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Although it is difficult for modern Americans to accept the idea of social rank, in the Renaissance social rank determines everything - who bows to whom, who dresses who, who defers to whom in arguments. RANK, POSITION AND TITLES Two terms: rank and position. Rank is a noble title, reserved only for the landed gentry, i.e. baron, earl, duke. Position is one's place in the world as determined by one's occupation, i.e., scribe, attendant, third assistant cupbearer. In short, rank is what you have, position is what you are. A person can have rank with no position, or position with no rank; ideally, one has both. Titles are of two types: landed and courtesy. A landed title (a "real" noble) indicates that the holder owns some real property. It may be hereditary or conferred. A hereditary title is "more" noble than a conferred, and, of course, the longer the title has been in the family, the "more" noble the family. Conferred titles are usually hereditary. Courtesy titles are just that: courtesy. Bearers of courtesy titles have rank, but own no land. Examples are the Knights of Santo Stefano and the Ladies of Santa Zita, addressed as "Don" and "Monna" respectively. Courtesy titles are also used for the children of landed nobles when those children have no titles of their own; "Messer" and "Monna". Children of courtesy title nobles are simply addressed as "signore", "signorina", or "signora", as appropriate. Courtesy titles are not hereditary. "Messer" and "Monna" can also be used in place of the English "Master" and "Mistress". Persons who are not noble may be addressed as "Messer" or "Monna", as in "Messer Alberto", "Monna Teresa", instead of the more common "signore" or "signorina". It is the more respectful form of address; examples would be young persons addressing their elders of the same or lesser rank, servants addressing non noble masters, anyone trying to flatter, etc. For more specifics on forms of address for Italian and English persons, see study sheet #1. THE REVERENCE Even before speaking, you can show your respect to your betters with a reverence. This is the Renaissance form of the bow. Of course, being body language, you can also use this respectful gesture to communicate other attitudes, such as contempt, defiance, willingness to brown nose, etc. Always reverence your social superiors, including churchmen. The Pope outranks everyone; He is God's special agent on earth. Kneel to the Pope and kiss His ring if He extends His hand. (It is unlikely His Holiness would visit England, but if some patron shows up dressed in Papal robes you know what to do.) If you are an adult and your superior is a child, you reverence to show your respect for the child's rank; the child reverences to show the respect due an adult from a child. Exception: if the child is the reigning monarch, he/she no longer bows to his/her elders (for example, Cosimo, who was made Duke at the age of 18, did not bow to his elders after his coronation). INTERACTIONS WITH THE ENGLISH Yes, we reverence the King and Queen of England, and monarchs of other countries. They are the reigning monarchs, and we still believe in the divine right of kingship, regardless of our personal feelings about the monarch himself/herself. Further, it is politically expedient to flatter them; we are an ambassadorial entourage and can remain in England only so long as it suits Their Majesties, and do you really want us to be expelled from the country because you are a mannerless halfwit? (You can explain to the Duchessa why the mission failed - should you live so long!) When with the King and/or Queen, be as respectful and mindful of your manners as you would in a formal audience with the Grand Duke. Do NOT go on your knees to the King or Queen unless signaled to do so by the Duchessa, or unless circumstances so warrant; we are not their subjects, and do not owe them such obeisance. Reverence the English people as you would your fellow Italians, i.e., if they outrank you, reverence; if they reverence you, acknowledge it appropriately. The English are so socially insecure as a nation that they have the stupid practice of knocking down foreign visitors' titles one notch. For example, to the English, an Italian Earl would be the equivalent of an English Viscount, an Italian Viscount an English Baron, etc. This makes them feel better about their own country's lack of achievement and general inadequacy as a nation. So, when lining up for some sort of presentation, even though you are an Italian Earl, they will line you up with the English Viscounts. Ignore it, it really doesn't matter, because we know that we're still better than they are. If pressed by some Anglodolt, remind them that Italians do no such discourtesy to visitors to our country, and smile smugly in your social and moral superiority. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR INTERACTIONS Historically, one always defers to one's superiors and lords it over one's inferiors. Theatrically, this is dull. If you stand up to your superiors, if you argue with, contradict, or attempt to correct them, remember one thing: you may be right - but they are superior. Take the out when it is given, graciously "lose" the confrontation. They will have the appearance of winning the argument, but you will have earned style points, and, more importantly, stayed alive another day. Discretion is the better part of valor, or at least longevity. When attempting to correct a superior, the direct approach is not best. Find some (preferably humorous) way to correct their error without making them look foolish - to themselves. Make the audience see what a fool the superior has been; the superior should (at least seem to) remain oblivious of the faux pas. (Remember, superiors, you can always have that miserable wretch strangled in her/his sleep.) Remember "noblesse oblige", think of the vengeance you will take, and that pleasant thought will allow you to smile and be gracious through almost anything. CAUTION: Do not play "Annoy the Duchessa" (or anyone else, for that matter) too often or too long; once a year, for three or four seconds, is more than sufficient. The object of the game will become genuinely irritated, and I do not want to see real bloodshed. Of course, if you have arranged to play this with the person, go for it. Remember, we are the flower of civilization and the pinnacle of culture; whatever we do, we do with style. This allows us to get away with things that make others seem rude, boorish, stupid, uncivilized, etc. This is not carte blanche to be a mannerless moron, but a reminder to be completely charming while slitting throats, literally or figuratively. CLEARING GIGS Any gigs involving the following must be cleared with the Guildmaster: 1. Violence 2. Bloodshed 3. Live steel 4. Kidnapping of or by one of our members 5. A large number of people (more than 4) 6. The need for crowd control THIS RULE INCLUDES DEATH THREATS, regardless of whether an assassination will be attempted. SENDING DEATH THREATS WITHOUT PROPER