Commedia Dell’Arte Essay Example

stumbling"(Nicoll 47). His character is based on money and ego, he also has the highest regards for his own intelligence even though he is often the victim of every kind of prank or trick. His character is made comical through all the contradictions of his personality; he is money hungry yet he is an indulger, he is clever yet impulsive, he is subject to sudden outbursts filled with curse words and insults but he can be kind and compassionate.

Pantalone’s character is usually depicted wearing long, red, tight pants and a short, tight-fitting jacket of the same colour. He has a money pouch and sometimes a dagger at his belt, a loose black cloak or zimarra, and a bonnet on his head. He has a dark half-face mask with accented features, a prominent nose and a white beard stretched on his chin, which shook ludicrously when Pantalone was talking (Henke 128). The actor who assumes this role must know perfectly the Venetian dialect for this is a trait that make his character recognizable to audiences.

This intriguing character has been played by great actors such as Antonio Riccoboni and Cesare D’Arbes in various plays for different theatre companies. The character of Pantalone is complex and although he is a stock character, the way in which his personality and characteristics are portrayed is never exactly the same. This is evident when discussing Pantalone in both Servant of Two Masters and Turandot where clearly the depictions of this character vary from one another. Servant of Two Masters is a comedic play written by a well known Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni in 1743.

This play

was originally written for the Italian actor who was famous for his Arlecchino, Antonio Sacci. The play is centred around various relationships; that of Beatrice and Florindo, Clarice and Federigo, Clarice and Silvio and Truffaldino and Smeraldina. Although love is a main theme in the play, the depiction of Pantalone is still very prominent and important. In this play Pantalone is the father of Clarice, a young woman caught in a tough situation when the man she was supposed to marry returns from the dead so she thinks, even though she is now marriage with a new man.

In the beginning we can see that Pantalone is a man who is frugal and so sensitive to the value of money that he is practically a slave to it unable to break from it even for the wedding of his only daughter, this is shown in the following when he suggests that Clarice and Silvio keep their wedding small in the following, “I have asked no great company of friends or relations” (Goldoni 147). He goes on to say that Dr. Lombardi understands this idea when he says, “ For the doctor too is a man of my sort,”(Goldoni 147) with this Pantalone is suggesting that Dr.

Lombardi is cautious with his money as well. It is also in the beginning the audience can see the type of relationship that Pantalone and Clarice, one that is of a dominate father and a meek, obeying daughter. This is evident in the way in which Pantalone and Clarice communicate with one another. In the following lines one can see how Clarice has to ask her father’s

permission before she can retire to her own room, “ May I not go, sir? ” to which Pantalone replies “ No madam, no; you stay here” (Goldoni 149).

In this play Pantalone is illustrated as not only being demanding but as having a temper as well. This can be seen with the introduction of Truffaldino who vaguely answers Pantalone’s questions because he is too engaged in his conversation with Smeraldina. For example, when Truffaldino says that Federigo is still alive Pantalone shouts, “ Come here and talk to me. What the devil do you mean? ” (Goldoni 151). It can be seen in the following quote how Pantalone’s anger escalates into a violent temper when he threatens Truffaldino saying, “If you say any more i’ll break your head” (Goldoni 152).

Pantalone also shows that his loyalty lies first with money and status before his daughter which is evident when Beatrice comes in disguised as her brother Federigo asking for Clarice’s hand in marriage. At the time of Beatrice’s arrival, Clarice is already set to marry her true love Silvio but then Pantalone declares that Clarice must marry Federigo for she was promised to him first. Pantalone knows that Clarice would be much happier with Silvio and that she has no desire to marry Federigo but he insists anyway.

His reasoning for his persistence towards Federigo is evident in following quote from Pantalone’s conversation with Dr. Lombardi, “You may go to the devil for all I care. I don’t care a fig, I’m not afraid of you. The Rasponis are worth a hundred of the Lombardis. An only son, and as rich

as he is-you wont find that every day. It has to be”(Goldoni 183). The above quote is a clear example of Pantalone’s greed and selfishness, he would rather see his daughter marry a man with high status and be miserable than marry the man who has her heart.

