A serious profession

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 669.

White-faced clowns

Harlequin and friends

The first "modern" clowns began in the 16th century in Italy, in the Commedia Dell'Arte theatre. In these plays, there were usually three kinds of funny character: a clever male servant, a stupid male servant, a clever female servant. Shakespeare used some of these clown characters in his plays.

Harlequin (Arlecchino) developed from the clever male servant. He played tricks on other people - and on his master. He sang and danced.

The white-faced clown developed from the "stupid" servant. This kind of clown made people laugh in the circus. A favorite "act" of this clown was to try to get onto a horse. He always fell off! Joseph Grimaldi was a famous "white-faced" clown. He used to sing funny songs - and singing clowns still make people laugh.

The funny (or sad) "little man" character is also a type of clown. Think of Charlie Chaplin: big shoes, an enormous coat, and a big hat.

There are lots of modern clowns. They're serious about their profession, too. There's an Association of Clowns in the U.S. and in Britain. In London, there's a Clowns Museum. Different kinds of clowns find their way into festivals everywhere. There are comedy shows on the radio, and on T.V. Some of the jokes may be different - but many are the same. And people still laugh at them.