Information about Arlecchino

“Arlecchino” redirects here. For the opera, see Arlecchino (opera).

Harlequin dancing with Columbina.

Alichino and other demons handling souls from the pitch for Dante and Virgil (Giovanni di Paolo, 15th century).

Harlequin (Arlecchino in Italian) is the most popular of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'Arte.

Although illustrations of Arlecchino have only been dated as far back as 1572, the character had existed before then. The origins of the name are uncertain: some say it comes from Dante's Inferno, XXI, XXII and XXIII; one of the devils is called Alichino. Others say it could come from Harlenkoenig, a Scandinavian hero. Another hypothesis states that the name is derived from Harlay, an English gentleman of the court of Henri III, who had protected an Italian actor. Still another unproveable theory states that it came from Old High German Karalchin (little man), similar to the name Mannekin or Manneken.

Popular theories suggest that he may have emerged from France, Africa, or Italy.^[1]

Harlequin, year 1761 by Maurice Sand

The notion that the Harlequin motif grew out of France is evidenced by Hellequin, a stock character in French passion plays. Hellequin, a black-faced emissary of the devil, is said to have roamed the countryside with a group of demons chasing the damned souls of evil people to Hell. The physical appearance of Hellequin offers an explanation for the traditional colours of Harlequin's mask (red and black).^[1]

A third potential origin for the Harlequin is that he simply evolved from a Zanni archetype who, although a slow thinker, was acrobatic and nimble.^[2] Interpreted thus, Harlequin's distinctive motley costume may be a stylized variant of Zanni's plain white garb, designed to reflect the ad-hoc patching necessary to prevent the garment's degradation.

The primary aspect of Arlecchino was his physical agility.^[1]^[2] While generally depicted as stupid and gluttonous, he was very nimble and agile, and performed the sort of acrobatics the audience expected to see. The character would never perform a simple action when the addition of a cartwheel or backflip would spice up the movement.

Within these restrictions the character was tremendously elastic. Various troupes and actors would alter his behavior to suit style, personal preferences, or even the particular scenario being performed. One of the most famous actors was Visentini (17th century) and Tristano Martinelli.^[2]

Dramatic function

He is typically cast as the servant of an innamorato or vecchio much to the detriment of his master's plans. Arlecchino often had a love interest in the person of Columbina, and his lust for her was only superseded by his desire for food or fear of his master.

Despite Arlecchino's agility of body, his mind does not entertain the same capacities. Arlecchino is a slow thinker, with some versions portraying him as able to entertain only one thought at a time ^[2] - and he is often capable of confusing that. This leads to a range of situations, including Lazzi where Arlecchino is tricked into thinking he himself is dead, when other more wily characters of the Commedia dell'Arte point out a range of unlikely symptoms. Pierre Louis Duchartre says that Arlecchino desperately tries to hide his lack of brains, to the point of seeming malicious in so doing; as in one scenario where Arlecchino is diguised as a doctor and prescribes ridiculous "remedies" that would certainly prove fatal if undergone.

In Goldoni and in Gozzi, Arlecchino is sometimes called Truffaldino. While Il Capitano is trying to win the heart of a lady, Arlecchino likes to joke around and embarrass the captain, and to try to win the lady for himself.

References in modern culture and other media

In today's culture, harlequins are seen quite often, especially in the New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations. Harlequins frequently appear in pop culture, such as Harley Quinn from the Batman series and Harle from Square Enix's game Chrono Cross.

Based on the ticket seller in Lisa Snellings-Clark's Crowded After Hours the main character of "Harlequin Valentine", a short story by Neil Gaiman invokes the spirit of Harlequin as he pursues his Columbina.

Harlequin type ichthyosis, a congenital skin condition, was named after the characteristic costume of this character.

Agatha Christie wrote a number of short stories about The Mysterious Mr. Quin, an almost-supernatural figure who helps the elderly Mr. Satterthwaite solve mysteries.

Dorothy L. Sayers has Lord Peter Wimsey investigate a murder, while masquerading as a harlequin in the book, Murder Must Advertise.

Philip Sparke is a composer who wrote "Harlequin" for concert band, a piece which takes its inspiration from the happy and sad faces from the Italian Comedia Dell'Arte. It is a work in two movements; a slow ballad followed by a frenetic faster movement. The piece was dedicated to and had a solo for David Childs. David and Steven Mead are both euphonium virtuoso willingly head by a broad audience.

In the movie Moulin Rouge! there is a harlequin can can dancer.

Death Metal band Opeth has a song entitled "Harlequin Forest" on their 2005 album Ghost Reveries

References

1. ^ Grantham, B., Playing Commedia, A Training Guide to Commedia Techniques, Nick Hern Books, London, 2000
2. ^ Rudlin, J., Commedia dell’Arte, An actor’s handbook, Routledge, London, 1994

Arlecchino oder Die Fenster (Harlequin, or The Windows) is an opera by Ferruccio Busoni, with the libretto in German written by the composer. Busoni composed the opera whilst living in Zurich. Its first performance was by the ZÃ¼rich Opera on 11 May 1918.
..... Click the link for more information.

