Commedia Dell’ Arte was a distinctive form of stage art in the 1600’s and the famous playwright Moliere furthered its acceptance and import throughout his life. Originating in Italy, the popular art form spread quickly with the aid of traveling troops. One area that was greatly affected by this form of theater was France. The French people adored this theater and made it fit in with their culture. This can be seen in an essay by Gustave Lanson when he states, “In Paris Italian farce had replaced French farce. ” The success of Commedia Dell’ Arte during the reign of Charles IX is well-known” (Lanson, 137).
This effect can be seen through one of the country’s most famous playwrights, Moliere. Moliere was a renowned playwright and actor that continues to be well-known today. He was greatly influenced by Commedia Dell’ Arte. “Well-known definitions of the Commedia Dell’ Arte are that it was a semi-literary form of theatrical performance based primarily upon effective gestures and lazzi, and involving a limited number of generally accepted types who in their contrasting relation provide the setting for a light and flimsy action linked somehow by the eternal theme of love”( 704).
His showing of the art form can be seen through his three most famous plays Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and The Imaginary Invalid. As Lanson stated, “From soiling the noble and pure conception of comic genius given to us by The Misanthrope and Tartuffe” (Lanson, 134). With the progression from an earlier play to his final play, we can see where Moliere used aspects of Commedia Dell’ Arte and where he veered away to fit his own personal tastes and that of France’s. Moliere was born Jean-Baptise Poquelin in 1622 to a father who was an upholsterer for the King and spent most of his life at court.
“Thus, as author and actor, it is in farce that Moliere was first revealed to Louis XIV and the Parisian public” (Lanson 141). In Lanson’s essay on Moliere, we can see his constant influence from attending court with his father. Until 1643 Moliere had been studying to become a lawyer. In that year, at the age of 21, he switched over to a life of the theater. He joined actress Madeleine Bejart and together they started the L’Illustre Theater. However, the theater became bankrupt and Moliere had to spend some time in prison. It was after his time in prison that he changed his name to Moliere and traveled around with his troop.
“His journey through the provinces had brought him into contact with innumerable Italian artists of the Commedia Dell’ Arte” (Bertram-Cox, 302). His time in prison and traveling abroad changed the way in which he performed and wrote his plays. There were outside influences and emotional attachments that went along with his works. “Attempting to describe the course of Moliere’s life, the influence of Moliere’s personal life on his plays” (Mallet, 119). Many outside sources that had their effect on Moliere made their way into his plays. Upon his return to Paris in 1658, his troop joined with an Italian Commedia troop.
During that time he had become more critical of society, and he loved to make his plays more satirical. His stances against certain aspects of French living can be seen in his plays: Tartuffe, against the Catholic Church, The Misanthrope, against the aristocracy, and The Imaginary Invalid, against society’s ignorance. Moliere loved his tragedies, but he had to write what was popular during the times. Farce and Commedia became his specialties. However, during this time France had a tight hand on theater expecting certain aspects and allowing what stages could contain.
This can be seen when Gustave Lanson says on French theater of the time, “In Moliere’s comedy, there is an important part that Italian farce does not contain, at least for the French spectator: The painting of social conditions and relationships. ” This is what Moliere would have to observe and incorporate into his plays. Critics were harsh and Moliere had to comply with certain rules. Through his life he was able to establish plays that are well-known, even today. Moliere was influenced by the famous theater form of Commedia Dell’ Arte which can be seen through his works.
Established in Italy around 1545, Commedia Dell’ Arte was a form of theater which had very distinctive characteristics that make it an individual art form. One way that individualized this art form is the use of improvisation and a lack of authorship. The more freedom an actor had the more farce and whimsical a play could appear. “A recognition of the unique aspects of the Commedia Dell’ Arte with its emphasis on movement, gestures, [and] rhythmic action” (Bertram-cox, 302) is an attribute that the actors and audience members both adore in this comedy based theater form.
Another attribute that makes Commedia individualized is the use of specific characters. There are many characters that come about and pertain to the Commedia Dell’ Arte form. “Manners, according to Moliere, can be painted only through the portrayals of characters” (Bertam-Cox, 304). The importance of characters is highly regarded in Commedia and used by Moliere. These characters are usually two forbidden lovers, the servant (sometimes intelligent and sometimes triumphs because of dumb luck) that helps the two lovers, and the two older men that are forbidding the lovers from being together.
These characters and their behaviors are what drive the play. The mistakes and desires that constitute each character drives the plot line and makes it light-hearted and easy to watch. A final attribute that pertains to Commedia Dell’ Arte is the story line of Romance. Love is what drives the characters, and this makes each plot line in the character strive to obtain, more than likely, a forbidden love. Each story ends up in a happy ending. These are much like the common day romantic comedies. The zany character would often help his master obtain their love with disguises or elaborate schemes.
Sometimes there would be alternative motives for the servant, but with confusion and misgivings it all ended well in the end with a laugh. This makes up Commedia Dell’ Arte. The theater form of Commedia Dell’ Arte had a very basic structure that could be adhered to. These three elements make up what is Commedia Dell’ Art which is still enjoyed today for its whimsical, farce based, lightheartedness. Moliere saw its popularity and used it while still trying to stick to the French style of theater that was also happening during this time.
Tartuffe is probably the most famous work done by Moliere. It was written in the middle of his writing career, thus, it has still a lot of influence from Commedia Dell’ Arte of the three most famous of his plays. In Gutwirth’s essay on Tarfuffe and the Mysteries, we see the prominence of the play during its time when he states “Tartuffe first saw the light of day as a three-act entertainment gracing one of Louis XIV’s most resplendent court spectacles” (Gutwirth, 33). However, it does stray from the structure. Written into this play is an attach upon the clergy of the time.
