Commedia, some may say, is an accurate representation of our society.
Masters, servants and lovers, stock characters are universal archetypes that are an exaggeration of many who we encounter on a daily basis. The art of distortion and anti humanism (masked types) thrived in an era that encouraged the extravagance of emotion, resulting in actors to adopt a set character that embodied a certain mood: mockery, sadness, grief, gaiety, confusion, and so forth. As many of the characters were 'reused' throughout the majority of the plays and reverted to their opening persona in the finale, characters never developed.
Cultural Relevance Interestingly, these immutable personalities from the 16th century are still present within the 21st century, demonstrating that the values and characteristics which they represent are perennial, thus the plays they feature in portray messages that are relevant to our society.
"Commedia dell'arte incorporates specific roles and characters that were originally intended as a kind of characteristic representative of some particular Italian district or town." - Barreti, a 18th century London Theater critic
Character's persona included:
Specific dialect of the region or town represented
Singular costume and mask that represents certain roles
Character Hierarchy Humans need some form of a hierarchy to function. During the 16th and 17th century when Commedia dell'Arte was developed, the feudal system and Chain of Beings demonstrated mankind's need for social stratification. Commedia dell'Arte sought to mock this rigid system through a hierarchy of stock characters. Masters: Magnifico, Aristocrats (1st actor and actress). Pantalone, The Doctor Unique Individuals: The Lovers (not featured above), the Witch, The Captain Servants: Columbina, Brighella, Harlequino, Zanni