In this play Pantalone for the most part is depicted in a negative light, his character is a rich old man who is harsh and cold towards his daughter but he is scornful and has a temper as well. This portrayal of Pantalone differs drastically from that of the version in Turandot. Turandot is a Commedia dell’Arte play by Carlo Gozzi in 1762. It was supposedly influenced by the Persian story from the collection Les Mille et un Jours by Francois Petis de la Croix. The story, set in ancient China, it involves prince Calaf who falls in love with the cold princess Turandot.

To obtain permission to marry her, a suitor must solve three riddles; any false answer results in death. Calaf passes the test, but Turandot still hesitates to marry him. He offers her a way out, agreeing to die should she be able guess his real name. It is a tale about one woman’s desire to remain unmarried and free in her mind from male domination and one man’s quest to regain his ability to provide for his family. Gozzi used the Commedia dell’Arte characters in a very minimalistic way, he used them just to show his support for the tradition.

Of the stock characters Gozzi’s interpretation of Pantalone is the most interesting. Unlike Goldoni, Pantalone’s character in Turandot was neither

wealthy nor of high status, rather he was the secretary to Altoum, the emperor of China. In scene two Altoum addresses his subjects and Pantalone explains how he was faced with bad luck and had to leave his country he did not “know a thing about China. I thought it was one of those powders you take for tertian fever,”(Gozzi 140). By saying this not only does he admit that he was faced with isfortune but also he shows that he is uneducated through is lack of knowledge about China. Gozzi’s version of Pantalone is more sensitive and compassionate than that of Goldoni. This can be seen in the following section of Pantalone’s speech to Calaf in an attempt to persuade him not to go through with Turandot’s riddles, “... Watching you there as a handsome painting, I feel sorry for you... ”(Gozzi 142) Pantalone’s character is also depicted as being quite joyful and humerous much unlike in A Servant of Two Masters where the character of Pantalone was very serious and conservative.

A good example of this change in personality is the following “(jumping for joy) Oh, bless you, boy. I’m bursting with happiness,” with this quote it is evident that Pantalone has a softer, gentler side and he is not afraid to show his emotions(Gozzi148). Gozzi’s Pantalone is also very sarcastic and witty which can be seen in the following quote, “If we weren’t here to watch out for you, you’d pull some stupid stunt and let that girl string you up like a salami. Hey soup strainer, you there with the mustache, you can run along now... ”(Gozzi 155).

In

Gozzi’s play because the stock characters are not the main focus, the characteristics of Pantalone are non traditional, this version of Pantalone is more amicable, compassionate and almost more entertaining than Goldoni’s version of Pantalone. One can assume that Gozzi’s Pantalone would be the preferred character for with the constant striving for wealth and social status Pantalone in Servant of Two Masters is very unappealing while the light hearted and comical nature of Pantalone in Turandot is more attractive to audiences and readers.

In conclusion, Pantalone has long been a celebrated character in his native city of Venice who is always old and retired from active business although he never manages to let it fully go. Whether he is rich or sometimes poor, a father or an old bachelor he is always immersed in the value of money. The actor who assumes the role of Pantalone must always be very well versed in the Venetian dialect with knowledge of the different proverbs and phrases for he never strays from his native tongue. In both Servant of Two Masters and Turandot the character of Pantalone was beautifully depicted although they were done in different ways.

Goldoni stuck to the more traditional depiction of Pantalone by making him a wealthy man who is self absorbed and greedy whereas, Gozzi decided to reverse the roles by making Pantalone a working man under the authority of a wealthy man of high status which is ironic because his character is usually the one with servants and the high status. Both playwrights were able to effectively use the character of Pantalone in their own way incorporating their creativity into

the depictions of their characters.