Brighella, from the 16th century.

Brighella (French: Brighelle) is a comic, masked character from the Commedia dell'arte. His early costume consisted of loosely-fitting, white smock and pants with green trim and was often equipped with a battachio or slapstick, or else with a wooden sword. Later he took to wearing a sort of livery with a matching cape. He wore a greenish half-mask (traditionally olive-green) displaying a look of preternatural lust and greed. He evolved out of the general Zanni, as evidenced by his costume, and came into his own around the start of the 16th century. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Karel Dujardins set his closely-observed scene of a traveling troupes makeshift stage against idealized ruins in the Roman Campagna: dated 1657 (Louvre Museum) Commedia dellarte (Italian: play of professional artists also interpreted as comedy of humors), also known as Extemporal Comedy, was a popular form of improvisational... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated physical violence. ... Rather unusually, these Angels wear white hart (deer) badges, with the personal livery of King Richard II of England, who commissioned this, the Wilton diptych, about 1400 A livery is a uniform or other sign worn in a non-military context on a person or object (such as an airplane... Papierkrattler masks at the Narrensprung 2005 Carnival parade, Ravensburg Germany A mask is an artefact normally worn on the face, typically for protection, concealment, performance, or amusement. ... Leafy green fountain in Wattens, Austria. ... The preternatural or praeternatural labels things or events which appear outside (Latin praeter) the bounds of nature as currently understood. ... Lust is any intense desire or craving for self gratification. ... Look up greed in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Zanni (from the Italian, dialectal nickname for Giovanni) was the archetype of the comic servant characters of the Commedia dellarte. ...

He is loosely categorized as one of the zanni or servant characters though he often was portrayed as a member of the middle class such as a tavern 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 Arlecchino's smarter and much more vindictive older brother. As in a typical stereotype of those who have risen from poverty, 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 gentilified Brighella eventually culminated in the character of Figaro, known from the plays and operas. Zanni (from the Italian, dialectal nickname for Giovanni) was the archetype of the comic servant characters of the Commedia dellarte. ... A servant is a person who is hired to provide regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Arlecchino (also known as Harlequin in English, Arlequin in French) is the most popular of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dellArte. ... A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum in Jakarta, Indonesia shows what he found. ... Le Barbier de Séville is a French play by Pierre Beaumarchais, also called Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. ...

He's 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's 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. To quote Duchartre again: "Brighella believes in no one but the hangman, he respects nothing and loves nothing but his own pleasure." In fact, he has few good qualities save for his ability to entertain the audience.

His character is usually from uptown 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. Small street (via della Noca) leading to città alta. ...

His name comes from a word which can mean "bother" or "contention" in Italian (Florio's 1611 Italian-English Dictionary defines Briga as meaning "a brable, a braule, a contention".) His name in English would be something like "Fighty" or "Brawly." It is notable that the word attaccabrighe ("hellraiser") utilizes the same element as his name. A prominant Sicilian family who started many lucrative activities involving above all the exportation of Sicilian products (such as marsala wine) in the nineteenth century. ...

External links

• A desciption of Brighella
• Carnival of Venice's page on Brighella
• Sipario Cyclopedia's entry on Brighella (in Italian and English)