The Simpsons as Commedia dell’Arte Archetypes
As the longest running American sitcom and a beloved cultural touchpoint that has entertained audiences the world over, there is no better contemporary parallel than The Simpsons to what Commedia dell’Arte was as an art form hundreds of years ago. Almost anywhere you go in the world, people know these characters and might have a favorite episode or catch phrase.
The show pulls no punches at satirizing people up and down the social hierarchy, but reserves its harshest critiques for “The Man”: those with the most power and for society itself, with all its injustice and inequality. We laugh so that we don’t cry. Many of the characters of The Simpsons map *almost* perfectly onto Commedia archetypes, and I’ve put together some of my favorites – along with some hilarious clips from the show – to show you who is who, and why. (Wow... infotainment!)
Bart Simpson as Arlecchino
“I didn’t do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can’t prove anything.”
Marge Simpson as Colombina
“I guess it’s just too much for me to ask for one vacation where we didn’t go to jail or to a condo sales pitch.”
Homer Simpson as Pulcinella
“Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try".”
The cast of The Simpsons is enormous. On the other hand, the archetypes of Commedia are much more limited. However, once a performer inhabits a mask and the corresponding archetype, they invariably put their own unique spin on, so the possible permutations of actor, mask, and archetype are truly infinite. In Tut'Zanni Theatre Company, we have nine masks to be used for nine Commedia archetypes in our core collection, but over the years we’ve gradually added new masks and even ventured into imagining (or uncovering?) new archetypes with new masks that we feel deserve a place in the Commedia dell’Arte pantheon. We often do this to ameliorate Commedia’s patriarchy problem - it’s an art form dominated by male characters that marginalizes and at times objectifies its relatively small roster of traditionally female characters (hence having no choice but to collapse both Marge and Lisa, two very different members of the Simpson family, into the one most popular female Commedia archetype, Colombina).
Lisa Simpson as Colombina
“I don’t get it. Straight A’s, perfect attendance, bathroom timer. I should be the most popular girl in school.”
Maggie Simpson as Zanni
* suck suck *
Grampa as Magnifico
“I can feel death’s clammy hand on my shoulder. Oh, wait, that’s my hand.”
In no character is the direct imprint of Commedia dell’Arte more evident than in Mr. Burns, who may be the most famous contemporary example of Pantalone currently in existence. Greedy, miserly, and with a lackey always by his side to do his bidding, the character and the archetype are truly one and the same.
Mr. Burns as Pantalone
“Family, religion, friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business.”
Waylon Smithers as Brighella
“I value every second we’re together, from the moment I squeeze his orange juice in the morning, till I tuck him in at night. He’s not just my boss, he’s my best friend too.”
Milhouse Van Houten as Pedrolino
“But my mom says I’m cool.”
Krusty the Clown as Capitano
“Hey, I do more than TV! I had a one-man show on Broadway. That’s who showed up, one man. * laughs * Long story short, I won a Drama Desk award.”
Dr. Nick Riviera as Dottore
“Okay, now, the symptoms you describe point to Bonus Eruptus… It’s a terrible disorder where the skeleton tries to leap out the mouth and escape the body".”
Crazy Cat Lady as La Strega
“GAHHHHHR HEEE HAAAAARA BLAARRRR HEEEER GWAAAR”
Ol’ Gil as Tartaglia
“Honey, you should have seen me with my last customer, I... no, but I came so close. This guy was as... Whose voice is that? Is that Fred? Aw you said it was over... No don't put him on-HELLO FRED, h-hi."
Nelson Muntz as Scaramuccia
“Shoplifting is victimless crime. Like punching someone in the dark.”
In this image, I’m spotlighting first some of the many, many Innamorati of The Simpsons. Italian for “Lover”, this unmasked archetype usually propels the plot of the show forward and the theme of their arc is almost always romance - puppy love, forbidden love, unrequited love, every flavor of love imaginable. They are the children of the masters and depend on the servants to do their bidding and clean up the fiascos they cause. Beyond the romance of it all, they can be dreamers, eye-rollers, naive, entitled, inept, self-obsessed, suicidal, balletic, clumsy, overly dramatic - they’re lots of fun to play (I know from personal experience). In The Simpsons, they’re the objects of Bart and Lisa’s (and Homer and Marge’s) affection, but they might only have a one-episode arc. Or Bart or Lisa themselves (and definitely young Marge!) might be the Innamorato/Innamorata of an episode - it’s always fun to see the archetypal qualities emerge and recede to serve the needs of a particular episode of the show. So rather than picking one, I picked a bunch of my favorites to highlight.
Zia Simpson, Lurleen Lumpkin, Hugh Parkfield, Freddy Quimby, Mindy Simmons, Alex Whitney, Jessica Lovejoy, Jesse Grass, & Brittany Brockman as The Innamorati
“I’m sorry, Bart. You know my parents can’t find out about us. And besides, if it’s secret, it’s even more exciting…”
Belle as La Signora
“Listen, darling. We're just as much a part of Springfield as the church, the library or the crazy house. So I think I'll stay right here... neighbor.”
Agnes Skinner as La Ruffiana
“At my age, I don’t have much saliva left, so you’ll have to lick my thumb before I can turn the page.”
Seymour Skinner as Brighella
“I'm riding the bus today because mother hid my car keys to punish me for talking to a woman on the phone." She was right to do it”
Troy McClure as Capitano
“Hello, it’s Troy McClure. You might remember me from such dates as last night’s dinner.”
Moe Szyslak as Brighella
“Listen to me, you! When I catch you, I’m gonna pull out your eyes and shove ‘em down your pants so you can watch me kick the crap outta you, okay?”
It’s been a joy to put these together and reflect on how much the brilliant stories and humor of The Simpsons has profoundly affected my own sense of story and humor. The show has brought me so much joy and I hope I’ve transferred a little of that joy, and maybe some interesting info about Commedia dell’Arte onto you too.