Editing Harlequin

{{Short description|Zanni (comic servant) character in commedia dell'arte}}
{{Other uses|Harlequin (disambiguation)|Arlecchino (disambiguation)|Arlequin (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}

[[File:SAND Maurice Masques et bouffons 01.jpg|thumb|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<ref>Alexandre Manceau, engraver. [https://books.google.com/books?id=zl1sn5guZ_cC&pg=PA80-IA2 Sand 1860, after p. 80] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521075503/https://books.google.com/books?id=zl1sn5guZ_cC&pg=PA80-IA2#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=21 May 2024 }}.</ref>)]]
'''Harlequin''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɑr|l|ə|k|w|ɪ|n}}, {{langx|it|'''Arlecchino'''|italics=no}}, {{IPA|it|arlekˈkiːno|lang}}; {{langx|lmo|Arlechin}}, {{IPA|lmo|arleˈki|lang}}) 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,<ref>Duchartre 1929, p. 82; Laurence Senelick in Banham 1995, "Harlequin" p. 472; Rudlin & Crick 2001, pp. 12–13.</ref> was definitively popularized by the Italian actor [[Tristano Martinelli]] in [[Paris]] in 1584–1585,<ref>Andrews 2008, p. liv, note 32, citing Ferrone, Henke, and Gambelli.</ref> and became a [[stock character]] after Martinelli's death in 1630.

The Harlequin is characterised by his checkered costume. His role is that of a light-hearted, nimble, and [[Tricky slave|astute servant]], often acting to thwart the plans of his master, and pursuing his own love interest, [[Columbina|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 in Christianity#Early Middle Ages|devil]]" character in medieval [[Passion Play|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 (producer)|John Rich]].<ref name="SenelickHarlequin" /> As the Harlequinade portion of the English dramatic genre [[pantomime]] developed, Harlequin was routinely paired with the character [[Harlequinade#Clown|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 era|Victorian England]] were [[William Payne (pantomimist)|William Payne]] and his sons the [[Payne Brothers]], the latter active during the 1860s and 1870s.

==Origin of the name==
{{Further|Herla|Erlking|Alichino (devil)}}
The name Harlequin is taken from that of a mischievous "devil" or "demon" character in popular French [[Passion Play|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.<ref name=OregliaCh4>Oreglia 1968, pp. 56–70.</ref><ref>Ecclesiastical History Book VIII Chapter 17</ref> 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|Herla cyning]]'' ('host-king'; German: ''Erlkönig'').<ref>Martin Rühlemann, ''Etymologie des wortes harlequin und verwandter wörter'' (1912).
See also Normand R. Cartier, ''Le Bossu désenchanté: Étude sur le Jeu da la Feuillée'', Librairie Droz, 1971,  [https://books.google.com/books?id=ERF5OUazvTUC&pg=PA132 p. 132] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521075523/https://books.google.com/books?id=ERF5OUazvTUC&pg=PA132#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=21 May 2024 }}.</ref> 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.<ref name=Grantham>Grantham, B., ''Playing Commedia, A Training Guide to Commedia Techniques'', (Nick Hern Books) London, 2000</ref><ref>{{cite book | title=Ghosts in the Middle Ages: The Living and the Dead in Medieval Society | publisher=University Of Chicago Press | author=Jean-Claude Schmitt | year=1999 | isbn=978-0-226-73888-8}}</ref> 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.<ref name="1924-2007. 56">Oreglia 1968, p. 56.</ref> In Cantos XXI and XXII from [[Dante Alighieri|Dante]]'s ''[[Inferno (Dante)|Inferno]]'' there is a devil by the name of Alichino.<ref name=OregliaCh4 /><ref name=":3" /> 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.<ref name=":3" />

The first known appearance on stage of Hellequin is dated to 1262, the character of a masked and hooded devil in ''Jeu da la Feuillière'' by [[Adam de la Halle]], and it became a [[stock character]] in French passion plays.<ref>Lea 1934, p. 75.</ref>

