plautus's comedies. Beolko received a good education, was well acquainted with classical drama, but, unlike the authors of scholarly drama, who wrote plays in the quiet of their offices, he began performing on stage from a young age. Beolko gathered around him a troupe of amateurs. The performance of this troupe was noted by two important features, which allow us to call Beolko and his comrades the direct predecessors of the commedia dell'arte. First, unlike the pastoral peizans, which spoke in an exquisite language, the peasants in Beolko's farces and comedies spoke the Paduan dialect. (The use of dialects, which, due to the fragmentation of Italy, acquired particular stability, would later become a characteristic feature of the commedia dell'arte and one of the main sources of comic.) Secondly, the actors from the Beolko troupe performed with constant stage names and in constant costumes. Beolko himself chose the role of the rugged village boy Rudzante.

6 slide- Beolko was the direct predecessor of the commedia dell'arte, but its true birth took place about 20 years after his death. In 1560, a performance of the commedia dell'arte was documented in Florence, in 1566 - in Manua, and in 1568 in Munich on the occasion of the wedding of the crown prince, an impromptu comedy with masks was performed by Italians living in Bavaria. The Munich performance was described by a humanist writer. There is evidence that the audience was dying with laughter.

7 slide- Around the same time, the most famous troupe of the commedia dell'arte "Gelosi" ("The Zealous") appeared. This troupe, which consisted of 12-15 people, gathered a brilliant constellation of actors. Its true adornment was the famous European actress and poet, the legendary beauty Isabella Andreini. King Henry III of France himself, captivated by the troupe's performance, invited the actors to Paris. It is interesting to trace how not only the status, but, first of all, the self-awareness of the actors changed in these years. In 1634, a book by one of the most educated actors of the commedia dell'arte, Nicolo Barbieri, was published, "A request addressed to those who speak in writing or orally about actors, neglecting their merits in artistic matters." In it, Barbieri, trying to get rid of the actor's inferiority complex, writes: "The goal of the actor is to be useful by amusing."

8 slide- Italian artists have repeatedly emphasized their special position among fellows. Comparing the Italian and French artists, Isabella Andreini wrote that the Frenchman is made of the same material "from which the parrots are made, who can only say what they are forced to hollow out by heart. How much higher is the Italian ... which, in contrast to the Frenchman, can be compared with a nightingale, composing their trills in a momentary whim of mood. " The Italian actor was also a synthetic actor, that is, he could not only improvise, but also sing, dance and even perform acrobatic stunts. The fact is that the presentation of the commedia dell'arte was a multi-part act. The main plot was preceded by a prologue in which two actors with a trumpet and a drum beckoned the audience, advertising the troupe. Then an actor appeared, expounding the essence of the performance in verse. Then all the actors poured out and the "shari-vari" began, during which the actors demonstrated their skills in every way: "This is what we can do, and we can do everything." After that, the actor and actress sang and danced. And only then did they begin to play out the plot.

9 slide- The comic peak of the commedia dell'arte was lazii, buffoon tricks that had nothing to do with action and were played by zanni servants. After the completion of the plot, parting with the audience began, accompanied by dances and songs. One of the actors wrote then that the dead are happy, lying underground, where grief and death reign, "but we do not have the strength to grieve our sorrows, let's laugh at them." The essence of the commedia dell'arte was "l" anima allegre "-" joyful soul ".
By the time Gelosi was active, the game canon of the commedia dell'arte had obviously already taken shape. In general, the most popular masks have also been formed.

10 slide- The commedia dell'arte had two main centers: Venice and Naples. In accordance with this, two main quartets of masks were formed: the northern, or Venetian (Pantalone, Harlequin, Brighella, Doctor) and the southern, or Neapolitan (Tartaglia, Scaramuccio, Coviello, Pulcinello). Both quartets often featured the Captain, Fanteska (or Servette), The Lovers. In general, the number of masks that have appeared on the scene of the commedia dell'arte over the two centuries of its existence exceeds a hundred. But they were all modifications of the basic masks listed above.
Commedia dell'arte masks can be divided not only into northern and southern quartets, but also into functional groups. The first is satirical masks (old people). The second is comedic (servants). The third is lovers.

