As the Harlequinade portion of English dramatic genre pantomime developed, Harlequin was routinely paired with the character Clown. The Harlequin character first appeared in England early in the 17th century and took center stage in the derived genre of the Harlequinade, developed in the early 18th century by John Rich. Harlequin inherits his physical agility and his trickster qualities, as well as his name, from a mischievous "devil" character in medieval passion plays. He later develops into a prototype of the romantic hero. 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, Columbina, with wit and resourcefulness, often competing with the sterner and melancholic Pierrot. The Harlequin is characterized by his chequered costume. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by 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. Harlequin (/ˈhɑːrləkwɪn/ Italian: Arlecchino, French: Arlequin, Old French Harlequin) is the best-known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte. Harlequin in motley attire, year 1671 by Maurice Sand
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