Emily Mastalerz

Theatre Histories

Kate Douglass

4 November 2022

A Deeper Dive into the Cast and Costumes of Commedia Dell’Arte

Commedia Dell’Arte was a form of Italian theatre popular in the 16th to 18th century in

Europe. The genre was a mix of written and improvised comedic theatre. Arguably the most

distinct feature of Commedia, however, was the fixed stock characters used in the cast. Each

character’s persona was largely built around a mood/emotion such as delight, confusion, sorrow,

mockery, and so forth. The nine most popular characters fit into four stock character groups:

Zanni, Vecchi, Innamorati, and the Il Capitano.

The Zanni were servants and/or clowns; characters such as Arlecchino and Pulcinella are

both Zanni. The Zanni are overly emotional, unmannerly, and foolish, also often depicted as

constantly hungry or gluttonous, and were known to fall asleep without warning wherever they

stood. They were also, however, devotedly loyal to their master(s). As characters, Zanni served

to both add aire to the plot and to move the plot forward; their stupidity causing them to be

comically bad at the simplest tasks, while their genius allowed them to solve even the most

impossible situation. A scenario required at least two Zanni, the first and the second. The First

Zanni or the Il Furbo. This character was clever, witty, and sarcastically sharp. The First Zanni

were responsible for moving the plot forward whilst giving it a cynical twist. The Second Zanni,

also known as Lo Stupido. These Zanni were clumsy, stupid, and notably unable to tell their

rights from their lefts. Rather than forwarding the plot, the second Zanni exists primarily to
interject the show with quips and jokes. Both characters have the combined intelligence of less

than one normal man, but they served an incredibly important role in Commedia.

The Vecchi were another important category of Commedia’s stock characters. The term

Vecchio (the singular form of Vecchi) translated to “old” in Italian, which is one of the key

characteristics of these characters. The Vecchi were old men (much like the modern caricature of

the grumpy old man shoo-ing teens off of his lawn) who appeared in one of two opposite forms.

The first, Pantalone, was a flamboyant and wealthy merchant. The second, Il Dottore, was a

decadent academic. Vecchi served as the antagonists of Commedia Dell’Arte, working against

the love of the two Innamorati before being thwarted with the help of Zanni. Il Capitano is

sometimes also combined into this category. Il Capitano, or La Signora if the character is female,

was a snob or swaggart. He acquired his title, “The Captain”, not by his service, but by simply

taking it for himself. Il Capitano monologues about his accomplishments, both in the military

and romantic realms, and fails to see that those around him don’t buy into his lies. He acts only

for himself and for money, and is the first to run from any conflict (despite his appearance of

bravado).

The fourth and final category of stock characters is arguably the most important: the

Innamorati (The Lovers). The Innamorati were the two characters of whom the play revolved

around, but were always reunited in the end of the play. The male Innamorato and the female

Innamorata never wore the masks characteristic of the other stock characters, instead wearing a

lot of makeup and a beauty mark. The Innamorati also often followed complementary naming

conventions (eg. the Innamorato Flavio and the Innamorata Flavia, the Innamorato Lavinio and

the Innamorata Lavinia). The Innamorati were overdramatic in nearly every way: when separated

the lovers lamented, crying and moaning in sorrow until reunited, where they became speechless
from joy. The Innamorati did love one another, but were more consumed by just the idea of being

in love with one another.