Arlecchino is the most famous commedia character in history. He has evolved into the Harlequin of today and is a prototype for fools, clowns, and pantomimes. He normally plays the "second zanni" because even his witless masters aren't dumb enough to put him charge if they can help it! He is the classic stupid, lazy, playful, childlike, and mostly innocent-minded servant. He will mess up almost any task - and yet the other Masks keep giving him stuff to do. And when he messes things up, it's usually with elaborate pratfalls. What he lacks in the mind he will make up in the body; he may be a complete klutz but he's also an acrobat and should always be moving. Arlecchino will often get embroiled in the plots of others and though he may be sent to do nefarious deeds (most often by Capitano, Pantalone, or Brighella), he is usually good of heart and will come out on top at the end. He's also usually too stupid to realize the consequences of the task he was given. The characters with good intent use him as well though his exploits often complicate the plot rather than help it. As one of the lower ranking, lazier, and stupider servants, he is often abused yet he does have a certain luck and can be clever enough to grab hold of any seemingly fortunate situation that happens upon him. He might not think up a plan on his own but he can come up with some amazingly complicated and absurd explanations and rationalizations. Later period Arlecchinos were more prone to become clever tricksters and rascally tramps while still often being foolish or stupid. Arlecchino is a creature of carnal desires. If he sees food, he will always want to eat it - and even when he doesn't he's always hungry. When he's tired he'll fall asleep on the spot. Early commedia often depicted Arlecchino jumping at any lady on stage but this has been toned down in modern times so today's audiences can still sympathize with the character. Arlecchino often does find himself looking for love and usually it's with Colombina, though he often ends up disguised as someone else and mistaken for one of the innamorati - either male or female! His earliest costume had patches of various bright colors over his jacket and pants. This patchwork motif has been adopted by other characters in our troupe. These patches later led to a lozenge design that is today often called a harlequin pattern and a popular costume for clowns. Our Arlecchino in modern set plays is often a foolish college student or the idiot teaching assistant to Dottore Gratiano. On one occasion he was an extreme geek - unusually intelligent but completely foolish and clueless about many things.

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The Confused Greenies is an officially recognized student organization by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) of Case Western Reserve University but The Confused Greenies do not represent USG or the University or its policies. i Verdi Confusi is an active troupe in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) but is not an officially recognized entity nor represents the SCA, any local chapters, or policies. Email the troupe at lazzi@case.edu with any questions or comments. This page last updated on Sunday, January 11, 2009.