COMMEDIA DELL' ARTE, name given to the medi aeval Italian comedy in which the plot was written out, but the dialogue was improvised by the actors. The name commedia dell' arte all' improvviso means, therefore, a comedy improvised by the actor gild (arte) or profession. Certain characters recur almost invariably in these plays (e.g., Arlecchino, the Captain, the Doc tor), and are the prototypes of the Punch and Judy show, and the Clown, Harlequin, Colombine and Pantaloon of the pantomime. The influence of the commedia dell' arte can, indeed, be traced throughout European art and literature. (See ITALIAN LITERA TURE.) See Winifred Smith, The Commedia delP Arte (New York, igi2).