Commedia erudita

Commedia erudita are Italian comedies written for the enjoyment of scholars in the sixteenth century. They were meant to mimic and emulate the works of Terrence and Plautus.

Audiences could expect plentiful use of monologues, asides, over-hearing, misunderstandings, mistaken identity, and disguise. The comedy is derived at the expense of authority figures behaving foolishly or amorous young men. The audience were also entertained by the performers that helped create the carnivalesque atmosphere.

Like the Roman comedy it comes from, commedia erudita is a festive experience. It was used for weddings and welcoming celebrities visiting town. Their shows were typically only for the members of the court, but sometimes it was opened up to lesser court servants.

The development of commedia erudita was widely anticipated by writers and audiences. Never before had there been an attempt to restore the comedies written by the Romans in the 2nd century B.C.E. A century prior to the creation of commedia erudita, twelve previously unknown Plautus plays were discovered by Nicholas Cusanus, and Donatus's commentary on Terence was uncovered by Giovanni Aurispa. These events spawned new interest in Plautus and Terrence.

Roman theatre took a century from rediscovery to restoration due to three major factors:

It was difficult for audiences to relate to many situations and themes expressed in the stories. Also, at this time there was still cosiderable ignorance of the Romans' stage structure, which was vastly different from fifteenth century theater spaces.

A century was spent by scholars transcribing, editing, translating, commenting, and performing the texts. Writers were slow and hesitent due to their uncertainty of Roman language and verse.

They resisted the movement because all other entertainment at the time had backing from the church and support from secular authorities.

The "Mystery Plays" were the only widespread scripted vernacular in Italy in the fourteenth century. These performances were for popular audiences with understanding of biblical stories and faith in the divine mysteries. Their entertainment relied on heavily on spectacle. The sacre rappresentazioni plays had stagings of all kinds of frightful miracles and martyrdoms (ex. the skinning of St. Bartholomew with the use of adroit manipulation and flesh-colored lights). Because the public was already accustomed to this level of shock value, commedia erudita writers had to find a way to include spectacle in their shows as well.

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