Francesco Andreini ( – 1624) was an Italian actor mainly of ''

commedia dell'arte Commedia dell'arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Theatre of Italy, Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is a ...

'' plays. He began his career playing the role of the unsophisticated love-stricken young man. Later he played the role of Capitan Spavento (), a Pickwickian character of excessive fatigue. He died on January 1, 1624, in

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

, Italy at the age of 76. Francesco Andreini was the leader of the Gelosi commedia dell'arte troupe and had he not brought this type of theater elsewhere, it would not have made it further to the mainstream media and developed into multilingualism and oral and textual transmissions. His role of Capitano made its way into modern media with adapted versions solely based on the original Capitano. Francesco had an impact on today's theater and improvisation.

Life

Andreini was a soldier under the banner of the Medici in the Ottoman–Venetian War. He turned to theatre after 8 years in a Turkish jail. Andreini was born at

Pistoia Pistoia (; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about north-west of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typic ...

. He was a member of the company of I Gelosi which

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

summoned to Paris for his bride, the young queen

Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (; ; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV. Marie served as regent of France between 1610 and 1617 during the minority of her son Louis XIII. Her mandate as rege ...

, thus introducing the ''

'' style to France. Andreini married sixteen-year-old Isabella Canali in 1578, when he was 30. She and their son,

Giambattista Andreini Giambattista Andreini (9 February 1576 – 7 June 1654) was an Italian actor and the most important Italian playwright of the 17th century. Life Born in Florence to stage stars Isabella Andreini and Francesco Andreini, he had a great success as ...

, were also distinguished in the arts.

Accomplishments

He published his dialogue as Captain Spavento as "La bravura del Capitano Spavento". This dialogue takes place between the captain and his servant, Trappola. Francesco Andreini wrote four to five page boasts in his publication of his dialogue; although Andreini may have elaborated on these speeches in print, it is clear that he was trying to give the audience the intense verbosity within. Similarly, Andreini elaborates on the fact that the doctor was only talk, while the lovers could get carried away with themselves to any extent. Andreini spoke a handful of languages including Italian, Turkish, English and French. He used a combination of these languages while performing. As Capitano, he often combined Italian and Turkish claiming it was Arabic. He also used Grammelot in his works and was one of the original inventors.

References

Bibliography

* Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Andreini, Francesco 1540s births 1624 deaths People from Pistoia Male actors from Tuscany Italian male actors Commedia dell'arte actors 17th-century Italian male actors 16th-century Italian male actors 16th-century theatre managers 17th-century theatre managers 16th-century Italian businesspeople 17th-century Italian businesspeople