Theatre

Humorous and serious, these are the two adjectives that perfectly describe the comedy by Italian playwright Carlo Galdoni entitled A Servant of Two Masters. Comedy has been a source of entertainment to people, which started way before movies and other modern means of leisure has been created. Comic drama is commonly recognized as a laughing-stock, which has the main purpose of creating stage-plays that will make the audience laugh because of circumstances that are turn into comedy. Nevertheless, comedy drama does not only wish to entertain the audience with humorous scenes but rather it also has a serious side that aims to educate and open the eyes of the audience when it comes to societal issues that must be give due attention and importance. Comedy is use as a means in order to make people see the harsh realities of the society in a light and carefree manner. In relation to this, it is essential that comedy dramas like the one written by Galdoni is carefully studied in order to see its relevance in the society.

The Servant of Two Masters is written by Carlo Goldoni in 1743 as a comedy drama. The characters of this aforementioned play are based on the style of Italian Renaissance theatre, known as Commedia dellarte. The classic commedia usually use a stock character, which refers to stereotypes. Actors and actresses are instructed to perform a role that is based on typical cultural stereotypes that is reflected on the name, personality, manner of speech, and other qualities. In line with this, the characters in A Servant of Two Masters are actually derived from stock characters. These characters do not have any script and are instructed to improvise by using the stock characters assigned to them as their guides. In line with this, the main characters of this comedy drama are

Truffaldino  The central character of the play. He is the quirky servant who always complains of being hungry. He eventually served two masters, Beatrice and Florindo.
Beatrice  The woman who disguised as her brother in order to get money from the father of her brothers fianc and look for her lover, Florindo.
Pantalone  The father of Clarice, the betrothed of Beatrices brother. He is responsible in concealing the existence of Beatrice from Clarice and Silvio.
The other minor characters in the comedy drama are
Florindo  The lover of Beatrice, who also killed Beatrices brother. The other master of Truffaldino.
Clarice  The fiance of Beatrices deceased brother. The daughter of Pantalone.

Silvio- The fianc of Clarice. Clarice was engaged with Silvio after she thought that Beatrices brother is dead.
Smeraldina  The love interest of Truffaldino. The servant of Clarice.

The protagonist of the story is Trufalldino because he is recognized as the central character of the comedy drama and the plot of the story revolves around him. Truffaldino is the servant being referred to in the title A Servant of Two Masters. He has a quirky and gay personality, which actually allows him to have a funny personality. Aside from this, Truffaldino often complains about his hunger, which caused him to do untoward things like serving two masters and stealing food. Truffaldino has an insatiable appetite not only for food but also for money because he believes that the more money he has the more food he can buy. In this sense, Truffaldinos appetite for food and money pushes him to serve two masters because he perceived it as an opportunity for him to earn more.

In order to further understand Truffaldino and the other characters in the play, it is necessary that the plot of this comedy drama is given due attention. The story started with Beatrice, who is disguised as her dead brother. Beatrice pretended to be his brother in order to collect dowry from Pantalone, the father of Clarice who is her brothers fianc. Beatrice will use the money to look for his lover Florindo, who is also the one responsible in killing her brother. However, Clarice has fallen in love with Silvio because she thought that her former fianc is already dead. The pretentious act done by Beatrice has been troublesome for Clarice, Silvio, and Pantalone. In relation to this, the conflict in the play even heightened due to the decision of Truffaldino to serve to masters, namely Beatrice and Florindo. The comedic act was highlighted with the actions of Truffaldino, especially with the mistakes he has done in the duration of serving his two masters. One notably funny scene is when Truffaldino was having difficulties identifying which master the letters and money are for. Nevertheless, Smeraldina help Beatrice and Florindo to find each other, which also means that Truffaldino was caught in serving two masters. Since, most comedy dramas have happy endings and as such, A Servant of Two Masters also end with a happy note. Beatrice and Florindo was finally together, which also the same with Clarice and Silvio that were able to continue their marriage in knowing that Beatrices brother is really dead. Truffaldino also get his happy ending as he was forgiven by Beatrice and Florindo and he even ask Smeraldina to marry him (Goldoni et al., 4-10).

The basic human drive that is clearly observable in the play is the concept of money and power. The main motivation of Truffaldino in having two masters was brought about by his desire to have more money in order to avail of more food to eat. The situation of Truffaldino mirrors how people do untoward things in order to get money so that they can make their lives better and in the case of Truffaldino that is the lack of food or poverty. In the same manner, money is also the driving force that made Beatrice pretend to be her brother in order to get the dowry from Pantalone. The money that Beatrice will get also symbolizes her empowerment to find Florindo and escape with her lover. A Servant with Two Masters is a play that does not only aims to entertain people with its comedic scenes but it also send a serious message regarding the way by which money and power are the basic elements that drive people to do things that are sometimes inappropriate. However, at the end, love still remains more important that allows people to forgive and accept each others differences.