==History==
{{anchor|Origins}}
[[File:A scene from the commedia dell' arte played in France before a noble audience - Ferrone 2014 fig34.jpg|thumb|A scene from the commedia dell'arte played in France before a noble audience in 1571 or 1572 (Museum of [[Bayeux]]). [[Pantalone]] is front and center, while just to the right and slightly behind is Harlequin in motley costume, "the oldest known version of Harlequin's costume".<ref name=SterlingDuchartre>Sterling 1943, p. 20; Duchartre 1929, p. 84.</ref><ref name=KatritzkyBayeux>Katritzky 2006, [https://books.google.com/books?id=HyPeo62Fi8YC&pg=PA140 pp. 140–143] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521075425/https://books.google.com/books?id=HyPeo62Fi8YC&pg=PA140#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=21 May 2024 }}, confirms that the dating of the painting is generally accepted; [https://books.google.com/books?id=HyPeo62Fi8YC&pg=PA236 p. 236] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521075425/https://books.google.com/books?id=HyPeo62Fi8YC&pg=PA236#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=21 May 2024 }}: "...this figure is still widely accepted as a depiction of Harlequin or [[Zan Ganassa]], although often with reservations."</ref>]]

The re-interpretation of the "devil" stock character as a [[Zanni]] character of the [[commedia dell'arte]] took place in the 16th century in France.<ref>Rudlin 1994, p. 76.</ref> [[Zan Ganassa]], whose troupe is first mentioned in [[Mantua]] in the late 1560s, is one of the earliest known actors suggested to have performed the part,<ref name=SenelickHarlequin>Laurence Senelick in Banham 1995, "Harlequin" p. 472.</ref> although there is "little hard evidence to support [it]".<ref>Rudlin & Crick 2001, p. 12.</ref> Ganassa performed in France in 1571, and if he did play the part there, he left the field open for another actor to take up the role, when he took his troupe to Spain permanently in 1574.<ref>Rudlin & Crick 2001, pp. 7–13. These authors speculate that Ganassa may have dropped the role in Spain, since apparently he gained too much weight to perform the required acrobatics.</ref>

Among the earliest depictions of the character are a Flemish painting ({{circa|1571–1572}}) in the Museum of [[Bayeux]]<ref name=SterlingDuchartre/><ref name=KatritzkyBayeux/> and several woodblock prints probably dating from the 1580s in the Fossard collection, discovered by Agne Beijer in the 1920s among uncatalogued items in the [[Nationalmuseum]], in [[Stockholm]].<ref>Katritzky 2006, pp. 107–108; Beijer & Duchartre 1928.</ref>

[[File:Compositions de rhétorique de Mr. Don Arlequin, 1601, p01 (title page Arlechin) - Gallica 2010 (adjusted).jpg|thumb|[[Tristano Martinelli]]'s Harlequin costume as depicted in his ''Compositions de rhétorique'', 1601]]
[[Tristano Martinelli]] is the first actor definitely known to have used the name "Harlequin" (or "Arlequin") from French folklore and adapted it for the comic ''secondo'' Zanni role, and he probably first performed the part in France in (or just before) 1584 and only later did he bring the character to Italy, where he became known as Arlecchino.<ref>Lea 1934, pp. 79–84; Katritzky 2006, pp. 102–104; Andrews 2008, pp. xxvi–xxvii.</ref> The motley costume is sometimes attributed to Martinelli, who wore a linen costume of colourful patches, and a hare-tail on his cap to indicate cowardice. Martinelli's Harlequin also had a black leather [[domino mask|half-mask]], a moustache and a pointed beard. He was very successful, even playing at court and becoming a favourite of [[Henry IV of France]], to whom he addressed insolent monologues (''Compositions de Rhetorique de Mr. Don Arlequin'', 1601).<ref>Maurice Charney (ed.), ''Comedy: A Geographic and Historical Guide'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Og4ntxFQP2cC&pg=PA239 p. 239] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521075426/https://books.google.com/books?id=Og4ntxFQP2cC&pg=PA239 |date=21 May 2024 }}.</ref>
Martinelli's great success contributed to the perpetuation of his interpretation of the Zanni role, along with the name of his character, after his death in 1630, among others, by [[Nicolò Zecca]], active {{circa|1630}} in [[Bologna]] as well as [[Turin]] and [[Mantua]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Boni |first=Filippo de' |year=1852| title=Biografia degli artisti ovvero dizionario della vita e delle opere dei pittori, degli scultori, degli intagliatori, dei tipografi e dei musici di ogni nazione che fiorirono da'tempi più remoti sino á nostri giorni. Seconda Edizione |page= [https://books.google.com/books?id=IU0_AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1103 p. 1103] | publisher=Presso Andrea Santini e Figlio|location=Venice; Googlebooks |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IU0_AAAAcAAJ&pg=PR3}}</ref>

