Il Capitano

Common card · No. 306884

Il Capitano (Italian: [il kapiˈtaːno]; lit. 'the Captain') is one of the four stock characters of commedia dell'arte. He most probably was never a "Captain", but rather appropriated the name for himself. Its genesis dates back to the Pyrgopolinices of Titus Maccio Plautus' Miles gloriosus and to Terence's Thrason of the Eunuch. He was reborn in various forms in the Italian theater of the Renaissance. He usually personified the vainglorious soldier. He could boast of titles he did not possess or of feats he had never accomplished. In the most negative versions he actually poorly concealed the terror of having to face a battle or a duel. However, the Captains could also have positive characteristics, as dreamers with noble feelings. An example of a captain portrayed in a more positive way is Francesco Andreini's Captain Spaventa; a captain portrayed in a more negative way is Captain Matamoros by Silvio Fiorillo. Several other types of Capitano exist. Inspired by the mask are numerous other...

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