The history of the harlequinade, volume 2 (of 2)

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About this book

"The history of the harlequinade, volume 2 (of 2)" by Maurice Sand is a historical and theatrical study written in the mid-19th century. It explores the lineage, traits, costumes, and stage business of commedia dell’arte figures and their European offshoots, blending scholarship with anecdotes about performers and productions. This volume especially follows the “old man” masks (like Pantaloon and the Doctor), their transformations across regions, and the transition from improvised comedy toward musical theatre and the cantatrice. The opening of the book traces the comic “old man” archetype from Greek and Roman comedy to the Italian stage, then concentrates on Pantaloon—his Venetian roots, miserly and credulous temperament, stock scenes and pranks with Harlequin, social variants (from shabby shopkeeper to Don Pantaleone), costume shifts, and notable interpreters through the centuries.