The character was also performed in Paris at the [[Comédie-Italienne]] in Italian by [[Giambattista Andreini]] and [[Angelo Costantini]] ({{circa|1654–1729}}) and in French as ''Arlequin'' in the 1660s by {{Interlanguage link multi|Dominique Biancolelli|it|vertical-align=sup}} (1636–1688), who combined the Zanni types, "making his Arlecchino witty, neat, and fluent in a croaking voice, which became as traditional as the squawk of [[Pulcinella|Punch]]".<ref name=SenelickHarlequin/> 
The Italians were expelled from France in 1697 for satirizing [[Louis XIV|King Louis XIV]]'s second wife, [[Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon|Madame de Maintenon]],<ref>Donald Roy in Banham 1995, "Comédie-Italienne" pp. 233–234.</ref> but returned in 1716 (after his death), when [[Tommaso Antonio Vicentini]] ("Thomassin", 1682–1739) became famous in the part.<ref>Laurence Senelick in Banham 1995, "Vicentini" p. 867.</ref> The rhombus shape of the patches arose by adaptation to the Paris fashion of the 17th century by Biancolelli.

==Characteristics and dramatic function==
[[File:Tivoli Gardens - Harlequin.jpg|thumb|Harlequin at the [[Pantomimeteatret|Pantomime Theatre]] in [[Tivoli Gardens]] in [[Copenhagen]], Denmark]]

===Physicality===
The primary aspect of Arlecchino was his physical agility.<ref name=OregliaCh4 /><ref name="Grantham" /><ref>Rudlin 1994, p. 78.</ref> 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 (gymnastics)|cartwheel]], somersault, or [[flip (acrobatic)|flip]] would spice up the movement.<ref name="1924-2007. 56"/>
{{quote|By contrast with the "first" Zanni Harlequin takes little or no part in the development of the plot. He has the more arduous task of maintaining the even rhythm of the comedy as a whole. He is therefore always on the go, very agile and more acrobatic than any of the other Masks.|Oreglia, Giacomo<ref name="Oreglia 1968, p. 58">Oreglia 1968, p. 58.</ref>}}
Early characteristics of Arlecchino paint the character as a "second" Zanni servant from northern Italy with the paradoxical attributes of a dimwitted fool and an intelligent trickster.<ref name=OregliaCh4 /><ref name=":3"/> Arlecchino is sometimes referred to as putting on a show of stupidity in a metatheatrical attempt to create chaos within the play.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Scuderi|first=Antonio|year=2000|title=Arlecchino Revisited: Tracing the Demon from the Carnival to Kramer and Mr. Bean.|journal=Theatre History Studies|volume=20|pages=143–155}}</ref> 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.<ref name=OregliaCh4 /> The mask itself is identified by carbuncles on the forehead, small eyes, a snub nose, hollow cheeks, and sometimes bushy brows with facial hair.<ref name=OregliaCh4 /> Arlecchino is often depicted as having a wooden sword hanging from a leather belt on his person,<ref name=OregliaCh4 /> and sometimes holding a [[marotte]] (fool's scepter).<ref>{{cite web |title=Marotte |url=https://wepa.unima.org/en/marotte/ |website=World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts |access-date=10 May 2023 |date=30 August 2016}}</ref>
Aside from his acrobatics, Arlecchino is also known for having several specific traits such as: 
* Appearing humpbacked without artificial padding
* The ability to eat large amounts of food quickly
* Using his wooden sword like a fan
* A parody of ''[[bel canto]]''
and several other techniques.<ref name=OregliaCh4 />

