In the
eighteenth century Goldoni appeared and gave to the world his graceful
comedies, which were followed by the lyric dramas of Metastasio and
the lofty tragedies of Alfieri. Since then there has been a succession
of able dramatists--Monti, Gozzi, Manzoni, Pellico, Ippolito d'Asti,
etc.; and as the class of plays acted was elevated, so the character
of the performers was also improved. From being dissolute they became
generally respectable; and at present it may be safely asserted that
a better-conducted, more frugal or industrious class of men and woman
can scarcely be found than are the Italian players. That class of
actresses with whom their profession is only a means of displaying
their beauty and splendid but often ill-gotten robes and jewelry, is
little known in Italy, Such persons would be scarcely tolerated either
by their comrades or by the public. Indeed, although within the past
few years, owing to the unsettled state of affairs, a great many plays
of questionable morality have been acted, especially in Rome, still
the tone of the performances usually witnessed in an Italian theatre
is greatly above the average of what even Americans applaud; and a
French play has to go through more careful pruning for the Italian
stage than for ours.
The Italian actors have always been in the habit of forming themselves
into troupes, or, as they call them, _compagnie_, placed under the
direction of one person, who is both manager and principal performer.
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