Columbina is a strange girl who never belonged. Born into poverty in a society that placed very little value on women, she was hugely intelligent, ambitious, daring and adventurous … with absolutely no outlet for that. She knows that had she been born a man she could have accomplished great things, but that was not the hand Fate dealt her. Everyone in her life is either horrible to her or bores her to tears. So she recedes into her mind and into her books. Then along comes Arlecchino, the charming and colorful rogue. Everyone dismisses him as a ne’er-do-well simpleton – but she sees through the illusion. She sees that he is dangerous and going to shake everything up. Destroy her. She craves that and for the first time in her life she is excited by another person. Likewise he sees her as she truly is, and not the unremarkable serving girl she presents to the world. He sees the hunger and madness within her and he wants to let it out. He takes her seriously, doesn’t coddle her, doesn’t underestimate her, doesn’t treat her like she’s weak and stupid. He goads her on to break her chains, to be free, to shatter her mind and embrace the magic inherent in her being. And she does. And the two of them go off and have strange and crazy adventures in the land of faery, occasionally returning to this world to scheme and fuck with people. They remind me a lot of Mickey and Mallory from Natural Born Killers or The Joker and Harley Quinn.
I love this description. Like Dionysos liberating the Maenad. These archetypes make a pair.
My whole cosmology is profoundly incestuous that way. It’s practically the same story being told over and over and over again with only a minor shuffling of characters.
I think I’m still waiting for my Alrecchino. Great post. As you know, I freaking adore Joke and Harley.
Keep the dream alive, dear. One day you’ll find your homicidal maniac in greasepaint!