===Speech===
One of the major distinctions of [[commedia dell'arte]] is the use of regional languages.<ref name=":3" /> Arlecchino's speech evolved with the character. Originally speaking in a [[Bergamo]] dialect of [[Lombard language]], the character adopted a mixture of French, Lombard and Italian dialects when the character became more of a fixture in France so as to help the performers connect to the common masses.<ref name=OregliaCh4 /><ref name=":3" />

===Dramatic function===
Various troupes and actors would alter his behaviour to suit style, personal preferences, or even the particular ''[[scenario]]'' being performed. He is typically cast as the servant of an ''[[Innamorati|innamorato]]'' or ''[[vecchio]]'' much to the detriment of the plans of his master. Arleqin often had a love interest in the person of [[Columbina|Columbine]], or in older plays any of the [[soubrette]] roles, and his lust for her was only superseded by his desire for food and fear of his master. Occasionally, Harlequin would pursue the ''innamorata'', although rarely with success, as in the ''Recueil Fossard'' of the 16th century where he is shown trying to woo Donna Lucia for himself by masquerading as a foreign nobleman. He also is known to try to win any given lady for himself if he chances upon anyone else trying to woo her, by interrupting or ridiculing the new competitor. His sexual appetite is essentially immediate, and can be applied to any passing woman.<ref>Rudlin 1994, p. 79.</ref>

Between the 16th and 17th centuries Harlequin gained some function as a politically aware character. In the ''Comédie-Italienne'' Harlequin would parody French tragedies as well as comment on current events.<ref name=OregliaCh4 />

==Variants<span class="anchor" id="Truffaldino"></span><span class="anchor" id="Guazzetto"></span><span class="anchor" id="Zaccagnino"></span><span class="anchor" id="Bagatino"></span>==
[[File:Arlequin, par Paul Cézanne, NGA.jpg|thumb|''Harlequin'', 1888–1890, [[Paul Cézanne]]]]
Duchartre lists the following as variations on the Harlequin role:

'''[[Trivelino]]''' or '''Trivelin'''. Name is said to mean "Tatterdemalion". One of the oldest versions of Harlequin, dating to the 15th century. Costume almost identical to Harlequin's, but had a variation of the 17th century where the triangular patches were replaced with moons, stars, circles and triangles. In 18th century France, Trivelino was a distinct character from Harlequin. They appeared together in a number of comedies by [[Pierre de Marivaux]] including ''[[L'Île des esclaves]]''.<ref name=":0">Oreglia 1968, p. 65.</ref>

'''Truffa, Truffaldin or Truffaldino'''. Popular characters with Gozzi and Goldoni, but said to be best when used for improvisations. By the 18th century was a Bergamask caricature.<ref name=":0" />

'''Guazzetto'''. In the seventeenth century, a variety of anonymous engravings show Guazzetto rollicking, similar to Arleqin. He wears a fox's brush, a large three-tiered collarette, wide breeches, and a loose jacket tied tightly by a belt. He also dons a neckerchief dropped over the shoulders like a small cape. Guazzetto's mask is characterised with a hooked nose and a mustache. His bat is shaped like a scimitar-esque sword.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Duchartre 1929, pp. 159–160.</ref>

'''Zaccagnino'''. Character dating to the 15th century.

'''Bagatino'''. A juggler.

'''[[Pedrolino]] or Pierotto'''. A servant or valet clad in mostly white, created by Giovanni Pellesini.<ref name=":0" />

==Famous Harlequins==
[[File:ARTSTOR 103 41822003063748.jpg|thumb|Marcello Moretti (1910–61). Photograph by Amleto Sartori.<ref>Oreglia 1968, p. 139.</ref>]]
'''16th century'''<ref name="Oreglia 1968, p. 58" />
* Alberto Naselli ([[Zan Ganassa]])
'''17th century'''<ref name=":1">Oreglia 1968, p. 59.</ref>
* [[Tristano Martinelli]]
* Domenico Biancolelli 
* Evaristo Gherardi
'''18th century'''<ref name=":1" />
* Pier Francesco Biancolelli
* Tommaso Visentini
* Carlo Bertinazzi
'''19th century'''
* [[William Payne (pantomimist)|William Payne]]
* [[Payne Brothers|The Payne Brothers]]
'''20th century'''<ref name=":1" />
* Marcello Moretti
'''21st century'''<ref name=":1" />
* Ben-Jamin Newham ‘The Zanni Virtuoso’ (Fools In Progress Theatre Company)

