Arlecchino is extremely flexible, always in movement or fast asleep in improbable poses. His pelvis is pulled back, his legs are always in motion. His flexible knees allow him to jump and run in every direction. He is always curious, poking his nose everywhere while pointing his heel forward as a brake to avoid any commitment. Arlecchino achieves minimal results with a maximum effort, a master of wasting energy.
Archetypes
Commedia dell’Arte
Arlecchino
Pantalone
His entire body attempts to elongate itself but in doing so his posture becomes rigid as his upper body empties itself. His pelvis is pulled down and forward, as if the enormous weight of his testicles irresistibly drags him downward, while his desires stretch him inexorably upwards. He lives in such a constant and extreme tension and dissociation that he becomes inflexible and fragile. The desire to live and love on the one hand and the obsession with the accumulation of material goods on the other make Pantalone a prisoner of his own decadent and decaying body.
Dottore
The Doctor is dependent – dependent on food, drink, constant affirmation and the need to occupy space. In order to conceal his internal lack he compensates with an arrogant demonstration of his wisdom. In reality he has nothing to say though he pretends to know a lot. The Doctor is not only rotund, he is incredibly thick and heavy. One of his other names describes him best: Balanzone, from “ballonzolare”, to bounce around. To support his weight, the doctor must expand, swelling in all directions like a balloon. In fact he is just full of hot air.
Capitano
The Captain’s chest is not only open, but also proudly inflated. Always ready to defend himself, his torso rotates abruptly to the left and down as if to grab his sword. His shoulders are raised up to his ears to show off his alleged muscles. His eyes are always on the move to discover new dangers or perhaps to find new admirers. He goes out to show himself off, with his legs extended in a spasm, as if he were marching in a parade. He hits his heels hard against each other when he arrives in a new place, thus hurting himself from time to time. He is the descendant of “The Swaggering Soldier” by Titus Maccius Plautus.
Colombina
Her breasts and bottom are curvy, and so are her hips. Colombina plays hide and seek with every part of her body, as if she were saying: “You want it? Well, you can’t have it! You can look but can’t touch!” An expert in isolating body parts, she is a master of seduction and intrigue.
Amorosi – The enamored nobles
The Nobles twist themselves upwards. Their love is not a profane impulse, but a pure sentiment that pulls them towards the heavens or rather distances them from the “impudent” parts of the body. The chest and arms are raised with lightness and effort at the same time. Their hands move in all directions like butterflies and flowers describing their dreams, thwarted desires and burning regrets.