Misplaced Pages

#991008

38-592: Innamorati ( Italian: [ʎ innamoˈraːti] ; lit.   ' lovers ' ) were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte , who appeared in 16th-century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the lovers in some regard. These dramatic and posh characters were present within commedia plays for the sole purpose of being in love with one another, and moreover, with themselves. These characters move elegantly and smoothly, and their young faces are unmasked unlike other commedia dell'arte characters. Despite facing many obstacles,

76-544: A "self-derogatory and understating character". In American popular films, there are a wide range of stock characters, which are typically used as non-speaking extras in the background, bit parts with a single line, minor secondary/supporting roles, or major secondary/supporting roles. Stock characters in American films have changed over the decades. A 1930s or 1940s film's stock characters include newspaper vendors, ice vendors, street sweepers, and cigarette girls; in contrast,

114-399: A 1990s film has homeless " bag ladies ", pimps, plainclothes police, business women, and Black and Hispanic stereotypes. Stock characters in American popular culture, especially racial and ethnic stereotypes, often came to be seen as offensive in later decades and were replaced with new stereotypes. For example, the " lazy Black " and the " treacherous bespectacled Japanese " were replaced in

152-582: A creative writing professor and prolific fiction author, all characters begin as stock characters and are fleshed out only as far as needed to advance the plot. E. Graham McKinley says "there is general agreement on the importance to drama of 'stock' characters. This notion has been considerably explored in film theory, where feminists have argued, female stock characters are only stereotypes (child/woman, whore, bitch, wife, mother, secretary or girl Friday , career women, vamp , etc.)." Ulrike Roesler and Jayandra Soni analyze "not only with female stock characters in

190-413: A loss of words. In order to express what they truly want to say, they always need the help of a servant to act as a go-between. The lovers often act in a childlike and immature way. When not getting their way, they become completely devastated, they pout, and even cry and whine if things do not go according to their wishes. Very selfish and self-centered, the lovers are in their own worlds where they are each

228-690: A pair of vecchi being mentioned in the year 1565, and another mention of Dottore Gracian in 1574. Since his introduction, he has existed in some form or other due to his popularity and interactions with Pantalone; however, his popularity did wane in Italy by the 1800s. He has gone by many names besides il Dottore, those being Dottore Gratiano , Dottore Baloardo ("Dr. Dolt"), Dottore Spaccastrummolo ("Dr. Hack-and-Bandage"), Dottore Scarpazon , and Dottore Forbizone ("Dr. Large Scissor"). His many names reflect his buffoonish nature, and call attention to his positive traits. Il Dottore migrates to France with

266-454: A point. Il Dottore can be the father to one of the innamorati , usually either Columbine or Isabella . There are, however, existing scenarios in which il Dottore is not a father, specifically "the Tooth-Puller", or il Cavadente. There is also precedence for il Dottore to be cuckolded . Unlike the majority of half masks in commedia dell'arte , il Dottore's mask is unique in that it

304-413: A scene. Since the lovers are stock characters, the names of both the male and female lovers are used over and over again: Stock character There are several purposes to using stock characters. Stock characters are a time- and effort-saving shortcut for story creators, as authors can populate their tale with existing well-known character types. Another benefit is that stock characters help to move

342-531: Is a one-third mask; the mask itself is meant to be a parody of a Bolognese jurisconsult. The actor's cheeks may sometimes have rouge applied to imply that il Dottore is fond of drinking. His costume is usually all or mostly black and he frequently wears a black felt hat with long, trailing robes. Under his black robes are shorter black robes and black shoes. The ruff around il Dottore's neck didn't come into play until his popularity in France grew, at which point it

380-534: Is fond of drink and food, but he loves chocolate the most. Il Dottore is also fond of girls. However, he is untruthful and gets caught cheating several times; he is a love rat. Il Dottore is representative of the learned intellectual class, and as such is meant to playfully parody the educated elite. He attended the University of Bologna, and pretends to be an expert in many subjects, talking constantly, but usually having no idea about that of which he speaks. Depending on

418-548: Is full of flamboyant and lofty rhetoric so that most of what they say is not taken too seriously, by either the audience or the other characters. Although their dramatics were laughable, their struggle as a romantic couple added a cultural layer to the show, adding tone of seriousness to the show. The innamorati do everything perfectly and strive for perfection. Their movements are elegant and are not to be aimed towards parody. They occasionally do courtly dances using two dance movements called "pas" and "swivel". The posture that

SECTION 10

#1732852426992

456-489: Is relatively recent, dating back to the latter half of the 20th century. It is said that in the post-World War II era, when household economy was crucial and minimizing waste was essential, an enterprising pasta maker used leftover green lasagna dough to create tortelli filled with available kitchen ingredients (ricotta and mortadella). The new pasta shape was named balanzoni to highlight its quintessential Bolognese essence, given its tortellini-like form, green lasagna color, and

