The Character of Zanni in Commedia dellArte Essay Example

The Character of Zanni in Commedia dellArte Essay Example The Character of Zanni in Commedia dellArte Paper The Character of Zanni in Commedia dellArte Paper that belongs to someone else. Zanni stands with an arched back, with his knees bent and apart and his feet spread out. The support knee is bent with the other leg extended, toe pointed. The character changes feet repeatedly while talking or listening within the same position and without its head bobbing up and down. The elbows are bent and the arms half-lifted. There are six types of Zanni walk: 1) little Zanni walk: this is a development of the basic stance, foot changing but taking a small step forward on each shift, 2) Big Zanni walk: a curved lumbar is first achieved by sticking chest forward and the backside up, 3) Zanni running: a swift movement with legs kicked alternately to the front with pointed toes, 4) Zanni jubilant: a skipping movement on the toes with the centre of gravity going from side-to-side, 5) Vain Zanni: steps are a smaller version of the big walk, with hands resting on belt, 6) Solider Zanni: hold a stick cupped in one hand and inclined over shoulder like a rifle. Zanni’s movements are dynamic and exaggerated. Their gestures/actions are always urgent. They appear nervous; talk a lot and their head moves constantly. The nose defines the rhythm of his body since it is the center of his actions. The hands are very expressive and constantly used to illustrate what he is saying. While delivering their dialogues, they speak open-mouthed and loud. Bibliography: * Commedia Stock Characters Zanni. Â  Shane Arts Home Page. N. p. , n. d. Web. 11 Aug. 2013. http://shane-arts. com/Commedia-Zanni. htm