The Mandrake

There was never a dull moment in The Mandrake. This performance was overall very entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the exaggerated use of humor in the commedia dell’arte style. Each actor totally encompassed what his or her character was about and did so with enthusiasm. I was so impressed by their acting ability- the script was wordy and complicated at times. It was simply fun watching Callimaco take the audience throughout his complicated path towards lust. From the opening to closing scene, I felt as though I was almost at a circus.
Throughout the performance of The Mandrake, the morals of each character are tested. Whether their morals changed from the beginning to the end, the characters were put into a situation where they had to make a decision that was going to affect others. Callimaco, the main character in the play, was the person who caused these morals to be tested. Due to his degraded value of women, Callimaco brings several outsiders into his own situation. Callimaco does not rest until he uses everyone around him to acquire Lucrezia. Each character can make their own decision, to follow the plan made up by Callimico and Ligurio, or to question their morals and decide not to continue. Even Siro’s morals are tested. Though he is Callimaco’s servant and must obey him, Siro could potentially offer a more moral answer to the goal. However, he enjoys watching this indecent act unravel. Lucrezia’s morals are most concerned with her religion. She believes that her religion is the only thing she can trust and continues to stay with Callimaco. She realizes the crudeness that her husband has willingly put her through. Essentially, she thinks her moral are telling her that this could not have happened without the act of God.
This theme seemed to be emphasized within the performance. The characters were making their morals and values more obvious through their use of language and movement. For instance, Callimaco’s movement throughout the play suggested him immature and dramatic- maybe incapable of making responsible decisions? Also, the Zanni, sort of represented the motive behind each character. The movements of these Zanni emphasized the actions of the characters.