Polichinelle

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre | 1996 | 557 words | Copyright

Polichinelle, French character, particularly prominent in puppet-shows, which derived from the commedia dell'arte mask Pulcinella. Like his prototype, he was humpbacked with a big hooked nose, but not at all doltish, being regarded by many as the epitome of quick wit and sardonic Gallic humour. He flourished particularly in Lyon and the surrounding district, and in 1660 was imported into England in the wake of Charles II's entourage, where as Punchinello he took fashionable society by storm and was transmogrified into the very English figure of Punch.

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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Polichinelle." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Polichinelle." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Polichinelle.html

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Polichinelle." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Polichinelle.html

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