Commedia Dell Arte Stock Characters Masks

Commedia dell arte has four stock character groups.

Commedia dell arte stock characters masks.

Pulecenella is a classical character that originated in commedia dell arte of the 17th century and became a stock character in neapolitan puppetry pulcinella s versatility in status and attitude has captivated audiences worldwide and kept the character popular in countless forms since his introduction to commedia dell arte by. Masks should be an extension of an actor and their costume hair and accessories. The lovers treat their personas as masks. The characters of the commedia usually represent fixed social types and stock characters such as foolish old men or devious servants.

Each commedia dell arte company had a stock of scenarios commonplace books of soliloquies and witty exchanges and about a dozen actors. The young lovers are always in love. The commedia masks must show emotion and intelligence as they are covering the face which is the main place emotion can be seen on someone. While we can detect formal similarities between the commedia dell arte and.

After you choose a category you need to choose a character. Zanni is probably not the first character that springs to mind when you think of commedia dell arte characters. Scaramouche or scaramouch from italian scaramuccia literally little skirmisher is a stock clown character of the 16th century commedia dell arte comic theatrical arts of italian literature the role combined characteristics of the zanni servant and the capitano masked henchman with some assortment of villainous traits usually attired in black spanish dress and burlesquing a don he. And the captains or capitani who can also be la signora if a female.

Arlecchino mangione is a servant a trickster glutton and a clown. These high quality neoprene commedia masks have been based on the stock characters of the commedia dell arte. In commedia the characteristics of a character such as a walk a pose or a gesture are just like wearing a mask. It was not uncommon for an actor in a commedia dell arte troupe to play the same stock character for most of his or her career.

The commedia dell arte employs basic stock characters fictional people who are amusing predictable and two dimensional. The old men or vecchi characters such as pantalone and il dottore also masked. The lovers or innamorati who would have names such as flavio and isabella. Il dottore the doctor 4.

The servants or zanni these are characters such as arlecchino brighella pulcinella and pedrolino all masked. Masks were originally all made of leather but now more commonly made of neoprene. Though there was some doubling of masks roles most players created their own masks or developed ones already established. Most of the characters wear masks but even those without masks e g.

That is because the. Commedia dell arte masks are one of the most integral aspects of each stock character. The actor playing the arlecchino mask is often a skilled acrobat. Leap into the commedia in these masks.

Although commedia dell arte flourished in italy during the mannerist period there has been a long standing tradition of trying to establish historical antecedents in antiquity. Creating a commedia character. So you re not creating a new commedia character. Each mask design is paired with a specific character based on its appearance and tradition.