Arlecchino
Arlecchino is the most famous commedia dell'arte character in history. He has evolved into the Harlequin of later centuries and today, he is also a stereotype for fools, clowns, and pantomimes.
As one of the lower ranking, lazier, and stupider servants, he is often abused by being yelled at or beaten (with slapstick stage combat) by his masters and others or never paid his wages. Yet he does have a certain luck and can be clever enough to grab hold of any seemingly fortunate situation that happens upon him. He might not think up a plan on his own but he can come up with some amazingly complicated and absurd explanations and rationalizations. Later period harlequins were more prone to become clever tricksters and rascally tramps while still often being foolish or stupid.
Arlecchino’s costume and mask are significant because they are a reflection on his energetic personality. He wears a black mask that resembles the face of a cat, aside from a large boil in the middle of his forehead ("Commedia dell' Arte' Character Analysis"). The cat face draws a parallel to Arlecchino because much like a cat, at a moment’s notice he could spring up, and elude trouble if need be. His clothes are very similar to the clothes of a clown. Again, these clothes draw a resemblance to Arlecchino because he serves as the comedic entertainment for the audience, much like a jester. He wears a one piece costume that contains multi-colored patches all over the jacket and trousers. Aside from his mask and jacket, his belt is perhaps the most important accessory that he wears. The “slapstick” was two wooden sticks tied together that would make a loud clapping noise when Arlecchino hit someone in the head, face, or on the back side ("Commedia dell' Arte' Character Analysis"). This sound caused many people to laugh because of the exaggeration of the clap. This tool helped shift comedy away from total intellect, and created a desire to see violence as humour.
The primary aspect of Arlecchino was his physical agility. While generally depicted as quite stupid and greedy (in a gastronomic sense) his acrobatics were what an audience expected to see. The character would never simply perform an action when the addition of a cartwheel or backflip would spice up the movement. In order to frequently display these acrobatics to the audience, Arlecchino never walks across the stage. Instead, he shuffles his feet in a three-step balletic form. His graceful movements begin with his left foot pointing forward in the direction he is moving.
As one of the lower ranking, lazier, and stupider servants, he is often abused by being yelled at or beaten (with slapstick stage combat) by his masters and others or never paid his wages. Yet he does have a certain luck and can be clever enough to grab hold of any seemingly fortunate situation that happens upon him. He might not think up a plan on his own but he can come up with some amazingly complicated and absurd explanations and rationalizations. Later period harlequins were more prone to become clever tricksters and rascally tramps while still often being foolish or stupid.
Arlecchino’s costume and mask are significant because they are a reflection on his energetic personality. He wears a black mask that resembles the face of a cat, aside from a large boil in the middle of his forehead ("Commedia dell' Arte' Character Analysis"). The cat face draws a parallel to Arlecchino because much like a cat, at a moment’s notice he could spring up, and elude trouble if need be. His clothes are very similar to the clothes of a clown. Again, these clothes draw a resemblance to Arlecchino because he serves as the comedic entertainment for the audience, much like a jester. He wears a one piece costume that contains multi-colored patches all over the jacket and trousers. Aside from his mask and jacket, his belt is perhaps the most important accessory that he wears. The “slapstick” was two wooden sticks tied together that would make a loud clapping noise when Arlecchino hit someone in the head, face, or on the back side ("Commedia dell' Arte' Character Analysis"). This sound caused many people to laugh because of the exaggeration of the clap. This tool helped shift comedy away from total intellect, and created a desire to see violence as humour.
The primary aspect of Arlecchino was his physical agility. While generally depicted as quite stupid and greedy (in a gastronomic sense) his acrobatics were what an audience expected to see. The character would never simply perform an action when the addition of a cartwheel or backflip would spice up the movement. In order to frequently display these acrobatics to the audience, Arlecchino never walks across the stage. Instead, he shuffles his feet in a three-step balletic form. His graceful movements begin with his left foot pointing forward in the direction he is moving.