“The first duty of a revolutionist is to get away with it. The second duty is to eat breakfast. I ain’t going.” Abbie Hoffman.
““When I do philosophy—like I’m doing now—I feel it is entertainment, but I hope it resembles listening to someone play beautiful music. I am not being serious, but I am being sincere. The difference between seriousness and sincerity is that seriousness is someone speaking in the context of the possibility of tragedy.” ― Alan W. Watts, Out of Your Mind: Tricksters, Interdependence, and the Cosmic Game of Hide and Seek
The Harlequin is a stock character in the Commedia dell’arte, a form of Italian theater that emerged in the 16th century. The character is a colourful, mischievous, and cunning servant, often dressed in a multicolored costume of diamond-shaped patches.
One of the defining characteristics of the Harlequin is his physical agility. He is known for his acrobatic feats and his ability to move quickly and gracefully and this is often used in the Commedia dell’arte to create comedic moments, as the Harlequin’s antics often lead to confusion and chaos.
In classic Hod/Trickster style, an important aspect of the Harlequin’s character is his intelligence, he is often the brains behind the various schemes and plots of the Commedia dell’arte troupe, using his wit and cunning to outsmart his masters and outmaneuver his rivals. As a prankster, he is constantly seeking new ways to play tricks on the other characters.
A nuanced character., he is often portrayed as a sympathetic figure, someone who is forced to use his wit and cunning to survive in a society that is hostile and unfair to him. In this way, much like “Punch” from “Punch and Judy” puppet theatre, the Harlequin can be seen as a commentary on the plight of the lower classes in Renaissance Italy.
The character has been adapted and reinterpreted in various forms of media, from theater to film to literature. The Harlequin has also been an inspiration for many other characters in pop culture, including the Joker in Batman comics and the Trickster in mythology.
“Instead of thinking that you’re a victim of a mechanical world or an autocratic God, try this on — the life you’re living is what you have put yourself into. Only you won’t admit it because you want to play the game that it has happened to you. But instead of blaming your father for getting horny for your mother, and expecting both of them to take responsibility for your crummy life since they brought you into the world, try considering that you were the shiny gleam in your father’s eye when he approached your mother, and that it was your intention that led you to become deliberately involved in this particular existence. And even if you’ve had a terrible life — rife with syphilis and tuberculosis and the Siberian Itch — it has all, nevertheless, been a game. And isn’t that an optimal hypothesis?”
― Out of Your Mind: Tricksters, Interdependence and the Cosmic Game of Hide-and-Seek
There are similarities between the character of Harlequin and the gods Hanuman, Mercury, and Hermes.
Hanuman is a Hindu god and is known for his physical strength and intelligence. He is also known for his loyalty and his devotion to his Lord Rama and as with other gods of Hod, he is also known for his shape-shifting abilities and his quick thinking.
Mercury, also known as Hermes in Greek mythology, is the Roman and Greek god of commerce, thieves, travelers, sports, and athletes. He is known for his intelligence, his ability to move quickly, and his love of practical jokes and pranks.
The character Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series MAS*H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) does share some similarities with the Harlequin character.
Hawkeye is a surgeon in the series and is known for his intelligence, wit, and sarcasm. He is a skilled and intelligent rebel, often using wry humour to cope with the stresses of war and to lighten the mood of the hospital staff.
Much like the Harlequin, he is not afraid to speak his mind and challenge authority, making him a character that is relatable to many people who were watching the show during the war. Again, he is a “man of the people”, a hero for the underclasses.
Furthermore, Hawkeye like the Harlequin is a complex character and he is not always a comedic figure, and this is revealed in how he deals with the emotional weight of the war and its impact on him and his colleagues.
Other Harlequin Characters
There are several popular characters in literature, film, and television that adhere to the Harlequin archetype. Some examples include:
- Somewhat more anti-social, The Joker in Batman comics is a classic example of a character that adheres to the Harlequin archetype.
- The character of Puck in Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is an example of a character that adheres to the Harlequin archetype. He is known for his intelligence, wit, and love of practical jokes and pranks. He is also known for his ability to cause chaos and confusion, and his ability to shapeshift.
- The character of Reynard the Fox, a trickster figure in medieval European literature, Reynard is a clever and cunning fox who uses his wit and guile to outsmart his enemies and gain the upper hand in various situations.
- The character of Bugs Bunny in Warner Bros’ cartoon, is known for his wit, cunning, etc, etc.
Timothy Claypole
Timothy Claypole, a character from the popular British children’s television show “Rentaghost”, is another example of a character that adheres to the Harlequin archetype. He is a ghost who serves as a butler and is known for his intelligence, wit and pranking nature.
Timothy is a mischievous and cunning ghost who uses his wit and guile to outsmart his human employers and often gets himself into trouble with his antics. He is also known for his physical agility, as he can float and move through walls and objects.
Like the Harlequin, Timothy is a character that is not just a one-dimensional trickster, but a character that has a deeper side, as he often uses his wit and cunning to help his human friends and even to give them advice. As a walker between the worlds of the living and the dead, Claypole in part fulfills the role of psychopomp that is common to the gods of Hod.
