Is Arlecchino a servant?

Arlecchino is one of the youngest characters of the comedy and the use of this character in the Commedia dell'Arte has been traced back to as early as 1593. Arlecchino's usual role is that of a faithful valet or servant, but in this context he is also the clown, the acrobat providing lots of comic relief!

What status is Arlecchino?

STATUS: Arlecchino is a shape shifting servant to Pantalone, Il Capitano or Il Dottore. A crafty low status character, Arlecchino tries to trick his patrons out of money, but usually fails. Arlecchino is very quick, acrobatic and limber. He's not as intelligent as Brighella, but he is not as stupid as the Zannis.

What group does Arlecchino belong to?

Commedia dell'arte has four stock character groups: Zanni: servants, clowns; characters such as Arlecchino (also known as Harlequin), Brighella, Scapino, Pulcinella and Pedrolino.

What did Arlecchino do?

The primary aspect of Arlecchino was his physical agility. He was very nimble 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, somersault, or flip would spice up the movement.

Is Arlecchino A Zanni?

The principal character among them was often called simply Zanni, while his companion(s) had various names—Scapin, Scaramouche, Pedrolino, Arlecchino (Harlequin), or Pulcinella (Punch). Frequently two zanni played contrasting roles, the first clever and adept at confounding and the second a dull-witted foil.

Tres escenas de "Arlecchino servitore di due padroni", 2018. Teatro Piccolo, Milán.

Is Tartaglia A Zanni?

Some characters in Commedia that are derived from Zanni are Arlecchino (Harlequin), Brighella, Scapino, Mescolino and Mezzettino, Scaramuccia (aka Scaramouche), Pulcinella, Pedrolino, Giangurgolo, Tartaglia, Trappolino, and Burratino.

Are Arlecchino and Harlequin the same?

Harlequin, Italian Arlecchino, French Arlequin, one of the principal stock characters of the Italian commedia dell'arte; often a facile and witty gentleman's valet and a capricious swain of the serving maid.

Is Brighella a servant?

Originally one of the comic servants, or zanni, of the commedia, Brighella was a jack-of-all-trades whose loyalty as a soldier, hangman's varlet, assassin, or gentleman's valet could be easily bought. Because of his almost sentimental view of love, though, the young lovers could trust him.

Why does Arlecchino wear a mask?

Arlecchino 's costume and mask are significant because they are a reflection of his energetic personality. Physically, Arlecchino is described as wearing a costume covered in irregular patches, similar to the clothes of a clown.

What does Arlecchino mask look like?

Physically, Arlecchino is described as wearing a costume covered in irregular patches, a hat outfitted with either a rabbit or fox's tail, and a red and black mask. The mask itself is identified by carbuncles on the forehead, small eyes, a snub nose, hollow cheeks, and sometimes bushy brows with facial hair.

Why does Harlequin wear a mask?

Harlequin is often associated with wearing a black mask because that color was associated with trickery and mischievousness. We used paper plates and colored pencils to create a mask that also shows our more mischievous sides.

Is Harlequin a clown?

The oldest versions of the word harlequin — the Middle Dutch hellekijn and the Old French hellequin, reference Hell and mean a kind of demon. In the translation from French to English, the harlequin lost his demonic quality and became a clown.

Is Pantalone a master?

Pantalone originated as part of a master/servant duo and was the original il Magnifico stock character. Carlo Goldoni, in his memoirs, named Pantalone as one of the four primary Commedia dell'Arte characters.

Who is Arlecchino's master?

Commedia characters are fixed types who fall into one of three categories: The Servants (eg: Arlecchino or Columbina) The Masters (eg: Pantalone) The Lovers (eg: Isabella and Flavio )

Is Il Capitano a master or a servant?

Arlecchino ('Harlequin')

A tricky servant, usually to Pantalone, but also frequently Il' Capitano, or Il' Dottore. He was the second zanni if Brighella or Pasquariello were in the company, otherwise he was the most important.

How did Harlequin become Harlequin?

In the story, the Joker takes Harleen Quinzel to the chemical plant where he originated and pushes her into a vat of chemicals against her will, which bleaches her skin and drives her insane, resulting in her transformation to Harley Quinn, similar to the Joker's transformation in his origins.

What animal is Zanni?

The Zanni character was a buffoon or clown and known in those days as a simpleton or 'stupid incompetent fool'!

How does Arlecchino speak?

When speaking with others, Arlecchino must speak with hands otherwise it throws on the physical dynamic and tradition of the character. Arlecchino is a very witty character, as are most servant characters in most theatrical productions. Because of his nature, he will speak fast but the physicality must keep up.

What do Venetian masks symbolize?

Venetian masks were traditionally worn to protect the identity of the wearer and were eventually worn during the Venetian Carnival. The masks are divided into two categories: Commedia dell' Arte masks and Carnival masks.

Is truffaldino a Zanni?

In Goldoni's original, Servant of Two Masters, the character was called Truffaldino. This is an Arlecchino type, a 16th century zanni or servant mask from the region of Bergamo in the north of Italy.

What stock character is truffaldino?

ARLECCHINO (Truffaldino): A zanni (servant) character who is a fool or “child-man” from Bergamo, Italy. He is a master of disguises, extremely agile, and acrobatic.

Who is Florindo?

Florindo is the lover of Beatrice who fled from Turin after killing Federigo. He is high in the social ladder, taking on the stock character of a master and a lover.

What type of Clown is Harlequin?

Harlequin (or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French, and Arlequín in Spanish) is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte.

Who were Harlequin and Columbine?

Harlequin and Columbine are stock figures in the Commedia dell'Arte, a form of Italian theatre in which the same recognizable characters play a role in different sketches. These performances were extremely popular in the 18th century.

Where was Arlecchino born?

Born in the Brembana valley (Bergamo), he wears a cloak, a shirt and white breeches, flat shoes and a two-pointed hat; from his shoulder hangs a satchel (scarsela) and he has a stick in his hand (batocio).