Commedia Dell Arte Essay

Around the same time that Commedia dell’Arte began gaining in popularity, one of the most famous playwrights, William Shakespeare, was born. It would be ignorant to say that this form of theatre did not influence Shakespeare’s work. While there is no record of William Shakespeare ever attending a Commedia Dell’Arte performance, nuances and pattern are clearly evident in his work. Shakespeare is only credited with two Italian comedies, Much Ado and Two Gentleman of Verona. However, one Shakespeare scholar, Kevin Gilvary argues that The Tempest should also be classified in this category. Gilvary compares The Tempest with a letter written by William Thomas that “included a story about a Duke of Genoa, Prospero Adorno, who briefly held power in 1460. In his letter, William Thomas also describes the rule of Alfonso, King of Naples, who married the daughter of the rightful Duke of Milan. The king gave the throne to his son, Ferdinand, and set sail to Sicily. Galvary finds “six points of comparison between Thomas’s Historie of Italie and The Tempest: (1) the

It has influenced a plethora of playwrights and actors from every form of theatre. Commedia has provided us with a list of familiar and beloved characters that we often see portrayed in modern theatre without even realizing it. It is influence is evident in the writings of Shakespeare, the acting of Charlie Chaplain, the cast of shows like Saturday Night Live and Whose Line is it Anyway, as well as in comics and video games. Commedia dell’Arte may have had its time to flourish but its innovative ideas and relatable characters have insured that this beautiful form of art will never die. I hypothesis that the influences of Commedia dell’Arte will continue to impact theatre for many generations to come. If not only in the form of improv but also in the foundation of theatres major stock