494-403: Is that they are ridiculous and over the top about everything, but they are completely sincere in their emotions. The main function of the lovers within the play is to be in love; and in doing so, they come upon obstacles that keep them from pursuing their relationship. These obstacles stemmed from varied causes. For instance, the financial or personal interests of a lover's parent may have prevented

532-423: Is that, as with films, these stock characters can incorporate racial stereotypes , and "prejudicial and demeaning images". One concern raised with these gay stock characters is they tend to be shown as just advice-giving "sidekicks" who are not truly integrated into the narrative; as well, the gay character's life is not depicted, apart from their advice-giving interactions with the main characters. This also echoed

570-674: The Gelosi troupe during the year 1572, still performed by Lucio Burchiella. Since commedia dell'arte performers were itinerant by nature, it is only natural that his character was transplanted to other countries. By the late 17th century, il Dottore was firmly embedded in the public eye, as evidenced by the playwright Molière 's inclusion of a Docteur-style character in his play La Jalousie du Barbouillé  [ fr ] . In contemporary media, il Dottore can be found in many common characters, such as Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory and Dr. Zoidberg from Futurama . Rotund , il Dottore

608-403: The comic foils of each other, Pantalone being the decadent wealthy merchant, and il Dottore being the decadent erudite. He has been part of the main canon of characters since the mid-16th century. Il Dottore was born in the city of Bologna , Italy. He is comically inept. He is usually extremely rich, although the needs of the scenario might have things otherwise, and extremely pompous, loving

646-405: The 1990s with the " street-smart Brother " and the "camera-happy Japanese tourist". Other groups more frequently represented as stock characters include women, Native Americans, Hispanics, Arabs, Gays/Lesbians, Jews, and Italians. Other briefly popular stock characters include the 1950s "overweight Communist cell leader" and the 1970s " Black Panther revolutionary". Even in timeless occupations,

684-456: The audience. In the late 1990s, there was a trend for screenwriters to add a gay stock character, which replaced the 1980s era's "African-American workplace pal" stock character. In the 1990s, a number of sitcoms introduced gay stock characters with the quality of the depictions being viewed as setting a new bar for onscreen LGBT depiction. One challenge with the use of stock characters in TV shows

722-599: The characteristics of stock characters in a story, whether it be a book , play , or film . Il Dottore Il Dottore ( Italian: [il dotˈtoːre] ; lit.   ' the Doctor ' ), most commonly known in Italian as Dottor Balan or simply Balanzone ( Italian: [balanˈtsoːne] ; Bolognese Emilian : Dutåur Balanzån ), is a commedia dell'arte stock character , in one scenario being an obstacle to young lovers. Il Dottore and Pantalone are

760-515: The children of either il Dottore or Pantalone . The lovers are aware of the audience's presence. They use the audience as a means to show themselves off and also to express their plight at not being able to obtain their love. In other ways, they may also call on an audience member for help or advice, or even flirt with one. Source: The lovers use uscite ('exits') and chiusette ('endings') sometimes when entering and exiting. These are rhyming couplets that are said before exiting and entering

798-428: The finest silks and they wear showy jewelry characteristic of Renaissance style. The males wear soldier-like attire, while both genders wear extravagant wigs and also change clothes numerous times throughout the length of the production. The costumes of the lovers were the fashion of the day, and the extravagance of the lovers costumes often represented the status of the commedia dell'arte company. The lovers never wear

SECTION 20

#1732852426992

836-413: The idea of being in love. They never outwardly communicate with their lover even when they are in close contact, due to nerves, and, therefore, never really outwardly express affection toward their beloved. The lovers commonly fight or bicker. Despite the bitter interactions, the lovers mostly reconcile their differences by the end of the play and end up happily together and/or married. The lovers are usually

874-474: The lovers take on is that of strong pride. They point their toes while standing and puff up their chests. Overall, they lack contact with the ground and seem to float across the ground rather than take steps. Their hand movements and gestures are also very characteristic of the buoyant movements that their feet take on. The physicality of the lovers should not be done in a way that makes fun of them. Following that, they do love each other, but are more consumed with

912-468: The lovers were always united by the end. The name innamorati is the Italian word for 'lovers'. The dramatists of the Italian Renaissance borrowed ideas from early Roman playwrights, such as Plautus and Terence , whom the theater style known as commedia erudita was inspired by. The lovers are the first actor, first actress, second actor, and second actress. The comedy of the lovers

950-584: The lovers' relationship from progressing. The pair always involves other commedia characters, such as Zanni characters, to try to figure out how they can be together. This is necessary, because due to their conceited stupidity, and lack of experience with all of the mysteries of love, and the sensations and emotions that come with it, they cannot figure it out on their own. The lovers tend to be overly dramatic in whatever emotion they express. Separation from their lover leads them to strongly lament and moan their state, although, once they finally meet, they are at

