Early Comedic Sources: Commedia and Elizabethan Theatre

 

As with many aspects of Shakespearean performance, scholars disagree on Shakespeare's opinions on comedy, clowning, and improvisation. One of the most famous comedic actors in Shakespeare's troupe The Lord Chamberlain's Men was Will Kempe. Kempe was trained as an independent performer, joined the company as an actor-sharer in 1594 and abruptly left the company in 1599.  He's believed to have played Dogberry in Much Ado, Bottom in Midsummer, and Peter in Romeo and Juliet. It is also plausible that he originated the role of Fallstaff.  

 

Historians agree that Kempe's style was improvisational, and that he relied on physical comedic bits; his "jigs" were often cited as the high point in a Shakespearean comedy. There is also evidence that his style was influenced by the Italian tradition of Commedia dell Arte.  Kempe traveled a lot prior to and after his time in Shakespeare's company. “About 1600…Kempe…spent some time in Italy, specifically Rome” (Wright 517).  There he would have met other comedians and learned their specific jests.  Furthermore in a 1607 play by John Day titled The Travailes of three English Brothers, Kempe is depicted discussing improvisational techniques in Commedia dell Arte with another character (Henke 229). 

 

There is conflicting evidence on whether Shakespeare liked Kempe's improvisational style. There is evidence that Shakespeare tailor-made his scripts to fit Kempe’s comedic style and strengths.  Kempe was trained as an independent performer rather than a member of a company.  In his early career he travelled a lot, and rarely assimilated into a company of actors but retained his independence (Gurr 45).  When he eventually joined the Chamberlain’s Men as an actor-sharer Shakespeare designed his plays “to allow [Kempe] to rehearse his own sections of the play independently…[and] allow for at least one short scene in which he speaks directly to the audience” (Wiles 107)--for example Bottom's Dream.  This tactic provided Kempe the opportunity to showcase his talents and exercise his proclivities “without risk to the rhythm of the play or the direction of the narrative,” (Wiles 107). 

 

The governmental climate is of interest when addressing comedy and improvisation.  Whereas Commedia troupes skirted governmental control by simply not printing the content of their plays, and thus had more freedom in improvisation, in England playwrights had to conform their texts to standards set by the government.  Because the government was concerned about possible riots and rebellion, improvisation on the public stage was risky.  “The Mayor and Common Council of London tried to make improvisation illegal…in 1574” (Wiles 14).  This measure was the first of many that instituted tight censorship of dramatic texts.  The problem of improvisation on the English stage was not only one of creative license, but political license as well.

 

Even more mysterious was Kempe's abrupt break with Shakespeare's troupe. After just 5 years, Kempe left the troupe at the height of its popularity. The legend goes that Kempe wasn't cast in Hamlet and so decided to prove his talents by "dancing a jig" across England.  There is even a passage in Hamlet that disparages of improvising clowns, “And let those that play your clowns speak no more than what is set down for them” (Hamlet 3.2).  However, it is unclear whether this was Shakespeare's personal opinion or simply his character's opinion. 

 

At any rate, Kempe would have reveled in the comedic opportunities, both physical and literal, that Shakespeare built into his text.