Arlecchino
Created | Updated Jan 14, 2010
Arlecchino is a trickster, devious and always searching for profit or to cause trouble for someone who has insulted him. The character is described as rather poor and desperate to make any sort of money, which is usually the motivation behind the tricks he is always attempting to play on his masters. He is very agile and always in movement – whenever he can embellish a movement with a cartwheel or flip, he does so. Unfortunately his mind is not as agile, since Arlecchino is quite slow and easily distracted by various things like food and women, just like his good friend Brighella. He is described as slightly more intelligent than the other zanni (servants), but not by much.
Arlecchino is a horrible messenger – not only is he illiterate, but he is also very easily distracted off the path he should be following, and is prone to adding this own thoughts to messages, his own guests to invitations etc.
Relations
Arlecchino is usually the servant of an older master, like Dottore or Pantalone. He is also often romantically interested in his female counterpart, Columbina, but doesn't have to be since Arlecchino, like other Commedia males, is attracted to nearly all women. Arlecchino is skilled in getting the other zanni involved in his plots, and is usually quite friendly with Brighella, who acts as his protector when Arlecchino's plots go wrong.
Stance
Arlecchino is usally bowed over a little, since as a servant he has to carry around many heavy object (although this very rarely happens during the performances) and this has permanently affected his stance. He is always immitating a C or reversed C shape in some way, and likes to stand his with hands on his hips, with one leg extended and the same foot cocked upwards. He has his chest thrust out a bit, but less so that Capitano since Arlecchino is sneaky as opposed to showy.
Gestures
Gestures for Arlecchino are quick, just like all the other zanni. Because he is one of the more intelligent characters he moves fluidly, but much less so than the Lovers and Masters. He is very energetic and uses his hands a lot to illustrate what he is talking about; often he literally performs the action he is talking about, an example of which is him hitting Pantalone several times during Fool's Gold. The servant also never loses sight of his slapstick, which either hangs on his belt or resides in his hand. Arlecchino uses it for self defense, as a shield, sword or a means of distracting another character.
Movement
Arlecchino is nearly always moving, and when he finally stops he should seem on the brink of springing up into movement again. He has a rather low centre of gravity which allows him to be closer to the ground for the many stunts and tricks he incorporates into his movement. The character is very agile and loves to cartwheel, flip and somersault instead of walking calmly and because of this he always has his knees bent, ready for the next trick. He also never walks in a straight line, instead zigzags in his movement in order to be unpredictable – something which reflects in his walk, which is a sort of waltzy movement. He moves to the beat of 1-2-3, 1-2-3, stepping left-center-right, left-center-right. His walk goes like this: Right ball to left heel. Left foot slides forward. Right foot steps into starting position and again.
When Arlecchino notices something or someone interesting or important his mask always moves first, tracking the desired object before his body follows and turns toward the attraction.
Costume
Arlecchino's costume began with a tight fitting jacket that was full of patches, either because the costume was made from an older decorative and rich costume, or because the patches were inserted for the purpose making the garment last longer. The costume eventually evolved and became an outfit with a red, blue and green diamond pattern. The tight fitting, long jacket remained, along with trousers of the same patter, and flat black shoes that make it easy for Arlecchino to perform his acrobatics and also seems like the sturdy, practical shoes of a servant. Arlecchino also wears a black belt with either a wooden sword, bat or slapstick attatched, the latter being the most traditional and common. The character also often wears a black felt hat with a thin brim and a long, extravagant feather or fox tail hanging from it. Beneath that, on the face, Arlecchino wears his mask and, in the past, used to wear a black hose over the lower part of his face, obscuring all skin.
Vocal Quality
When Arlecchino speaks he is like a water tap – either words are flowing continuously or not at all. The traditional Arlecchino has a voice like the other zanni; very harsh and guttural, not polished and smooth like the speech of the Lovers or educated, like the Masters. On the other hand Arlecchino is slightly more intelligent than the other zanni, so his speech is slightly more sophisticated than the other's.
Mask Details
Arlecchino's mask is orange in colour, although in the past it has also been black, or brown like the leather it was made of. Arlecchino has a short, stubby nose and two very prominent cheeks, which are emphasized by two rings on his cheeks, often painted a darker colour. Arlecchino has almond shaped eyes which are meant to look similar to the eyes of a cat, which represent his mischievous and malicious nature. He also has high, raised eyebrows to show off his light-heartedness and gleeful attitude. Arlecchino also has a large wart placed high on the right part of his forehead. This is a symbol of peasants from Bergamo, which is Arlecchino's origin.
