Beltrame (in

Milanese Milanese (endonym in traditional orthography , ') is the central variety of the Western dialect of the Lombard language spoken in Milan, the rest of its metropolitan city, and the northernmost part of the province of Pavia. Milanese, due to t ...

: ''Baltramm'') is a traditional character of the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

commedia dell'arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

'' associated to the city of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, and dating back to the 16th-17th century or earlier.
Beltrame di Milano
' It is also often referenced by the full name Beltrame di Milano and also as Beltrame di Gaggiano (from the ''borgo'' - now a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' - of

Gaggiano Gaggiano ( lmo, Gaggian or ''Gasgian'' ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southwest of Milan. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 8,360 and an area of .All demographic ...

, in the surroundings of Milan) or Beltrame de la Gippa (where the "gippa" is the large blouse, or tunic, worn by the character).
The Commedia dell'arte
'' The creation of Beltrame character is sometimes credited to

Niccolò Barbieri Niccolò (or Nicolò) Barbieri (Vercelli, 1586 - 1641) was an Italian writer and actor of the commedia dell'arte theatrical genre. He was also known as Beltrame di Milano ("Beltrame of Milan") in reference to one of his most popular characters, Be ...

. In any case, Barbieri largely contributed to the popularity of the character with plays such as ''L'inavvertito''.
The Blunderer
' Barbieri was an actor as well as a comedian, and assumed the role and stage name of Beltrame himself. His character is a usually a crafty, astute villager and husband and blunderer, always trying to appear of higher rank than he really is;. He took on several different roles, including that of the merchant and of

Colombina Columbina (in Italian Colombina, meaning "little dove"; in French and English Colombine) is a stock character in the ''commedia dell'arte''. She is Harlequin's mistress, a comic servant playing the tricky slave type, and wife of Pierrot. Rudli ...

's father trying to force his daughter into a marriage of convenience (a part he shares with Tabarino).
Beltrame
'' He often reaches his goals in virtue of his lack of scruples, astute rhetoric, and mock good manners. His costume, resembling that of a 16th-century servant, included a large tunic, a purse, and a dagger. Beltrame has long been the main representative of Milan in the ''commedia'', although this role was later taken on by

Meneghino Meneghino (; Milanese: ) is a traditional character of the Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated to the city of Milan. As such, it also plays a major role in the Milanese celebrations of Carnival ('' Carnevale Ambrosiano'') and in local ''ma ...

. It is also often described as a variation of character

Brighella Brighella (in Bergamasque dialect: ''Brighèla'') is a comic, masked character from the Italian theatre style Commedia dell'arte. His early costume consisted of loosely fitting, white smock and pants with green trim and was often equipped with a ...

(associated to the city of

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...

, and sometimes also to Milan), or even as Brighella's brother.See P. L. Duchartre, ''The Italian Comedy'', p. 39 Beltrame has inspired Moliere's character Mascarille, from the comedy ''

L'Étourdi ou Les Contretemps ''L’Étourdi ou les Contretemps'' (''The Blunderer, or the Counterplots''), also known in English as ''The Bungler'', is a five-act theatrical comedy by the French playwright Molière. After premiering in Lyon in 1655, it appeared at the Thé� ...

'' (''The Blunderer'', 1655).

Footnotes

Commedia dell'arte characters Culture in Milan Fictional Italian people {{fict-char-stub