LA SOUBRETTE - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Soubrette literally means "maid", in the sense of a lady's maid or chambermaid. In theatre or opera, it denotes a stock character who is almost always a maid, often the maid of the main female character, the female lover or innamorata (it also denotes a type of light soprano voice in opera). In the broadest sense, the soubrette character is mischievous and flirtatious. However, the origins of the soubrette are more complex.

The soubrette comes from Commedia del'Arte (also know as Italian comedy). Troupes of commedia actors, often families, would travel from town to town, putting on their shows. All characters were stock characters, and plots were often stock as well. The dialogue and action was largely improvised, and comedy was a combination of low-brow physical gags and witty remarks, often satirical and drawing on current events (one of the reason scripts were rarely written -- they were constantly changing). Stock characters were all familiar to audiences, and were divided into servants (Arlecchino, Colombina, Pulcinella) and the upper-class (El Capitano, Dottore, Pantalone, Innamorati). Colombina was, variously, the maid of Pantalone (who was constantly coming on to her) or the Innamorata, or Arlecchino's girlfriend or wife (sometimes his partner in crime, or the one who fixed the problems caused by his schemes). Her character evolved over time and was called various things (see link above for examples). In my opinion, soubrette sounds the coolest.

Like many Commedia characters, Colombina/the soubrette appeared as a character in many plays and stories influenced by Commedia dell'arte, and sometimes appears in modern stories, plays, and movies.

SOME EXAMPLES

• Dorine in Molière's Tartuffe
• Suzanne in Beaumarchais' The Marriage of Fiagro
• Maria in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
• Despina in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte
• Esmerelda from Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame draws heavily on the classic Columbina character.
• Tinkerbell in J.M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy, but moreso in Disney's Peter Pan