Cosmopolitan Fletcher: Reimagining Commedia dell’Arte on the Jacobean Stage

This article repositions John Fletcher as a pivotal, yet overlooked, figure in the English reception of commedia dell’arte. While previous scholarship has largely ignored Fletcher’s engagement with Italian comic traditions, this study presents new evidence that his dramaturgy does more than echo commedia motifs: it actively and inventively recombines them within English contexts. Through close analysis of plays including The Captain, Monsieur Thomas, The Night-Walkers, The Mad Lover, Thierry and Theodoret, The False One, and Women Pleased, the article traces Fletcher’s evolving use of commedia dell’arte elements, from isolated borrowings to organic integration. It demonstrates how Fletcher adapted Italian lazzi, character types, and theatrical routines, not only enriching English comedy but also experimenting with cross-generic migration into tragedy and history plays. The study employs textual comparison, theatergram analysis, and performance historiography to reveal Fletcher’s cosmopolitan stagecraft and his role in transnational theatrical exchange. Ultimately, the article argues that Fletcher’s work challenges rigid notions of national theatrical boundaries, highlighting the modular, non-linear transmission of comic traditions and inviting a broader reconsideration of early modern English drama as a dynamic, European palimpsest.