| Harlequin | |
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 The classical appearance of the Harlequin stock character in the commedia dell'arte of the 1670s, complete with batte or "slapstick", a magic wand used by the character to change the scenery of the play (Maurice Sand, 1860) | |
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Other Names |
Arlecchino, Arlechin |
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First Appearance |
Bergamo, Italy (Late 16th century) |
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Created by |
Zan Ganassa |
Origin[]
Harlequin is the best-known of the comic servant characters (Zanni) from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by the Italian actor-manager Zan Ganassa in the late 16th century, was definitively popularized by the Italian actor Tristano Martinelli in Paris in 1584–1585, and became a stock character after Martinelli's death in 1630.
The Harlequin is characterized by his checkered costume. His role is that of a light-hearted, nimble, and astute servant, often acting to thwart the plans of his master, and pursuing his own love interest, Columbine, with wit and resourcefulness, often competing with the sterner and melancholic Pierrot. He later develops into a prototype of the romantic hero. Harlequin inherits his physical agility and his trickster qualities, as well as his name, from a mischievous "devil" character in medieval Passion Plays.
The Harlequin character first appeared in Bergamo, Italy, early in the 17th century and took centre stage in the derived genre of the Harlequinade, developed in the early 18th century by John Rich. As the Harlequinade portion of the English dramatic genre pantomime developed, Harlequin was routinely paired with the character Clown. As developed by Joseph Grimaldi around 1800, Clown became the mischievous and brutish foil for the more sophisticated Harlequin, who became more of a romantic character. The most influential portrayers of the Harlequin character in Victorian England were William Payne and his sons the Payne Brothers, the latter active during the 1860s and 1870s.
The name Harlequin is taken from that of a mischievous "devil" or "demon" character in popular French Passion Plays. It originates with an Old French term herlequin, hellequin, first attested in the 11th century, by the chronicler Orderic Vitalis, who recounts a story of a monk who was pursued by a troop of demons when wandering on the coast of Normandy, France, at night. These demons were led by a masked, club-wielding giant and they were known as familia herlequin (var. familia herlethingi). This medieval French version of the Germanic Wild Hunt, Mesnée d'Hellequin, has been connected to the English figure of Herla cyning ('host-king'; German: Erlkönig).
Hellequin was depicted as a black-faced emissary of the devil, roaming 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 red-and-black mask. The name's origin could also be traced to a knight from the 9th century, Hellequin of Boulogne, who died fighting the Normans and originated a legend of devils. In Cantos XXI and XXII from Dante's Inferno there is a devil by the name of Alichino. The similarities between the devil in Dante's Inferno and the Arlecchino are more than cosmetic. The prank-like antics of the devils in the aforementioned antics reflect some carnivalesque aspects.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of the Harlequin from before January 1, 1931 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Stage Appearances[]
- Peter Wilkins: or Harlequin in the Flying World (1800)
- Harlequin Amulet; or, The Magick of Mona (1800)
- Harlequin and Mother Goose, or The Golden Egg (1806)
- Harlequin and the Fairy's Dilemma (1904)
Public Domain Art Appearances[]
- Harlequin by Paul Cézanne (1888–1890)
- Harlekin by Eduard Veith (1925)
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Compositions de rhétorique de Mr. Don Arlequin (1601)
- Masques et Bouffons. Comédie italienne, vol. 1. Paris: Michel Levy Frères (1860)
- Recueil de plusieurs fragments des premières comédies italiennes qui on été représentées en France sous le règne de Henri III (1928)
- The Italian Comedy (1929)
Public Domain Literary Appearances of Harley Quin[]
- The Passing of Mr. Quin (1924)
- The Shadow on the Glass (1924)
- A Sign in the Sky (1925)
- A Man of Magic (1925)
- The Soul of the Croupier (1927)
- World's End (1927)
- The Voice in the Dark (1927)
- The Face of Helen (1927)
- Harlequin's Lane (1927)
- The Dead Harlequin (1929)
- The Man From the Sea (1929)
- The Passing of Mr. Quinn (1929): Novelization of the film.
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Prize Comics #29: The Green Lama fought a villain called the Harlequin.
- Popular Comics #63: The feature Gang Busters had villain called Harlequin Eyes appear in this issue.
Public Domain Film Appearances Inspired by Harelquin[]
- The Passing of Mr. Quinn (1928)
Notes[]
- Representations of or characters based on Arlecchino in contemporary popular culture include Harley Quinn, an American comic book character originally serving as a sidekick to the Joker, and Arlekin, a puppet from Karabas Barabas' theatre in the Soviet children's film and the novel it was based on, The Adventures of Buratino. Video game representations of the character include the Knave from Genshin Impact, Fourth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers and Father of the House of the Hearth, Arlecchino, King of Riddles from Lies of P, as part of the "Les Quatre" from Karakuri Circus and Arlecchino from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, a French Army soldier from the commedia della morte.
- The Prankster from Charlton Comics appears to be inspired by Harlan Ellison's "Repent, Harlequin said the TikTok Man."