''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers")
/ref> were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and posh characters were present within ''commedia'' plays for the sole purpose of being in love with one another, and moreover, with themselves. These characters move elegantly and smoothly, and their young faces are unmasked unlike other commedia dell'arte characters. Despite facing many obstacles, the Lovers were always united by the end.Eick, Justi
Commedia dell'Arte

Origins

The name '' Innamorati'' is the Italian word for "Lovers".Rudlin, John. ''Commedia dell'Arte, An Actor's Handbook''. Routledge, London, 1994, pp.106 Captain Cermonia and Larinia

The dramatists of the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

borrowed ideas from early Roman playwrights, such as

Plautus Titus Maccius Plautus (; c. 254 – 184 BC), commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the ...

and

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought ...

, whom the theater style known as ''commedia erudita'' was inspired by. The "lovers" are the first actor, first actress, second actor and second actress.

Characteristics and dramatic function

The comedy of the Lovers is that they are ridiculous and over the top about everything, but they are completely sincere in their emotions. The main function of the Lovers within the play is to be in love; and in doing so, they come upon obstacles that keep them from pursuing their relationship. These obstacles stemmed from varied causes. For instance, the financial or personal interests of a lover's parent may have prevented the lovers' relationship from progressing. The pair always involves other commedia characters, such as

Zanni Zanni (), Zani or Zane is a character type of commedia dell'arte best known as an astute servant and a trickster. The Zanni comes from the countryside and is known to be a "dispossessed immigrant worker".Rudlin, John. ''Commedia dell'arte: An Act ...

characters, to try to figure out how they can be together. This is necessary, because due to their conceited stupidity, and lack of experience with the all of the mysteries of love, and the sensations and emotions that come with it, they cannot figure it out on their own. The Lovers tend to be overly dramatic in whatever emotion they express. Separation from their lover leads them to strongly lament and moan their state, although, once they finally meet, they are at a loss of words. In order to express what they truly want to say, they always need the help of a servant to act as a go-between. The Lovers often act in a childlike and immature way. When not getting their way, they become completely devastated, they pout, and even cry and whine if things do not go according to their wishes. Very selfish and self-centered, the Lovers are in their own worlds where they are each the most important subjects. Along with loving themselves, they are in love with the very idea of love and what it pertains to.

Physical appearance and attributes

The Lovers are always young in age, possessing courteousness and gallantry. They are very educated, but lack life experiences that would have prepared them for the real world. They are very attractive and elegant in their appearance overall.Duchartre, Pierre Louis. ''The Italian Comedy''. Dover Publications, New York, 1966, pp.286–288 The women's dresses were of the finest silks and they wear showy jewelry characteristic of Renaissance style.Gordon, Mel. ''Lazzi: The Comic Routines of the Commedia dell'Arte''. Performing Arts Journal Publications, 1983 The males wear soldier-like attire, while both genders wear extravagant wigs and also change clothes numerous times throughout the length of the production. The costumes of the lovers were the fashion of the day, and the extravagance of the Lovers costumes often represented the status of the Commedia dell'arte company. The Lovers never wear the masks, which is characteristic of most of the other stock characters in the ''commedia dell'arte''. They do, however, wear a large amount of makeup and apply beauty marks to their faces. Their speech is very eloquent Tuscan, as they are of high social status. When commedia dell'arte is played in England the lovers often speak in

Received Pronunciation Received Pronunciation (RP) is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard and most prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there has been argument over such questions as the definition of RP, whether it is geog ...

. They are well-read in poetry and often recite it at length from memory, and even tend to sing quite often. Their language is full of flamboyant and lofty rhetoric so that most of what they say is not taken too seriously, by either the audience or the other characters. Although their dramatics were laughable, their struggle as a romantic couple added a cultural layer to the show, adding tone of seriousness to the show.

Physicality

The Innamorati do everything perfectly and strive for perfection. Their movements are elegant and are not to be aimed towards parody. They occasionally do courtly dances using two dance movements called "pas", and "swivel". The posture that the Lovers take on is that of strong pride. They point their toes while standing and puff up their chests. Overall, they lack contact with the ground and seem to float across the ground rather than take steps. Their hand movements and gestures are also very characteristic of the buoyant movements that their feet take on. The physicality of the Lovers should not be done in a way that makes fun of them.

