Soooo Where Did It All Come From?????
Scene of Comedy in Performance Relief http://www.utexas.edu/courses/moorecomedy/rome.htm
Well, I don't know! And you know what? There are a lot of people who don't know where Commedia Dell'Arte came from either. "Scholars have put forth various and conflicting theories to explain the origins of commedia, including the suggestion that it developed from the ancient Roman comedies of Plautus and Terence." (Fisher, 4) The history of commedia dell'arte before 1600 depends mainly of fragmentary notices in letters and diaries, and consequently there are few records of its early growth. (Herrick, 211) Even Fisher agrees saying "Undoubtedly, commedia dell'arte emerged from an amalgam of sources and spirit and social conditions of its time, but whatever influences led to its rise, it is clear that it had boisterously come into its own by the middle of the sixteenth century. The stock characters that were henceforth associated with commedia were clarified and fully formed; improvisation of dialogue and stage business from scenarios became the definitive rule. (Fisher, 7) From my research I think its a safe bet that roots fo commedia plant themselves in the Atellan farces of Rome. "The Atellan were comedies and popular farces, parodies and political satires. Whatever the plot or argument of the piece, the roles kept the same character, further emphasized by the famous mask, without which the more important Italian comedians rarely made their appearance until the end of the eighteenth century. The dialogue at Atella, and later Rome, was for a long time improvised from a plot-outline, or scenario, decided upon in advance. The actor who found himself at a loss for words, or in any other predicament, usually resorted to slapstick. (Duchartre, 18) Basically it all boils down to nobody really knows, but that there was an enthusiasm bubbling under the surface for this kind of performance art form from all kinds of directions.