CLEARANCE WILL RESULT IN YOUR DEATH. CAPISCE? If it is a gig with which you want to surprise others, we can keep it a secret; however, the Consiglieri must know about it so that, should anything go wrong, we are able to handle the situation instead of being presented with a problem by an angry member of the event organizer's staff to whom we must confess total ignorance. It makes us as a group look bad, it makes your Consiglieri look bad, and it make you a former member of the Guild. INVIOLABLE RULE OF THUMB: Surprise the character, NOT the actor! CHARACTER-SPECIFIC INTERACTIONS When the Guild membership is finalized for the year, a chart showing the rank of each person within the embassy, with appropriate notations, will be distributed. Until then, some preliminaries: The ranking noble is Don Cosimo de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. He is, for all intents and purposes, the King of Tuscany; he rules absolutely, and has power of life and death over his subjects. Yes, we have a judicial system, but remember who pays the judges before you place your faith in due process. Currently, we do not have anyone portraying the Grand Duke - but that doesn't mean you should act as though he doesn't exist. He does - you just may not have seen him recently. Geoffrey Donne, one of the founders of the Guild and the original Grand Duke, does show up every few years for a visit. If you see the Duchessa run up to a good looking guy you've never seen before who's in a green velvet doublet and throw her arms around him, he's probably the Grand Duke, and you would do well to kneel. The next ranking noble is Donna Lucia di Rossetti, usually addressed as "Duchessa". She is sister of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, a duchess in her own right, a double marchioness, an earl in her own right, and a countess in her own right,. She acts as principal representative of the Medici Court in England. She has full ambassadorial status, she is the one conducting the Grand Duke's business in England, and she is also the one who pays you and supports you. She herself does not have power of life and death, but as the Duke's representative she appropriates his powers in his absence, whether for an hour or a month . . . . something to think about before playing "Annoy the Duchessa". The Castellano/Castellana is the highest ranking non-noble character. The Heads of Household are to be respected by all and obeyed by Household. This is not a position of low rank. These persons have been in the service of the Medici family for years and have earned the trust and respect of the family. These persons are trusted with their money and household affairs, which, indirectly, means their lives. The Heads of Household are also the Tasters for the Grand Duke and the Duchessa. WORKING IN THE STREET NEVER go to the streets alone. ALWAYS take at least one other Guildmember with you. Theatrically, we are foreigners, and, although the English love Italian culture and fashion, they do not necessarily love the Italian people. Realistically, the modern world is a little crazy and it is wise, particularly on hot, crowded days, to take a friend with you. This is particularly true for the women, who are often subjected to mistreatment at the hands of drunken patrons. Gentlemen, if a lady asks you for an escort, please oblige her; it's not fair to us to miss walking about because you're too tired from having your own adventures to take us out. Be alert as you walk the streets. If you start a gig, be certain that you are not stepping on another performance already underway in the area. This is particularly easy to do with harp players and other musicians, who favor shade trees and are easy to miss until you realize you are gigging loudly in the middle of their performance space. Be aware of the people around you. If you see a security problem - a drunk, a pickpocket, a carbon condition, etc., find the nearest security person and report the situation. All alestands and some environmental areas should also have radios if no security personnel are visible. As with all emergency situations, drop character and accent and deal with the matter as a 20th century responsible adult. A little common sense goes a long way. Be careful around stages that you do not make more noise than the stageshow, and that you do not perform too close to the stage, and so distract from their performance. Individuals and small groups should yield to processions and parades, which of course happen at the most inopportune times and seem inordinately long when it's your gig they're interrupting. IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL AREA Basic common sense applies here as well. Don't step on each other's gigs, don't upstage each other, don't interrupt a gig (unless the interruption is planned or is due to an emergency). If there is an emergency, we usually have a radio located backstage to call for security/paramedics. If the radio is not with us for some reason, find the nearest security person. Our environmental area, besides our stage, is our home. Other performers in our area are our guests, and we expect them to behave appropriately. This includes being in costume if we have a closed environment. I do NOT want to see non-costumed persons in our yard during hours. If we have an open yard, then the idea is to have the patrons wandering through, so the costume issue goes out the figurative window. If someone is creating a real, not theatrical, problem, quietly inform the Stage Manager or one of the Consiglieri and the problem will be handled. It is not your responsibility to solve the problem single-handedly; let those of us who make the big bucks deal with it. Theatrically, the environmental area is our embassy and so is Italian soil. While within the embassy, we are at home, and everyone else is a foreigner. Go ahead, let that hotheaded young Englishman challenge you, fight the duel - just make sure the challenge and the duel happen inside the fence so that Privy Council will not be able to prosecute. Likewise, when you are in another group's environmental area, you are their guest in their home. Rules of common stage courtesy and common sense apply. BIG NOTE Occasionally a patron becomes a problem due to intoxication and/or stupidity. Usually the patron is a man who does not understand that all the flirting and teasing is only theater, and so thinks of all the women as "fair game". If you see a patron harassing a participant, or even a participant harassing another participant, step in, smile graciously at the offender, and whisk the lady away with some charming comment such as "Come, my dear, your husband is waiting for you at the embassy". You have then rescued the lady from a potentially dangerous situation without offending the patron, and avoided much unnecessary trauma and possible violence (and paperwork), and everyone will thank you for it. Remember, be aware of your surroundings, be aware of what is going on around you, take care of each other, and we will all have fun and make it safely through the day. |