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Part 4: Study Guide Questions
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Can you name some of the stock characters in traditional Italian comedy? What European theatrical forms were impacted by the humorous presentation? Test your knowledge of commedia dell'arte with this quiz. All of the answers can be found here in the feature Commedia dell'Arte.
Commedia dell'Arte Study Guide
Questions | Answers
- ____________________, also known as "Italian comedy," was a humorous theatrical presentation performed by professional players who traveled in troupes throughout Italy in the 16th century.
- Performances took place on ____________________, mostly on city streets, but occasionally even in court venues.
- True/False: Touring companies changed their dialect to make themselves understood.
- Regardless of region, il Capitano would have spoken in __________.
- The impact of commedia dell’arte on European drama can be seen in which theatrical forms?
- The commedia dell’arte survived the early _____ century only by means of its vast influence on written dramatic forms.
- True/False: There were elaborate sets in commedia dell’arte.
- The character Arlecchino bore two sticks tied together, which made a great noise on impact. This gave birth to the word __________.
- The unique talent of commedia players was to ____________________ around a pre-established scenario.
- What were lazzi?
- The actors of the commedia represented fixed social types, or ____________________.
- __________ was a caricature of learning—pompous and fraudulent.
- Pulcinella, as seen in the English ____________________ shows, was a dwarfish humpback with a crooked nose.
- __________ was a caricature of the Venetian merchant, rich and retired, mean and miserly, with a young wife or an adventurous daughter.
- There were many other minor characters in commedia dell’arte, some of which were associated with a particular region of Italy such as __________, __________, and __________.
- Except for the inamorato, males would identify themselves with ____________________ and ____________________.
- True/False: While the inamorato and the female characters wore neither masks nor costumes unique to that personage, certain information could still be derived from their clothing.
- Arlecchino would be immediately recognizable because of his __________ and __________ costume.
- All the fixed character types, the figures of fun or satire, wore ____________________.
- The inclusion of __________ and __________ into commedia performance required that all actors have these skills.
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