Shannon Dempsey

Dynamic Between Characters:

In Commedia dell'Arte, the relationship between the characters is extremely important. The style has a strong rooting in improv theatre. In order for the characters to work seamlessly together while still creating a story with conflict and resolution, the characters each have their own place.
The story is usually about young lovers. Unfortunately, there is always someone who does not approve of the pairing for whatever reason, and so they recruit people (masters) to work against the couple's love. The young couple then often needs help, so they turn to their own friends (servants) for help. Along the way, each of the characters create problems due to their character flaws which are always static. In the end, there are two options: Tragedy, which involves everyone dying, and Comedy, which allows the couple to end up together.

The relationships between pairs of characters also have laws that dictate how they interact. There is always a dominant and a submissive character. The dominant has an idea, which is the thing that causes him to be the primary character. He finds a solution to the problem, but his solution often has problems of its own. This is when he asks the submissive to help in the situation. The submissive individual brings even more unseen conflict into the situation usually via his lack of wit. In the act of creating more problems, the characters flip sides and the dominant becomes the submissive and vice versa. The switch happens because the dominant becomes frustrated with the submissive's lack of understanding, and the submissive now controls the situation because their own stupidity serves as a barrier to the original dominant character's goal. The switch must always happen in Commedia dell'arte, because it serves as catharsis. Regardless of what social status the viewer has, they are willing to laugh at both the servants and the masters, because they know that they will see all levels of society in a submissive and weak position at some point.

Definition of catharsis via Google:
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Relationship between Pulchinella and Zanni

Pulchinella was the first mask that I made back in America. He is a servant, a southern Italian version of Zanni. Zanni creates conflicts in the stories due to his outright stupidity. He is always looking for work since he is a poor immigrant trying to make money in any way he can. When he asks for work, but cannot complete it due to complete stupidity (or in reality, it would have been misunderstanding the language), problems arise that the characters have to figure out how to fix.
Southern Italy is rougher. When Commedia dell'arte came to southern Italy, people did not appreciate the type to blindly agree to all commands. To them, this character was disappointing, un-relatable, and had little internal life of his own. In order to continue the story in the same manner, while appealing to a different audience, Pulchinella was born. He is a servant, but unlike Zanni, he is always finding ways to get out of work. In this way, he creates the same problems as Zanni, but with a different internal system that appeals to a different audience.

Pulchinella is neither a bad nor a good character. He has no morals. Instead, he simply wants to relax without worries. A modern day version of a Pulchinella might look like a fast food worker who is still wearing his pajama pants. He needs the work because he needs the money, but he doesn't really care about the work that he does, so he shows up in his sleeping clothes. Instead of working out on deck, he is always in the bathroom pretending to poop while secretly scrolling through instagram or twitter. He is such an important character because he creates conflict in a way that allows him to survive. Out of all the Commedia dell'arte characters, he is the one who has survived and been recognized generation after generation. The mask has a large nose with a high bridge, full cheeks or under eye bags. The mask is traditionally black, and the full costume consists of a baggy white outfit, originating from flour sacks.

here is a brief introduction to the world of Commedia Dell'Arte by the Channel National Theatre Discover:
World of Commedia dell'Arte