Relationships

Following that, they do love each other, but are more consumed with the idea of being in love. They never outwardly communicate with their lover even when they are in close contact, due to nerves, and, therefore, never really outwardly express affection toward their beloved. The Lovers commonly fight or bicker. Despite the bitter interactions, the Lovers mostly reconcile their differences by the end of the play and end up happily together and/or married. The Lovers are usually the children of either Dottore or Pantalone. Commedia dell'arte - troupe Gelosi

The Lovers are aware of the audience's presence. They use the audience as a means to show themselves off and also to express their plight at not being able to obtain their love. In other ways, they may also call on an audience member for help or advice, or even flirt with someone who is watching from their T.V.

Rhetorical conceits used

Alliteration Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...

Allusion Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated (as ...

* Antithesis *

Assonance Assonance is a resemblance in the sounds of words/syllables either between their vowels (e.g., ''meat, bean'') or between their consonants (e.g., ''keep, cape''). However, assonance between consonants is generally called ''consonance'' in America ...

Hyperbole Hyperbole (; adj. hyperbolic ) is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. In rhetoric, it is also sometimes known as auxesis (literally 'growth'). In poetry and oratory, it emphasizes, evokes strong feelings, and ...

* Interrogation *

Invocation An invocation (from the Latin verb ''invocare'' "to call on, invoke, to give") may take the form of: *Supplication, prayer or spell. *A form of possession. *Command or conjuration. * Self-identification with certain spirits. These forms ...

* Irony *

Metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

Prosopopoeia A prosopopoeia ( grc-gre, προσωποποιία, ) is a rhetorical device in which a speaker or writer communicates to the audience by speaking as another person or object. The term literally derives from the Greek roots "face, person", and ...

Conceit An extended metaphor, also known as a conceit or sustained metaphor, is the use of a single metaphor or analogy at length in a work of literature. It differs from a mere metaphor in its length, and in having more than one single point of contact bet ...

Entering and exiting

The Lovers use Usite (exits) and Chiusette (endings) sometimes when entering and exiting. These are rhyming couplets that are said before exiting and entering a scene.

Variations on names

Since the Lovers are stock characters, the names of both the male and female lovers are used over and over again:

Males

*Arsenio *Aurielo *Cinthio *Fabrizio *Flavio *Fedelindo *Florindo *Flaminio *Leandro * Lélio *Lindoro *Mario *Ortensio *Ottavio *Orazio *Sireno, often the son of

Pantalone Pantalone , spelled Pantaloon in English, is one of the most important principal characters found in . With his exceptional greed and status at the top of the social order, Pantalone is "money" in the commedia world. His full name, including fam ...

. *Silvio *Tristano

Females

*Angelica *Aurelia *Beatrice *Bianchetta *Celia *Clarice *Clori *Cinzio *Emilia *Eularia *Flaminia, played by

Elena Balletti Elena Balletti, Elena Riccoboni or Flaminia (27 April 1686 – 29 December 1771) was an Italian actress, poet, woman of letters, playwright and writer. Personal life Elena Virginia Balletti was born in Ferrara to a family of actors. Her parents we ...

having inherited the role from her grandmother *Florinda, famously portrayed by

Virginia Ramponi-Andreini Virginia Ramponi-Andreini, also known by her stage name "La Florinda" (1583 – c.1630) was a celebrated Italian actress and singer. She was known for her performances in ''commedia dell'arte'' plays, many of them written for her by her husband ...

who also used "La Florinda" as her stage nameArcaini, Roberta (1995). "I comici dell'Arte a Milano: accoglienze, sospetti, riconoscimenti" in Cascetta and Carpani (eds.
''La scena della gloria: drammaturgia e spettacolo a Milano in età spagnola''
p. 290. Vita e Pensiero. *Filesia *Filli, often daughter of

. * Isabella *Lavinia *Lidia *Ortensia *Rosalinda *Silvia *Turchetta * Vittoria

References

{{Stock characters Commedia dell'arte characters Romance characters Couples Fictional characters introduced in the 16th century