Year of Graduation
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Major
Theatre
Directing Professor
Wendy-Marie Martin
Abstract
Commedia dell’Arte, a form of improvisational comedy for the stage developed in the Renaissance, is at least half a millennium old, and leaves minimal records of its content. However, its stock characters still seem to appear in modern media, including television, movies, and current theatre. Commedia characters' noticeable persistence in the modern day suggests that our culture continues to enforce social dynamics which have elements in common with sixteenth-century Italy. This thesis compares Commedia stock characters with their counterparts in modern media, to learn what cultural analysis can be made from their similarities and differences. Most retain traits that keep them true to their early modern origins, but evolve through their placement in plot structures. I argue that these comparisons reflect change, or lack thereof, in social expectations over time.
Recommended Citation
Craig, Sofia, "Italian Commedia dell’Arte and Modern American Performance: Comedy as a Cultural Window" (2026). Undergraduate Honors Theses, Hollins University. 81.
https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/ughonors/81