[[Image:ClownHarlequinPayne.jpg|thumb|The Payne Brothers – Harry (left) as [[Harlequinade#Clown|Clown]] and Fred as [[Harlequinade#Harlequin|Harlequin]], {{circa|1875}}]]

==English harlequinade and pantomime==
The Harlequin character came to England early in the 17th century and took center stage in the derived genre of the [[Harlequinade]], developed in the early 18th century by the Lincoln's Fields Theatre's actor-manager [[John Rich (producer)|John Rich]], who played the role under the name of Lun.<ref name=SenelickHarlequin/> He developed the character of Harlequin into a mischievous magician who was easily able to evade Pantaloon and his servants to woo [[Columbina|Columbine]]. Harlequin used his magic batte or "slapstick" to transform the scene from the pantomime into the harlequinade and to magically change the settings to various locations during the chase scene.<ref>[[David Mayer (historian)|Mayer, David]]. [http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t177.e2999 "Pantomime, British"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521075433/https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198601746.001.0001/acref-9780198601746 |date=21 May 2024 }}, ''Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance'', Oxford University Press, 2003, accessed 21 October 2011 {{subscription required}}</ref><ref>Dircks, Phyllis T. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/printable/23486 "Rich, John (1692–1761)"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, May 2011, accessed 21 October 2011</ref> As the Harlequinade portion of English [[pantomime]] developed, Harlequin was routinely paired with the character [[Harlequinade#Clown|Clown]].

Two developments in 1800, both involving [[Joseph Grimaldi]], greatly changed the pantomime characters.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Harlequin in His Element|last=Mayer III|first=David|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1969|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|pages=3}}</ref> Grimaldi starred as Clown in [[Charles Dibdin the younger|Charles Dibdin's]] 1800 pantomime, ''Peter Wilkins: or Harlequin in the Flying World'' at [[Sadler's Wells Theatre]].<ref>Neville, pp. 6–7</ref><ref name=Wilkins>McConnell Stott, pp. 95–100</ref> For this elaborate production, Dibdin and Grimaldi introduced new costume designs. Clown's costume was "garishly colourful ... patterned with large diamonds and circles, and fringed with tassels and ruffs", instead of the tatty servant's outfit that had been used for a century. The production was a hit, and the new costume design was copied by others in London.<ref name=Wilkins/> Later the same year, at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]], in ''Harlequin Amulet; or, The Magick of Mona.'' Harlequin was modified to become "romantic and mercurial, instead of mischievous", leaving Grimaldi's mischievous and brutish Clown as the "undisputed agent" of chaos, and the foil for the more sophisticated Harlequin, who retained and developed stylized dance poses during the 19th century.<ref>McConnell Stott, p. 109</ref> The most influential pair playing Harlequin and Clown in [[Victorian era|Victorian England]] were the [[Payne Brothers]], active during the 1860s and 1870s,<ref>{{cite book|last=Rees|first=Terence|year=1964|title=Thespis – A Gilbert & Sullivan Enigma|location=London|publisher=Dillon's University Bookshop|oclc= 650490931 |page= 16 }}</ref> who contributed to the development of 20th-century "slapstick" comedy.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

==Popular culture==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2024}}
Representations of or characters based on {{lang|it|Arlecchino|italic=no}} in contemporary popular culture include [[Harley Quinn]], an American comic book character originally serving as a sidekick to the [[Joker (character)|Joker]], and Arlekin, a puppet from Karabas Barabas' theatre in the [[Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic|Soviet]] children's film and the novel it was based on, [[The Adventures of Buratino (1975 film)|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, {{lang|it|Arlecchino|italic=no}}, King of Riddles from ''[[Lies of P]]'', as part of the "Les Quatre" from [[Karakuri Circus]] and {{lang|it|Arlecchino|italic=no}} from ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023 video game)|Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III]]'', a [[French Army]] soldier from the ''commedia della morte''.

