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![Clown Bluey's History of Clowns: Commedia dell'arte. Arlecchino, the original Italian version of Harlequin in 1671. [Mary Evans Picture Library]](http://www.clownbluey.co.uk/albums/Clown-Blueys-History-of-Clowns-images/Original_Italian_Harlequin_in_13th_century.jpg "Clown Bluey's History of Clowns: Commedia dell'arte. Arlecchino, the original Italian version of Harlequin in 1671. [Mary Evans Picture Library]")
Clown Bluey's History of Clowns: Commedia dell'arte. Arlecchino, the original Italian version of Harlequin in 1671. [Mary Evans Picture Library]
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Clown Bluey's History of Clowns: Harlequin came from the commedia dell'arte, Italian professional pantomime. There were stock characters including Harlequin (originally one of the two Zannis or comic servants, but later, when the Clown took over as the comedian, he became the love interest/leading man), Columbine, Pantaloon, Scaramouche and Pierrot. The origins of the commedia dell'arte have been traced by various writers to the Roman Atellen mimes, comic novels in north Italian vernacular of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the antics of medieval jongleurs and the witty repartee of Italian courtiers. It was comic theatre in which clowns as we know them first appeared. Improvisation was its most important element. The actors had their instructions pinned up in the wings of the makeshift theatres in which they performed and were given a brief scenario within which they extemporised, each playing a stock character. The comedian was very much responsible for the development of his own particular role and would make up speeches as he went along. These were usually witty, allusive, often obscene and given in dialect. But if the actor ran out of inspiration he could always fall back on the 'lazzi'.
The 'lazzi' were interpolated gags or stock business / devices which linked various scenes. So although essentially the plays of the commedia dell'arte had no written dialogue, the 'lazzi' served as a repertoire of improvised exchanges or stage 'business' which could be adapted to any situation. The actors had to have a high degree of talent, imagination and intellect and a deep experience of life. To be a buffoon was not enough; a quick and ready wit, grace of expression and gesture, and politcal, social and psychological insight were needed, along with the accomplishments of dancing, music-making, mime and acrobatics. The commedia dell'arte is important in two ways. For one thing, it marked the first appearance in Europe of companies of professional actors, and it was a landmark in the history of clowning. The comic turns, rapid-fire repartee and practical jokes engaged in by the zanni and other stock characters provide the traditions of modern clowns and their entrees. It was a style of comedy that appealed to the people of the day, whatever their language or nationality and which has come down to us through the centuries spreading universal gaiety and carefree joy. |
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