Harlequin 38341 224426369 2008-07-08T20:08:59Z XLinkBot 6163802 BOT--Reverting edits by [[:en:Special:Contributions/71.237.198.32|71.237.198.32]] to revision 222594318 (\bmyspace\.com) {{otheruses}} {{redirect|Arlecchino|the opera|Arlecchino (opera)}} '''Harlequin''' ('''Arlecchino''' in [[Italian language|Italian]], '''Arlequin''' in [[French language|French]]) is the most popular of the ''[[zanni]]'' or comic servant characters from the [[Italian language|Italian]] ''[[Commedia dell'Arte]]''. ==Origins== [[Image:Inf. 22 Giovanni di Paolo (XV century).jpg|thumb|Arlecchino and other demons handling souls from the pitch for Dante and Virgil ([[Giovanni di Paolo]], 15th century).]] There are these theories about the origin of the term Harlequin: * Via Italian ''Arlecchino'' from Latin ''Herculinus'', meaning "little Hercules", as if a [[skit]] form of the [[Hercules]] heroic character was one of various threads leading to its origin. * From the term ''Hellequin'' (leader of ''la maisnie Hellequin''), possibly related to the [[Old English]] ''Herla Cyning'' (''King Herla''), a character usually identified with [[Woden]], possibly also, the German ''[[Erlking|Erlkönig]]'' (Elf King).<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=harlequin Online Etymology Dictionary<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/harlequin harlequin - Definitions from Dictionary.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> For more information about the origin of the Harlequin character, see '''[[Commedia dell'arte]]'''. ==References in modern culture and other media== [[Image:Harlekin Columbine Tivoli Denmark.jpg|thumb|right|Harlequin dancing with [[Columbina]].]] In today's culture, harlequins are seen quite often, especially in the [[New Orleans]] [[Mardi Gras]] celebrations. Harlequins frequently appear in pop culture, such as [[Harley Quinn]] from the [[Batman]] series and [[Harle]] from Square Enix's game [[Chrono Cross]]. ===Literature and cinema=== *In the movie ''[[Moulin Rouge!]]'' there is a harlequin [[can can]] dancer. *The main character of [[Neil Gaiman]]'s "[[Harlequin Valentine]]" (based on the ticket seller of [[Lisa|Lisa Snellings-Clark]]'s [[sculpture]] [http://www.lisasnellings.com/dc_crowded.html Crowded After Hours]), invokes the spirit of Harlequin as he pursues his [[Columbina]]. *Marlow, in [[Joseph Conrad]]'s ''[[Heart of Darkness]]'' compares the Russian to a Harlequin, because his clothes resemble the traditional Harlequin costume. (Conrad, Joseph., "Heart of Darkness," (1902) Dover Thrift, New-York, 1990) *[[Agatha Christie]] wrote a number of short stories about ''[[The Mysterious Mr. Quin]]'', an almost-supernatural figure who helps the elderly Mr. Satterthwaite to solve mysteries. She also featured the character of Harlequin in a sequence of poems entitled ''A Masque from Italy'' in her 1925 collection ''[[The Road of Dreams]]'' (reprinted in 1973 in ''[[Poems (Agatha Christie)|Poems]]'') and in her first-ever published magazine short story '' The Affair at the Victory Ball'' (1923), published in book form in the US in the 1951 collection ''[[The Under Dog and Other Stories]]'' and in the UK in ''[[Poirot's Early Cases]]'' in 1974. *[[Dorothy L. Sayers]] has [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] investigate a murder, while masquerading as a harlequin in the book, [[Murder Must Advertise]]. *In [[Tim Burton]]'s ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'', one of the residents of Halloween town is the Harlequin Demon, a tentacle-headed monster with a pattern on its skin similar to the original harlequin costume. *In [[Bernard Cornwell]]'s [[The Grail Quest]] trilogy, the leading character, Thomas of Hookton, searches for revenge after the murder of his father, and follows the track of a mysterious man called the Harlequin. He discovers that this man is in fact his cousin, Guy Vexille, who is working with powerful figures within the Catholics to find out the Holy Grail itself. The trilogy ends with the final battle between the two cousins. *In [[Devil May Cry 3]] the Character "Jester" is rather like a Harlequin. *In the [[DC Comics]] Universe, the [[Joker (comics)|Joker]]'s