What were the origins of commedia dell'arte and how did it evolve as a dramatic form over time
and as it spread from Italy? How did its relationship to the ruling ideology of the day change
during the Enlightenment? What is its legacy today? These are just some of the questions
addressed in this authoritative overview of the dramatic ideological and aesthetic form of
commedia dell'arte. The book's 3 sections examine the changing role of performers and
playwrights improvisatory scenarios and scripted performance and its function as a vehicle
for social criticism to offer readers a clear understanding of commedia dell'arte's evolution
in Renaissance Italy and beyond. This study throws new light on the role of women performers
on the changing ideological discourse of commedia dell'arte which included social reform and
later conservatism as well as the alienation of ethnic minorities in complicity with its
audience and on its later adaptation into hybrid forms including grotesque dance and the
giullarata typified by the work of Dario Fo.
