Isabella Andreini

Lore & Background

Isabella Canali was born in Padua to Venetian parents. Although her family was poor, she received a complete classical education. In 1576, at age fourteen, she was hired by the Compagnia dei Comici Gelosi. She performed the role of the enamoured woman, the prima donna innamorata, and improvised to create a character that was less dull and more perceptive. She was daring for the time, sometimes taking off or tearing her clothes onstage. In 1578, she met and married Francesco Andreini, non-traditionally taking his last name; he would become director of the Gelosi in 1589. Together they managed the troupe's activities and negotiated with potential patrons. She bore seven children—three boys and four girls—while touring, and was a dedicated mother. Her firstborn son, Giambattista, continued the theatrical tradition. In 1589, Andreini performed her comic work La Pazzia d'Isabella for the Florentine court during the wedding of Ferdinando I de' Medici and Christina of Lorraine. Fluent in several languages, she created madness by using several languages and then imitating the dialects of the other characters. She created the role of Fabrizio, a cross-dressing pageboy used in many of Flaminio Scala's scenarios. She was noted as having played three different characters in one scenario. In 1599, she performed before Henry IV, King of France, and his wife Marie de' Medici, who referred to her in a letter as 'the actress Isabella and her company.' She died near Lyon early in 1604 after miscarrying her eighth child at age 42. After her state funeral, memorial coins were made in her honour, with one side representing her as a powerful Roman ruler and the other side featuring the Roman goddess Fame and the words 'aeterna fama.'

Reader's Guide

Isabella Andreini's significance lies in her dual impact as a performer and a writer. As an actress with the Gelosi, she helped develop improvisational techniques in commedia dell'arte and created the enduring stock character Isabella. Her literary works, particularly La Mirtilla (1588), addressed controversial topics such as female independence, same-sex relationships through the character Ardelia, and gender identity, using her golden reputation and growing popularity to avoid repercussions. She was integrated into the Accademia degli Intenti of Pavia in 1601, adopting the nickname Accesa, and placed second in a poetry contest behind the Renaissance poet Torquato Tasso. Her legacy includes inspiring poets and composers, with the earliest known musical tribute composed by Leone Leoni using verses by Gherardo Borgogni. The commedia dell'arte 'lover' stock character Isabella was named from her most famous character and used by subsequent troupes. Her posthumous works Rime, Parte seconda and Fragmenti de alcune scritture have been studied by this school of theatre.

Did You Know?

• Andreini was hired by the Compagnia dei Comici Gelosi at age fourteen in 1576.
• She bore seven children—three boys and four girls—while touring with the Gelosi.
• In 1589, she performed La Pazzia d'Isabella for the wedding of Ferdinando I de' Medici and Christina of Lorraine.
• She placed second in a poetry contest behind Torquato Tasso, organized by Cardinal Giorgio Cinthio Aldobrandini.
• After her death, memorial coins were struck with her image as a Roman ruler and the words 'aeterna fama.'