Commedia Dell Arte
Commedia draws its existence from the period of economic and cultural enlightenment known as the Renaissance ( Claudon,2003).While the Renaissance was present most everywhere in Europe, it had its beginnings in Italy where manufacturing and trade with the Islamic world made it an economic superpower. It was through this trade with the Islamic world that Italian sailors and scholars found Ancient Roman and Greek texts containing the writings of philosophers like Sophocles and Aristotle. Bringing them back to Italy and translating them, Scholars would spend the next few centuries deciphering and interpreting the meaning of these ancient texts. The product of the introduction of these Greek and Roman cultural elements (examples include the right of free speech, critical thinking and questioning divine authority) into Italian society was an atmosphere where the humanities (an umbrella term used in Italy to denote history, architecture, dramatic art and visual art) could be studied and practiced with little intervention from higher authority. It was from this atmosphere that Commedia could begin to evolve (Wild, 2011). Now, what is Commedia?
Commedia dell’ Arte is a theatre form combining pantomime, masks/costumes and improvisation. The actors (known at the time as either players or artisans) would play stock or stereotypical characters and act out familiar plot...
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