SOURCE: "Farce as the Mirror of Bourgeois Politics: Morte Accidentale di un Anarchico," in Forum Italicum, Vol. 20, No. 2, Fall 1986, pp. 170-81.

Piccolo analyzes Fo's use of farce in Accidental Death of an Anarchist to achieve "his political goal of demystification of power."

—Matto … Allora, come diceva Totò in una vecchia farsa, il questore in questura a quest'ora non c'era …

These lines, sardonically delivered by Il Matto in Morte accidentale di un anarchico by Dario Fo, offer a microcosm of the comic sources used by the playwright. Whether the play be a "giullare" polyphonic monologue as Mistero buffo, or a farce-play, as Morte accidentale, diverse forms of the popular comic tradition such as the farce, varietà, fabulatori storytelling techniques, beffe are combined to produce a theatrical work bent on demystification.

In focusing on Fo's innovative treatment of traditional farce, taking Morte accidentale as an example, this article will...