Commedia dell'arte Actresses and the Performance of Lovesickness

In the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries there was a conjunction of interest in erotomania as a “real” medical condition and the representation of that condition in literature and on the popular stage. This period corresponds with the rise of the professional actress of the commedia dell’arte. This paper explores some instances of pazzia (madness) scenes in the scenarios of Flaminio Scala and contemporary accounts of commedia performances with a view to better understanding the role of the professional theatre and professional actress in shaping and reflecting cultural attitudes towards gender-based erotic “distraction”.