ADA Flashcards
outline Dario fos style
political satire, subversive of authority, slapstick, farcical, circus, mime
name some of fos influences
the Jester (guillaire)-travelling comic singer, mime, the clowns of commedia, grammalot, counter culture of middle ages
outline his political progression
originally communist, changed to socialism because of oppressive tendencies and links to USSR
what events is the play based on
the Piazza Fontana bombing, and subsequent death of anarchist Giuseppe Pinelli, who ‘accidentally’ died in police custody as a suspect in the bombing
what techniques are used in fos political satire
direct address/ breaking the 4th wall, universal humor. clowning/ the fool
what was happening in Italy at the time of the play
the years of lead- a period of social and political unrest which was rife with terrorism and corruption
who was Giuseppe Pinelli
an italian railway worker and anarchist who was arrested after a bomb went off that killed 17 people, he was later proved innocent but not after ‘accidentally’ falling out a 4th story window in police custody
how is Fo linked to Commedia dell’ Arte
he was heavily inspired by commedia and used its stock characters to develop his stories, he also took many techniques such as physical comedy, slapstick, humour and farce.
who is the maniac most linked to (commedia)
the zany characters- arlecchino, he is low status and a clown but also uses this to humiliate those in a higher status than him , also making him the perfect character to be Fos political mouthpiece
fascism
a political regime that puts the nation and leader (dictator) of the regime above the individual, doesn’t tolerate opposition
farce
a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations
meta theatre
drawing attention to the plays nature as drama or theatre, or to the circumstances of its performance. “Breaking the Fourth Wall” is an example of a metatheatrical device.
anarchy
a political philosophy that opposes government in any form- a society or group of people that entirely rejects a set hierarchy
Commedia dell’ Arte
a form of theatrical improvisation developed in Italy that features set stock characters, a hierarchy of characters, reoccurring storylines and masks
christian deomcratic party
Christian Democrats led the Italian government continuously from 1946 until 1981 The party’s ideology drew on the Christian democratic doctrines developed from the 19th century referred to as Catholic social teaching