Italian}}}
Official status
Official language of: European Union
European Union
Switzerland
San Marino
Vatican City
Sovereign Military Order of Malta

..... Click the link for more information.

For the Italian rugby player, see .

Zanni (from the Italian, dialectal nickname for Giovanni) was the archetype of the comic servant characters of the Commedia dell'arte.
..... Click the link for more information.

Anthem
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)

..... Click the link for more information.

This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.
You can assist by [ editing it] now. A how-to guide is available, as is general .
This article has been tagged since September 2007.
..... Click the link for more information.

The Divine Comedy (Italian: Commedia, later christened "Divina" by Giovanni Boccaccio), written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321, is widely considered the central epic poem of Italian
..... Click the link for more information.

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical region centred on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe which includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
..... Click the link for more information.

Harlay is a historical French family name:

Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy (1546-1629)
Achille Harlay de Sancy (1581-1646)
FranÃ§ois II de Harlay Archbishop of Rouen (1614-1651)
FranÃ§ois de Harlay de Champvallon (1651-1672)

..... Click the link for more information.

Motto
Dieu et mon droit (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
..... Click the link for more information.

Henry III
King of France, Count of Provence (more...)

Henry III Image in the Louvre.
Reign 30 May 1574 – 2 August 1589
Coronation 13 February 1575, Reims
Full name Alexandre-Ã‰douard
Titles
..... Click the link for more information.

Anthem
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)

..... Click the link for more information.

Old High German}}}
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: goh
ISO 639-3: goh The term Old High German (OHG, German: Althochdeutsch, german abbr. Ahd.
..... Click the link for more information.

Manneken Pis (Brabantian for little man wee), is a Brussels landmark. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin.
..... Click the link for more information.

Wild Hunt was a folk myth prevalent in former times across Northern, Western and Central Europe.^[1] The fundamental premise in all instances is the same: a phantasmal group of huntsmen with the accoutrements of hunting, horses, hounds, etc.
..... Click the link for more information.

For the Italian rugby player, see .

Zanni (from the Italian, dialectal nickname for Giovanni) was the archetype of the comic servant characters of the Commedia dell'arte.
..... Click the link for more information.

cartwheel is the movement where one moves sideways (in the motion the wheel of a cart would follow) in a straight line keeping the back straight placing the hand of the same side on the ground followed by the other hand as the legs are passed over the body and then come down as the
..... Click the link for more information.

somersault (sometimes somerset) is an acrobatic feat in which a person tucks in mid-air and moves the feet over the head. The somersault can be performed either forwards, backwards, or sideways and is similar to a flip (or, if performed backwards, backflip
..... Click the link for more information.

A scenario (from Italian, that which is pinned to the scenery) is a synthetic description of an event or series of actions and events. In the Commedia dell'arte
..... Click the link for more information.

As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th Century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700 in the Gregorian calendar.

The 17th Century falls into the Early Modern period of Europe and was characterized by the Baroque cultural movement and the beginning of
..... Click the link for more information.

The Innamorati (from the Italian innamorato, lover, the one who is in love) are young lovers, characters of the Commedia dell'arte.

The characters are composed of generous portions of lust, romance, vanity, and poetry, and very little sense.
..... Click the link for more information.

Vecchio (plural vecchi). A category of aged, male characters from the Italian Commedia dell'Arte. The primary members of this group are Pantalone, Il Dottore and Il Capitano. The word means "old one" or simply "old" in Italian.
..... Click the link for more information.

This article is about the theatrical character. Columbina is also a genus of doves.

Columbina (in Italian, Colombina, "little dove"; in French, Colombine) is a fictional character in the Commedia dell'Arte.
..... Click the link for more information.

Lazzi (from the Italian lazzo, a joke or witticism) is a piece of well-rehearsed comic action commonly used in the Commedia dell'arte. Most English-speaking troupes use the Italian plural "lazzi" as the singular and "lazzis" for the plural.
..... Click the link for more information.

Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (25 February 1707 – 6 February 1793) was a celebrated Venetian playwright and librettist, whom critics today rank among the European theatre's greatest authors.
..... Click the link for more information.

Il Capitano (the Captain) is a masked character from the Commedia dell'Arte.

It is the character of a veteran sailor or soldier who pretends to be strong and brave; he often convinces people of these facts, though in actuality he really is a coward and, at best, claims the
..... Click the link for more information.

City of New Orleans
Ville de La Nouvelle-OrlÃ©ans

Flag
Seal
Nickname:
..... Click the link for more information.

Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day". It is the final day of Carnival (English IPA: /kɑrnɨvəl/).
..... Click the link for more information.

Harley Quinn (real name Dr. Harleen Quinzel) is a fictional character, a supervillain, in the animated series , later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name (a play on the word "harlequin"), she is clad in the manner of a traditional
..... Click the link for more information.

Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism.
If you are prevented from editing this page, and you wish to make a change, please discuss changes on the talk page, request unprotection, log in, or .
..... Click the link for more information.