Italian Renaissance Drama By Massimo Ciocca
Italian Renaissance The word renaissance means: Re-birth The Italian Renaissance was the first signs of Renaissance in Europe. It lasted between the late 13 th century and the 16 th century. The Italian Renaissance was the rebirth of medieval aged Europe. The medieval age turned into early modern Europe. During these times, Italy and much of Europe went through a cultural change. They started appreciating the arts.
Italian Theatre One of the arts that was appreciated and important in the Italian Renaissance was theatre. The Renaissance theatre was influenced by the Greeks and the Romans. Early in the Renaissance, plays were still performed outdoors and in churches. During this Era, many people were influential and invented different and unique techniques that revolutionized the Renaissance Era.
Teatro Olimpico Teatro Olimpico is the oldest and first enclosed theatre in the world. It began construction in 1580 and was finished in 1585.
The Stage The type of stage used during this time was the proscenium stage. It is also known as a picture frame stage. The main feature of this type of stage is the large opening known as the proscenium arch which is where the audience would view the play.
Main forms of drama During this era, there was 2 main types of drama. The Commedia dell’arte and the commedia d’erudita.
Commedia dell’arte Commedia dell’arte means the comedy of the actors guild. It was popular between 1550s and the early 1800s. This type of drama was all improvisation with a basic plot line. They were performed by traveling theatre companies. They had 6 basic characters: Arlecchin o Capitano Dottore Flavio PantaloneColumbina
Why did they use masks? They were used to help identify the characters. The second purpose of the mask was to limit the view of the actors, making them move their head from side to side to see what was going on.
The Characters Actors had to improvise the entire play. The stock characters were separated into three groups. 1.The masters 2.The servants 3.The lovers The combination of the three made the performance funny and interesting. The masters are usually being made fun of by the servants.
The Lovers The lovers were the only characters that were not masked. The weren’t masked because they had natural beauty. All they needed was makeup. One interesting feature about the lovers is that they never touched, even in the most passionate moment. They would come very close to each other, in dramatic poses but wouldn't touch.
Companies They were groups of actors, each of whom had a specific role. The companies would travel all around Europe. The most widely known companies were called, Soldati, the Ganassa, the Gelosi, the Confidenti and the Accessi. Each company has their own coat of arms.
Commedia d’erudita Is a form of theatre performed by amateurs for high class people. It was a style of theatre created by the scholars of the time.
Costumes The costumes and fashion were taken from the Roman arts. The men would wear short doublets with panty hose, an ankle length gown with shoulder pads and plain shoes. The women would pull their hair back tightly and hide it by wearing a hat or a hair piece. They would wear dresses.
Famous Playwrights The Mandrake written in 1518 by Niccolo Machiavelli. Aminta written in 1573 by Torquato Tasso.