988-595: The masks, which is characteristic of most of the other stock characters in the commedia dell'arte. They do, however, wear a large amount of makeup and apply beauty marks to their faces. Their speech is very eloquent Tuscan, as they are of high social status. When commedia dell'arte is played in England, the lovers often speak in Received Pronunciation . They are well-read in poetry and often recite it at length from memory, and even tend to sing quite often. Their language

1026-401: The most important subjects. Along with loving themselves, they are in love with the very idea of love and what it pertains to. The lovers are always young in age, possessing courteousness and gallantry. They are very educated, but lack life experiences that would have prepared them for the real world. They are very attractive and elegant in their appearance overall. The women's dresses were of

1064-577: The overlap between these concepts. Nevertheless, these terms are not synonyms. The relationship is that basic archetypes (such as " hero " or " father figure ") and stock characters (such as " damsel in distress " and " wise fool ") are the raw source material that authors use to build on and create fleshed-out, interesting characters. In contrast, stereotypes and clichés are generally viewed as signs of "bad writing or shallow thinking". Some stereotypes, such as racial stereotype characters, may be offensive to readers or viewers. According to Dwight V. Swain ,

1102-574: The person in the job has changed, reflecting cultural and demographic changes. In the 1990s, a hairdresser (previously French) was often depicted as a gay man, a gardener (previously White) as Asian or Hispanic, a bartender (previously White) as Black, and a maid (previously Black) as Hispanic. Due to the scheduling constraints on television production, in which episodes need to be quickly scripted and shot, television scriptwriters often depend heavily on stock characters borrowed from popular film. TV writers use these stock characters to quickly communicate to

1140-507: The plays' comic business and royal pomp." Tara Brabazon discusses how the "school ma'am on the colonial frontier has been a stock character of literature and film in Australia and the United States. She is an ideal foil for the ill mannered, uncivilised hero. In American literature and film, the spinster from East – generally Boston – has some stock attributes." Polly Welts Kaufman shows that

1178-431: The portrayal, however, he can actually be very educated, and bore the other players into leaving the stage. The preferred crowd favorite, however, is il Dottore who speaks nonsense. Il Dottore walks with his chest up, knees bent, and with a bouncy movement, taking small steps; he gesticulates with his hands and fingers, making room around him by keeping others at bay. He stands in one position and plants himself to make

Innamorati - Misplaced Pages Continue

1216-456: The schoolma'am's " genteel poverty , unbending morality, education, and independent ways make her character a useful foil for the two other female stock characters in Western literature: the prostitute with the heart of gold and the long-suffering farmer's wife.'" Stock characters can be further identified as an alazon , the "impostor and self-deceiving braggart" in a story, or an eiron ,

1254-521: The sense of typical roles in the dramas, but also with other female persons in the area of the theatrical stage..." Andrew Griffin, Helen Ostovich, and Holger Schott Syme explain further that "Female stock characters also permit a close level of audience identification; this is true most of all in The Troublesome Reign , where the "weeping woman" type is used to dramatic advantage. This stock character provides pathos as yet another counterpoint to

1292-432: The sound of his own voice and spouting ersatz Latin and Greek , il Dottore is known to be overly self loving and greedy. His interaction in the play is usually mostly with Pantalone , either as a friend, mentor or competitor. Il Dottore first originated as the comic foil of Pantalone. The character has his performance origins in the year 1560 with the actor Lucio Burchiella; two other mentions follow soon after, with

1330-471: The story along more efficiently, by allowing the audience to already understand the character and their motivations. Furthermore, stock characters can be used to build an audience's expectations and, in some cases, they can also enhance narrative elements like suspense, irony, or plot twists if those expectations end up subverted. There is often confusion between stock characters, archetypes , stereotypes , and clichés . In part this confusion arises due to

1368-415: The way that Black and Latino characters were used in 1980s and early 1990s shows: they were given a stock character role as a police chief, which in put them in a position of power, but then these characters were used as minor characters, with little narrative interaction with main characters. In the 2000s, with changing views on depicting race, Latino/a characters are both typecast into stock characters and

1406-483: The writers play with viewer expectations by making a seemingly stock Latino/a character act or behave "against type". Southern sheriff stock characters are depicted with a negative stereotype of being obese, poorly trained, uneducated, and racist, as was done with Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane from The Dukes of Hazzard . In the United States , courts have determined that copyright protection cannot be extended to

1444-457: Was adopted in 1653 by Agostino Lolli. Balanzoni is a type of pasta originating in the Italian city of Bologna , named after the renowned Bolognese mask. This fresh green pasta, colored by spinach in the dough, resembles tortellini in shape and is filled with ricotta and mortadella , leading some to call them tortelli matti ( lit.   ' crazy tortelli ' ). The recipe for this dish

#991008