harlequinade

harlequinade
/hahr'leuh kwi nayd", -ki-/, n.
1. a pantomime, farce, or similar play in which Harlequin plays the principal part.
2. buffoonery.
[1770-80; < F arlequinade. See HARLEQUIN, -ADE1]

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      play or scene, usually in pantomime, in which Harlequin, a male character, has the principal role. Derived from the Italian commedia dell'arte, harlequinades came into vogue in early 18th-century England, with a standard plot consisting of a pursuit of the lovers Harlequin and Columbine by the latter's father, Pantaloon, and his bumpkin servant Pedrolino. In the Victorian era the harlequinade was reduced to a plotless epilogue to the main pantomime, which was often a dramatized fairy tale.

Additional Reading
David Mayer, Harlequin in His Element: The English Pantomime, 1806–1836 (1969).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Harlequinade — Har le*quin*ade ( [=a]d ), n. [F. arleguinade.] A play or part of a play in which the harlequin is conspicuous; the part of a harlequin. Macaulay. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • harlequinade — [här΄li kwi nād′] n. [Fr arlequinade] 1. that part of a play or pantomime in which the Harlequin and the clown play leading parts 2. comic pranks; lively, mischievous antics; buffoonery …   English World dictionary

  • Harlequinade — See also Commedia dell arte Harlequinade is a type of theatrical performance piece, usually a slapstick adaptation of the Commedia dell arte, which dates back to England in the mid 18th century. The story revolves around the lives of its five… …   Wikipedia

  • Harlequinade — Este artículo o sección necesita referencias que aparezcan en una publicación acreditada, como revistas especializadas, monografías, prensa diaria o páginas de Internet fidedignas. Puedes añadirlas así o avisar …   Wikipedia Español

  • harlequinade — noun /hɑːləkwɪˈneɪd/ a) A pantomime like comedy featuring the harlequin or clown. Away up the gorge all diurnal fancies trooped into the wide liberties of endless luminous vistas of azure sunlit mountains beneath the shining azure heavens, the… …   Wiktionary

  • harlequinade — noun Date: 1781 a play or pantomime in which Harlequin has a leading role …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • harlequinade — har·le·quin·ade || ‚hÉ‘rlɪkwɪ neɪd /‚hɑːl n. buffoonery, clownish performance …   English contemporary dictionary

  • harlequinade — [ˌhα:lɪkwɪ neɪd] noun 1》 historical the section of a traditional pantomime in which Harlequin played a leading role. 2》 dated a piece of buffoonery …   English new terms dictionary

  • harlequinade — n. Masking, mummery, masquerade, buffoonery, foolery, tomfoolery …   New dictionary of synonyms

  • harlequinade — n 1. farce, travesty, lampoon, caricature; pantomime, dumb show, charade. 2. buffoonery, clownery, clownishness, foolery, tomfoolery, Inf. shenanigans, Sl. monkeyshines …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

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