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Objective

Objective: THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO is a play that contains elements inspired by commedia dell'arte, a type of comedy developed in Italy and based on stock characters and the use of verbal comedy. Today's lesson is an introduction to commedia dell'arte.

1) Review with students the origins of commedia dell'arte and how this particular type of theater came to be.
2) Students will answer the writing prompt: In what ways does the opening of THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO including the setting and the characters lend itself to the commedia dell'arte style?
3) Students will get into groups of 4 or 5 and discuss their findings.
4) Students will then choose a character to concentrate on (Figaro, the Count, Suzanne, the Countess, Bazile) and begin a character sketch. They will include attributes of the character. They will continue to add to the sketch as more elements of the character are revealed.
5) For homework, students...

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