==See also==
* [[Commedia dell'arte]]
* [[Arlecchino (opera)|''Arlecchino'' (opera)]]
* [[Clown]]
* [[Harlequin (DC Comics)]]
* [[Harley Quinn]]
* [[Jester]]
* [[Joker (character)]]
* ''[[The Mysterious Mr Quin|Mr. Harley Quin]]''
* [[Punch and Judy]]
* [["Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman]]
* [[Tricky slave]]
* [[Genshin Impact]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* Andrews, Richard (2008). ''The Commedia dell'arte of Flamino Scala: A Translation and Analysis of 30 Scenarios''. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press. {{ISBN|9780810862074}}.
* Banham, Martin, editor (1995). ''The Cambridge Guide to the Theatre'' (new edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521434379}}.
* Beijer, Agne; Duchartre, Pierre-Louis (1928). ''Recueil de plusieurs fragments des premières comédies italiennes qui on été représentées en France sous le règne de Henri III. Recueil, dit de Fossard, conservé au musée national de Stockholm''. Paris: Duchartre & Van Buggenhoudt. {{OCLC|963462417}}.
* Duchartre, Pierre-Louis (1929; Dover reprint 1966). ''The Italian Comedy''. London: George G. Harrap and Co., Ltd. {{ISBN|0486216799}}.
* Ferrone, Siro (2006). ''Arlecchino. Vita e avventure di Tristano Martinelli attore''. Bari: Lateraz. {{ISBN|9788842078685}}.
* Gambelli, Delia (1993). ''Arlecchino a Parigi''. Rome: Bulzoni. {{ISBN|9788871195803}}.
* Henke, Robert (2002). ''Performance and Literature in the Commedia dell'arte''. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521172387}}.
* Katritzky, M. A. (2006). ''The Art of Commedia: A Study in the Commedia dell'arte, 1560-1620, with Special Reference to the Visual Records''. Amsterdam & New York: Rodopi B. V. {{ISBN|9789042017986}}.
* Lea, K.M.  (1934). ''Italian popular comedy: a study in the Commedia dell'arte, 1560-1620, with special reference to the English stage''. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
* McConnell Stott, Andrew (2009). ''The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi''. Edinburgh:Canongate Books Ltd. {{ISBN|9781847677617}}.
* Neville, Giles (1980). ''Incidents In the Life of Joseph Grimaldi''. London: Jonathan Cape Ltd. {{ISBN|0224018698}}.
* Oreglia, Giacomo (1968). ''The Commedia dell'arte''. New York: Hill and Wang. pp.&nbsp;55–70. {{ISBN|9780809005451}}.
* Rudlin, John (1994). ''Commedia dell’Arte, An actor's handbook''. London: Routledge. {{ISBN|9780415047708}}.
* Rudlin, John; Crick, Olly (2001). ''Commedia dell'arte: A Handbook for Troupes''. London: Routledge. {{ISBN|9780415204088}}.
* Sand, Maurice (1860). ''Masques et Bouffons. Comédie italienne'', vol. 1. Paris: Michel Levy Frères. [https://books.google.com/books?id=zl1sn5guZ_cC&pg=PP9 Copy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521080527/https://books.google.com/books?id=zl1sn5guZ_cC&pg=PP9#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=21 May 2024 }} at Google Books.
* Scuderi, Antonio. "Arlecchino Revisited: Tracing the Demon from the Carnival to Kramer and Mr. Bean." ''Theatre History Studies'', vol. 20, 2000., pp.&nbsp;143–155.
* [[Sterling, Charles]] (1943). "Early Paintings of the Commedia dell'arte in France." ''Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin'', New ser., v. 2, no. 1 (Summer, 1943). {{JSTOR|3257039}}.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wiktionary|harlequin}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Harlequin |short=x}}

{{Clowns}}
{{Stock characters}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Harlequin| ]]
[[Category:Fictional characters introduced in the 16th century]]
[[Category:Stupid Zanni class characters]]
[[Category:Stock characters]]
[[Category:Fictional tricksters]]
[[Category:Fictional jesters]]
[[Category:Clowns]]
[[Category:Commedia dell'arte male characters]]
[[Category:Fictional Italian people]]