Brighella
Sometimes master and sometimes servant,
Brighella was able to change character more easily than most. The initiator
of many commedia plots, most stories revolved around his attempts (usually
successful) to get the better of his master, Pantelone (when playing
the servant) or, as a middle-class shopkeeper, trying to turn a quick
buck.
He took the form of many roles including soldier,
musician or thief - always on the lookout for victims to play practical
jokes on, humiliate, or take advantage of. His costume was a simple
white shirt with black trousers, cap, money bag and knife.