Carlo Goldoni (1707–1793)

Goldoni wrote this as a preface to his plays, though he didn’t get it into his first volume in 1751. I bought my Mondadori edition in Milano (Mar, ’99); it includes the playwright’s autobiography Memorie italiane. His father worked as physician in Perugia (107), and even punished him for reading Machiavelli’s comedy Mandragola, “strappo dalla mani, volea abbruciarlo, e l’avrebbe fatto, se non fosse arrivato a tempo mia Madre per impedirlo”(118). His father rent his hand, wanted to burn it and would have, had not his mother arrived to stop him.
Did Goldoni’s father disapprove his boy reading about a young man disguising himself as a physician in order to seduce an old man’s young, beautiful wife? Or about a sleazy priest Timoteo? Or about a rascal marriage broker? While his mother let him do anything, his father enjoined her in heated argument: Mandragola was scandalous and prohibited, it dealt with illicit love and abuse of the confessional (118).

Il Teatro Comico presents meta-drama, a play about plays; also, meta-poetry, poetry about a bad poet, Lelio, who is too mannered, too conventional, having his male character begging the woman “My idol!”, the woman chasing him away. The capocomico Orazio says he can stand no more, while the Dr. says, “Mi ha fatta venire la diarrea”(I.xi. p.31).
But Lelio later recites a wonderful passage, which impresses the head, Orazio, who had doubted the poet's stage abilities. One problem: in soliloquizing, Lelio addresses the audience. "No, no," Orazio advises, the comic actor never talks to the audience; when alone, he should imagine "che nessuno lo senta e nessuno lo veda"(III.ii.p.75).

The meta-drama features actors in Commedia del’Arte masks, but no longer generic commedia actors, who speak ad lib; now they have to learn named parts in Goldoni’s play. Commedia featured old men like the Pantalone and Doctor, often competing with a young man for a young woman. Commedia also featured 1)Zanni, servants who plotted and intrigued, 2) Harlequin, the active specially dressed clown, 3) Young women, often singers, and young men, 4) Brighella, a blocking figure, and others.
To all these, Goldoni adds a Prompter, Suggeritore, since the characters in his play have parts to learn. Commedia actors complain of the extra work memorizing, thus needing a Prompter.

Many scenes invite my citation, but I’ll go to a simple opposition between two male lovers, the astute Brighella and the stupid but jaunty clown Harlequin. Vittoria (Columbina) wants to ask every woman she meets whether a shrewd or a stupid husband is better. The two opposites each argue for one like himself, Brighella saying, obviously, “Accorto,” and Arlecchino, “Ignorante.” Columbina says she’ll marry whichever one convinces her, so the scene enumerates their skills. The sharp one says, “I’ll work hard, you’ll never lack a good meal.” Arlecchino says, “I’ll bring all my friends here with food and drink.” Brighella, “For me I’ll defend honor, you’ll be respected.” Harlequin, “I’m not a fighter, I’ll make sure everyone likes you.” Brigella, “Since I’m organized, I’ll keep the house well organized.” Harlequin, “I’ll leave it for you to do what you want with the house.” Brighella, “If you want entertainment, I’ll take you there.” Harlequin, “If you want to go for a walk, you can even go on your own.” B, “If someone invades our home, I’ll kill him.” H, “I’ll light the chandelleer, so no-one dares enter.”
Columbina concludes, she can’t prefer one of the other; she needs a combination of them both (II.viii.p.64).

Last scene of Act II, a foreign (out-of-town?) singer Eleonora arrives, to do intermissions, but the Capocomico sends her packing. Eleonora observes, "I comici sono sempre nemici dei virtuosi di musica"(II.xv.p.71). Never realized musicians and comedians at odds. Here, she's a friend of the poet, also an outsider; she had sung in his Dido performed in Firenze. He suggests she follow his lead, join th troupe; she worries she'd lower herself. But poet Lelio says, there's no better music than that of cooking spoons, "L'armonia dei cuchiai"(73).

Act III contains some great acting advice, like Hamlet's to the players, "Speak the speech..trippingly on the tongue," but here also warnings about applause, not to trust it, because" some applaud from habit, others to release their feelings, some from employment, others because they're hired to applaud, "sono pagati dai prottetori"(III.iii.p.79).
The acting advice, from the head of the troupe to the newly hired former singer, Eleanora. When sharing the stage with another character, she should not distract with her body or her mind, which leaves a bad effect on the audience, and moreover keeps the prompter from his job (p.81).

What happened to make actors the lowest class? One reason women are not allowed on stage in Shakespeare, because they'd lower their class, to that of prostitutes. How did actors then the lowest class become centuries later the highest? Probably because the U.S. has no class, except fame, and of course the resultant money.

Goldoni could not write comedy at university, so he wrote poetry. His "Memorie," or autobiogrpahy, reflects on law and poetry. His relative the Milanese Senator, Marquess Goldoni, came to Pavese, and advised that poety was "Una seduzione, una distrazione dagli studi," that Goldoni should finish his legal dissertation.
I recall many literary men studied the Law--starting with some Romans, Cicero and Ovid. Moving to England, Samuel Johnson gave up law because of money, but several Renaissance playwrights studied at the Inns of Court, like Beaumont and Marston. Most provocative, those like Goldoni and Ovid who gave up law for literature.

Memorie contain innumerable details about actors and plays, for instance leading Arlecchino players in commedia; but Goldoni wrote at least one history-tragedy, Enrico Re di Sicilia, which the Prince of Poland saw, and for which he asked another performance. Goldoni had had it printed specifically for the Prince's performace, distributed to the entire audience (220). Goldoni also wrote words for intermezzo songs, such as one he adapted because there were nine singers--he called it, the Nine Muses.

He ends his autobiography with his leaving his comedies behind for the foreign military, the French who conquered Genova I think. He wrote in French, and died in France. His last page reflect on how comedy should make us wary; though he'd written a play, "L'Impostore," he was fooled by an impostor, cheated, overwhelmed,"mi sono lasciato gabbare, sovererchiare da un Frappatore!"(229). Because of war, his theater income was suspended, and even his patrons were bankrupted. So he leaves for France.

See my review of Machiavelli’s Prince for a paragraph on his comedy, published well over a century before this play.… (more)