Studies in the commedia dell'arte

Abstract

The original dell'arte in late sixteenth-century Italy was performed by traveling players who improvised their plays around a basic plot or scenario. The best known characters were the comic servants like Harlequin Pierrot who have become almost household names. The dell'arte players soon moved to other European countries, the genre was transformed in the process, particularly in France. Over the centuries the has been adapted to suit the needs of successive cultural movements, has become a symbolic theme not only in drama, but also in other branches of literature, as well as in art music. This book examines manifestations of the commedia dell'arte Shakespeare to Dario Fo. The emphasis is on the variety richness of the commedia, and includes discussion of music poetry as well as drama, popular culture the avant garde. Another feature of the book is its comprehensive integrated coverage of the cross-cultural nature of the commedia: it draws together a collection of experts in major European Languages literatures (including Latin American literature) provides a new angle for discussion of a phenomenon until now covered mainly from the viewpoint of the drama historian.

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