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Brighella (
Bergamasque dialect The Bergamasque dialect is the western variant of the Eastern Lombard group of the Lombard language. It is mainly spoken in the province of Bergamo and in the area around Crema, in central Lombardy. Bergamasque has official status in the p ...
: ''Brighèla'') is a comic, masked character from the Italian theatre style
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 ...
. His early
costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress and/or makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture. The term also was traditionally used to describe typica ...
consisted of loosely fitting, white smock and pants with green trim and was often equipped with a ' (also ' or ', depending on region) or
slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
, or else with a wooden sword. Later, he took to wearing a sort of
livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
with a matching cape. He wore a greenish half-
mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment, and often employed for rituals and rites. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, ...
(traditionally olive-green) displaying a look of preternatural lust and
greed Greed (or avarice, ) is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions) or social value, such as status or power. Nature of greed The initial motivation for (or purpose of) greed and a ...
. It is distinguished by a hook nose and thick lips, along with a thick twirled mustache to give him an offensive characteristic. He evolved out of the general Zanni, as evidenced by his costume, and came into his own around the start of the 16th century. He is loosely categorized as one of the Zanni or
servant A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...
characters, although he often was portrayed as a member of the
middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...
, such as a
tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...
owner: his character could be adapted to whatever the needs to the scenario might be, just as Brighella himself is adaptable to any circumstance. He is essentially
Harlequin Harlequin (, , ; , ) is the best-known of the comic servant characters (Zanni) from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by the Italian actor-manager Zan ...
's smarter and much more vindictive older brother. They both share the same traditional birthplace:
Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...
, a city in northern Italy. As in a stereotype of those who have risen from
poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
, he is often most cruel to those beneath him on the social ladder; he even goes so far as to kill on occasion. In later versions of his character these violent and malicious traits were lessened substantially. Pierre Louis Duchartre, in his ''The Italian Comedy'', theorizes that in France, the gentrified Brighella eventually culminated in the character of Figaro, known from the plays and operas. Brighella is a masterful liar, and can make up a spur-of-the moment lie for any situation. He is an inveterate schemer, and he is good at what he does. If his plans failed, it was almost always out of luck on behalf of the other characters. When he is a servant, he will either serve his master devotedly or look for every opportunity to ruin and take advantage of him as he happens to see fit—whatever will gain the greatest advantage for himself and himself alone. He is fond of money, but spends it rapidly, and tends to be especially fond of the drink. In fact, he has few good qualities, save for his ability to entertain the audience. His walk is distinguishable from the traditional Zanni movement by the torso bending from side to side, while the head stays vertical. The knees stay open and the elbows bend down with each movement of the leg. His character is usually from uptown Milano or Bergamo, and in the original Italian would often speak with the local accent. He could be very witty and fond of wordplay. He is also an accomplished singer, dancer and musician, and sometimes would play the guitar on stage. His name comes from an Italian word which can mean 'bother' or 'contention'; '' Florio's 1611 Italian-English Dictionary'' defines ''briga'' as meaning 'a brable, a braule, a contention'. Brighella in English would be therefore something like 'Fighty' or 'Brawly'. The other Italian word '' attaccabrighe'' ('hellraiser') utilizes the same element.


Famous Brighellas

17th century: * Domenico Boroncini 18th century: * Giuseppe Antonio Angeleri * Tommaso Fortunati * Pietro Gandini * Carlo Campi * Atanasio Zanoni


Variants

A list of variations of the character, according to Duchartre, are: * Beltrame: from the 17th century, a "wilfully blind husband and rascal as crafty as Brighella". He was Milanese and spoke the local dialect. As part of his costume, he apparently wore a distinctive large tunic. *Scapin, or Scapino: a much more nervous and cowardly version of Brighella. *Truccagnino: see Fenocchio. * Mezzetino: a gentler version of Brighella, fond of the ladies even if they were not fond of him. *Fenocchio: more prone to playing pranks than committing serious intrigues, he otherwise shared Brighella's fondness for malice. *Flautino: a musical Brighella, often singing
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
. The Comédie-Italienne actor Giovanni Gherardi, who performed this role, was able to perform the part of an entire orchestra with his voice alone. *Sbrigani: sometimes the exact opposite of Brighella, otherwise an identical character; like twins. Frequently appeared alongside Brighella onstage. *Franca Trippa, Francatrippa or Francatrippe: created in the late 16th century, spoke a mixture of Bolognese and Tuscan dialects. An upper-class Brighella. Could be capable of gymnastic or other physical feats. *Turlupin or Tirelupin: a French Brighella created by Henri Legrand. The name means, according to Duchartre, 'unlucky'. However, the ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' mentions an etymology relating to a cult that modelled themselves on the Cynics and lived off of ''lupins'' that they gathered (''tiraient''). The character was reputedly fond of vulgar wordplay. *Gandolin: a French Brighella, very fond of wordplay and puns. Sometimes wears a fur-lined plumed hat. *Fritellino or Fristelin: see Francatrippa. *Sgnarelle: a chronic drunk. *Bagatino *Gradelino *Pasquariel *Buffet *Gian Fritello *Narcisino *Grattelard *Mascarille *La Montagne *Frontin *Labranche *Figaro: as created by Beaumarchais. See '' Le Barbier de Séville''.


See also

*
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 ...


References


Bibliography

* * * {{cite book, title=The World of Harlequin: A Critical Study of the Commedia dell'Arte, last=Nicoll, first=Allardyce, location=Cambridge, publisher=Cambridge University Press, year=1976, orig-year=1963, isbn=0-521-29132-1


External links


A description of Brighella

Carnival of Venice's page on Brighella


Fictional characters introduced in the 16th century Clever Zanni class characters Fictional Italian people Fictional tricksters