ABSTRACT
Part II introduced a number of threads fundamental to reconstructing the rebirth of theatre in the late Renaissance. These include the buffoons, the charlatans and the humanist comedy writers and also the Byzantine dotti and their impact not only on comedy writing but also on painting and dancing, apart from their general ‘educational’ mission, where classical sophists-satirists like Lucian played a central role. Several of these (like moresca dancing and painting) were connected with the past history or pre-history of theatre, while the connection between some others and the theatre, like the special interest of early humanists in the comedies, remained mysterious. Common and central to all was the strong role played by the Byzantine connections. The actors in these developments were therefore identified as carriers of a Byzantine ‘spirit’.