sidekick and on/off girlfriend is [[Harley Quinn]], who wears a clown costume and has a playful, tricky personality. *Harlequin is a British spy in Prague in the book [[The Golem's Eye]], by Jonathan Stroud. He does not exemplify what most people would think a harlequin looks like. Instead, he is a fat old man, who has a predilection for wearing black, and likes dramatic settings; for instance, he has the main character, Nathaniel, meet him in an overflowing graveyard. *In [[John Twelve Hawks]]' ''Fourth Realm Trilogy'' (including ''[[The Traveler (novel)|The Traveler]]'' and ''[[The Dark River (novel)|The Dark River]]''), a secret international organization known as the Tabula is intent on total control of human society and its populace through the use and manipulation of vast information networks. In this present-day world, Harlequins are warriors trained in combat and subterfuge sworn to protect Travelers, genetically-gifted individuals with the ability to project their souls to other realms. As these Travelers are perceived as a threat to a perfectly ordered and controlled society, the Tabula is determined to harness or destroy them, with only the Harlequins standing in their way. *In [[Chrono Cross]] the Character [[Harle]] is a Harlequin. *[["Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman]] is a popular science fiction short story by Harlan Ellison. It illustrates a dystopian future where punctuality is the law, and the main character named Harlequin displays the rebellious and mischievous nature of the harlequin archetype. *Harlequin is a powerful elf character in at least two of the "Shadowrun" role play books published by FASA. ===Music=== *Harlequins are mentioned in the song [[Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off]] by [[Panic at the Disco]]. ("''Testosterone boys and harlequin girls, will you dance to this beat and hold a lover close?''") *Harlequins are also mentioned in the song [[Pink Hearts, Yellow Stars (Harlequin Lover)]] by [[Chicosci]] *[[Philip Sparke]] is a composer who wrote "Harlequin" for concert band, a piece which takes its inspiration from the happy and sad faces from the Italian Comedia Dell'Arte. It is a work in two movements; a slow ballad followed by a frenetic faster movement. The piece was dedicated to and had a solo for [[David Childs]]. David and [[Steven Mead]] are both euphonium virtuoso willingly head by a broad audience. *[[Progressive metal]] band [[Opeth]] has a song entitled "Harlequin Forest" on their 2005 album Ghost Reveries. *The British rock band [[Genesis]] had a song called Harlequin on their 1972 album [[Nursery Cryme]] *In the opera Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavalla, the character of Beppe plays the Harlequin role in the opera's 'play within a play.' *Harlequin appears in Richard Strauss' opera Ariadne Auf Naxos (another case of a 'play within a play,' or in this case an 'opera within an opera'). *Used in the first line of the Stephen Stills composition "Helplessly Hoping", recorded by the rock musical group Crosby, Stills and Nash. ===Other=== *[[Harlequin FC]] are a British [[rugby union]] team who currently play in the [[Guinness Premiership]] In England. They wear the shirts of the traditional Harlequin character. Also there is a [[Harlequins RL|Rugby league side]] of the same name who recently changed their name from the [[London Broncos]]. *In the tabletop strategy game ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'', [[Eldar Harlequins|the Harlequins]] are an enigmatic group of the [[Eldar (Warhammer 40,000)|Eldar]] known for using misdirection and confusion when they fight. Their clothing is a stylized version of the original harlequin costume. *In the radio drama, "[[Adventures in Odyssey]]", the local dinner theatre is named The Harliquin Dinner Theatre. *In a [[Pablo Picasso]] [[Painting]] the [[Three Musicians]] a ''Harlequin'' is seen in the middle. ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Jesters]] [[ca:Arlequí]] [[de:Harlekin]] [[es:Arlequín]] [[fr:Arlequin]] [[it:Arlecchino]] [[ja:アルレッキーノ]] [[no:Harlekin]] [[pl:Arlekin]] [[pt:Arlequim]] [[ru:Арлекин]] [[fi:Harlekiini]] [[sv:Harlekin]] [[uk:Арлекін]]