My chosen scene  - Act 2 scene four 

Brief summary: 

Beatrice and Silvio have just been involved in a sword fight which has ended with Beatrice's sword to Silvio's chest. This scene is the exchange between Silvio and Clarice after the fight and how Silvio is feeling hurt and betrayed by Clarice. The scene ends with Clarice claiming that she is capable of committing suicide because Silvio claims he does not care about her anymore. 

Character development: 

Beatrice - Is in fact based of he stock character 'Inammorati' in classic Comedia Dell Arte, however in this play the character is slightly adapted as Beatrice is a women who acts like a man to get back her lover. They are only really seen together as lovers in the last scene. In this scene she acts strong and fearless against Silvio however at the same time she knows she is only there for the money so doesn't kill him. She also acts tender and caring to Clarice.  

Clarice - Clarice is also based of the Comedia Dell Arte Stock character 'Inammorati' however she is portrayed as the more classic version unlike Beatrice. She is portrayed as totally in love and completely infatuated by Silvio. She is so crazy in love that in this scene she threatens to kill herself over the fact that Silvio says that he doesn't care about her anymore. Her love makes her stupid which is exactly how the lovers behaved in the classic comedia dell arate performances. 

Silvio - Like Clarice Silvio is portrayed as the classic 'Inammorati' He is completely in love with Clarice and his love makes him do stupid things. In this scene although he says that he doesn't care what Clarice does he really does, however his anger at her comes out viscous. Although he is in love with her, his jealousy gets in the way of things. In the scene he is feeling betrayed, jealous and angry. 

Pantaloon - Pantaloon is present in this scene however he does not say a word. He of course want his daughter to marry Beatrice (The man she is pretending to be) as he is meant to be of a better class. Pantaloon is based off the Comedia dell arte stock character Pantalone who is greedy and completely based of money. He has a low regard for Silvio and therefore would be unimpressed at his fight with Beatrice. 

The stock characters: 

The lovers - 

My approach: 

For my scene I really want to mix both the traditional 'comedia dell arte' style with a more modern 'naturalistic' technique. I really want to bring out the hurt in both Silvio and Clarice and show how strong their relationship is, while also bringing out the greediness and selfishness of Pantaloon. I do realise that Pantaloon has nothing to say in this scene however I think his reactions to Silvio and Clarice could be really interesting. 

Where is this scene set? 

This scene is set in the courtyard of pantaloons house. For this I would use an end on stage three pieces of set on each side of the stage (not the front obviously) . The three pieces would portray a 3D effect house. The house would be a range of different greys which could change in intensity as the fight becomes more vicious. e.g. The lights go darker making the grey paint look darker showing the shift in mood and atmosphere. This would also create a darker atmosphere. One path would cut through the stage setting running from stage right to stage left, Silvio will always be on stage left wheres Pantaloon and Beatrice will always stay on stage right. Clarice stays in the middle slightly to stage right. This shows differences in opinions and where loyalties lie. It also shows the clear divide between what Pantaloon finds acceptable and what he doesn't find acceptable. This might even make the audience feel sorry for Silvio as it clearly shows that he is all alone. There is fake grass covering the rest of the courtyard, there are no flowers or trees however slightly to stage right there is a massive ornate fountain covered in ornate golden lines. This would show the power and wealth of Panatloon.