11 slide- Mimes, acrobats, clowns and dancers took part in the IMPROVISATIONS OF THE COMEDY DEL ARTE, bringing a cheerful confusion to the plot.

Artist

fr. - Acteur; ex. - Comedian; ex. - Lyceum

Actor is a professional performer of roles in drama, opera, ballet, stage, circus performances and in the movies. Actors perform their roles:
- following the text of the play; or
- following a script that requires improvisation.

12 slide- Harlequin from Italian Arlecchino
Harlequin is a character in the Italian commedia dell'arte.
In the 16th century, Harlequin occupied the position of Zanni the simpleton in the troupe, confusing the intrigue of comedy with his silly antics. The simpleton harlequin wore a suit covered with multi-colored patches, symbolizing the poverty and stinginess of its wearer.
In the 17th century, Harlequin occupied the position of Zanni the rogue in the troupe, actively participating in the development of the action. The patches on the Rogue Harlequin costume took the form of regular multi-colored triangles closely adjacent to each other.
In the 18th century, a pathetic element was introduced into the interpretation of the role of the Harlequin, making the audience laugh and cry at the same time.

13 slide- Brighella

ital. Brighella from ital. Briga is a nuisance
Brighella is a character in the Italian commedia dell'arte;
- was the main spring of intrigue;
- wore a suit of a long white blouse with yellow or green stripes, long white pantaloons, simple shoes and a cap.

14 slide- Zanni from Italian. - Zanni

Zanni is a character in the Italian commedia dell'arte, which has two varieties:

1 - a rogue, a rogue, a dodger who bore the names of Zanni, Brighella, Pedrolino, Scapino, etc.;
2 - a simpleton, a goof, who bore the names of Harlequin, Burattino, Cola, Flauttino, Pulcinella.

- took an active part in the development of the plot intrigue;
- spoke in local dialects;
- used black half masks;
wore peasant clothes: a long canvas blouse, long wide trousers, a wide-brimmed hat with a feather, wooden sword at the belt, a short cloak.

15 slide- Colombina is a traditional character in Italian folk comedy- a servant who participates in the development of intrigue, in different scenarios also called Fanteskaya, Servette, Franceschina, Smeraldina, Mirandolina, etc. Origin: a peasant girl who feels insecure and unusual in the city.
Behavior. Initially, it is a village idiot, similar in character to the Harlequin mask; her honesty and decency are emphasized, as well as always a good mood.

16 slide – Pantalone(ital. Pantalone, fr. Pantalon) Is an Italian comedy mask character wearing long red pants (pantaloons). Represents the northern (or Venetian) quartet of masks, along with Harlequin, Brighella and the Doctor. The prototypes of the Pantalone mask can be found in the antique comedy ( πάπος in Greece, Papus and Casnar in Rome), as well as in the Italian novella of the Renaissance.
Behavior. Pantalone, as a rule, is the center of intrigue, and, as a rule, always remains a victim of someone, most often Harlequin, his servant. He is sickly and frail: he constantly limps, groans, coughs, sneezes, blows his nose, stomach aches. This person is lustful, immoral, he passionately seeks the love of young beauties, but always fails. His gait is that of an old man, he walks with a slightly crooked back. He speaks in a sharp, shrill, "old man's" voice.

17 slide- The Italian commedia dell'arte gave a whole constellation of brilliant actors (many of whom were the first theorists of theatrical art): Isabella and Francesco Andreini, Giulio Pasquati, Bernardino Lombardy, Marc Antonio Romagnesi, Nicolo Barbieri, Tristano Martinelli, Teresa, Cataricolina and Domenelli, Tiberio Fiorilli and others. From the end of the 16th century. troupes began to tour widely throughout Europe - in France, Spain, England. Its 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 in relation to the theater in general, and especially to the commedia dell'arte, led to the fact that comedians settled in other countries for permanent residence. For example, in Paris, on the basis of an Italian troupe, the Comedie Italianne theater was opened.

Commedia dell'arte has had a tremendous impact on the development of world theatrical art. Its echoes are clearly visible in the drama of Moliere, Goldoni, Gozzi; in the 20th century. - in the works of directors V. Meyerhold, A. Tairov, E. Vakhtangov and others.