Moliere loved to make political statements underlying his comedies. This play is about a clergyman staying with a family because of the father’s devotion and infatuation instead of to his religion. There Tartuffe, the clerical protagonist, makes advances upon the women and abuses his power. With Orgon, the master of the house, obsessed with Tartuffe it is hard for the rest of the family members to show his treachery. This is a political statement to show the abuse of power that was happening within the church during this time.
At the end of the play Tartuffe is discovered and everything is solved. The happy ending, including the funny moments, are attributes that can be found in Commedia Dell’ Arte. Other ways in which this play follows the Commedia format is the lack of authorship with limited speeches but more quick responses. This leaves room for improvisation. It also follows the farce format. “Tartuffe, the husband under the table while the hypocrite escorts his wife. One can scarcely deny that farce is everywhere in Moliere” (Larson, 135). This format gives it a commonality towards Commedia Dell’ Arte.
The way in which it deviates from the Commedia form is that the main idea of the plot line does not involve the bringing together of two people. This can be seen in Gutwirth’s essay when he says, “The scheme is unbeatable and it must be repeated that none but Tartuffe himself can release those hapless others from their plight” (Gutwirth, 63). This shows the influence is present, because scheme is such a large portion of Commedia Dell’ Arte. It is present in the play with the two characters. However, their love does not drive the story line; the discovery of Tartuffe is what drives the play.
Though Tartuffe is greatly enjoyed today there were many harsh criticisms that ensued with this play. Therefore, he had to make different revisions to appease the public by making several rewrites. The Misanthrope was written soon after Tartuffe. Though it was written close to Tartuffe, it carries a different influence of Commedia Dell’ Arte; however, it still does contain both attributes to both Commedia and classical French theater. Though written a short time after Tartuffe in 1666, it embodies different influences of Commedia Del’ Arte while still containing classical French Theater attributes.
This play is about a man who is misanthropic; critical of society, and the woman he is in love with is flirtatious and fickle. In the end, after coming into trouble with the law, Alcest, the protagonist, pleads with his love Celemene to come away with him. She refuses. “The affair of Orante’s poem, the defeat in the lawsuit, the exposure of Celmene’s perfidy, her refusal to join him in flight to the desert” (Rudin, 309), these are the problems that Alcest suffers throughout the play. It is not a common outline for Commedia. This play seems, of all three, to have the least amount of influence from Commedia Dell’ Arte.
The characters and the written work both lack the familiarity of Commedia Dell’ Arte, with long, drawn out soliloquies that show a presence of authorship. We are able to get a sense of the characters from the essay Moliere and The Misanthrope: “The Misanthrope remains a splendidly stage-worthy play. Orante with his absurd sonnet, the little marquis with their ineffable vanities, Philinte and Eliante with their graceful common sense fill in a rich background” (313). There are no characters that stick to the key character that Commedia Dell’ Arte produce. Love and romance, however, is a main theme that drives the plot line.
Though it does not involve a twisted complicated plot in order to obtain the forbidden love, Alcest is still driven by a romance which is a key factor in Commedia. As stated, “At odds with his beloved, his friends his society, all mankind” (Rudin, 309), it goes to show that love is actually an opposing force in this play. Though it does not contain all aspects of Commedia Dell’ Arte there are still factors that can be seen from which Moliere had taken from the art form. Though it does not have a happy ending, it was still plausible for Commedia to have tragedies, even though it is more commonly known for its comedies.
The Imaginary Invalid was the last play written by Moliere. Though this was written during the last part of his life, it would be assumed that his influence from Commedia Dell’ Arte would have been broken away. Upon further inspection it can be seen that there are still many attributes to Commedia that are seen within the play. In an essay called Music Fantasy and Illusion in Moliere’s Le Malade Imaginaire he says, “[it] was the last Commedia ballet in which Moliere melded the traditions of ballet de cour, pastorale, french comic theater Italian Commedia Dell ’Arte in a single dramatic action”.
Written in 1673 this was the final play that Moliere wrote and performed in. This play is about a hypochondriac of a man. He has intentions for his daughter, Angelique, to marry an imbecile of a doctor for his own benefit to have free checkups whenever he desires. However, Angelique is in love with another man. With the help of the servant, Toinette, they are able to come together in the end. One of the main themes of the The Imaginary Invalid is love and letting the two main characters of Angelique and her lover Cleante be together.
This is obtained through the aid of the servant. Toinette is playing the role of the zany to bring the couple together through mis-identifications and a crazy scheme. This is a prominent part of Commedia Dell’ Arte. This play is written in a ballet format with music and dance accompanying the actors on stage. With this addition there is less free will for improvisation and changing of the script. The authorship is much more prominent. This is taking out a key element in Commedia Dell’ Arte.
On the essay on The Imaginary Invalid we can see the outline of the play when it is stated, “By joining with non-musical scenes of the play, music, dance and comedy together from variations on a central theme” (223). Through the attributes of characters, form, and the plot line, it can be seen were Moliere applied Commedia and were made to fit in the French form in the The Imaginary Invalid. The French had a tight hold upon theater in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was seen as political propaganda and anything that was put on the stage was heavily criticized.
Moliere, being a prominent playwright, had to endure these criticisms. Moliere was greatly influenced by this form of theater, and it can be seen where he used it and where he applied Neo Classicism, the other popular art form. By looking at his three most famous plays, Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and The Imaginary Invalid, through Commedia Dell’ Arte, with the characters, plot line, the authorship or structure, it can be seen where Moliere had his influence and when it was applied. “The tradition in playing Moliere is preserved in France by the Comedie Francaise”.
