Vecchio
Character archetype in commedia dell'arte
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vecchio (Italian: [ˈvɛkkjo]; pl.: vecchi; meaning 'old one' or simply 'old') is a category of aged, male characters from Italian commedia dell'arte theatre. The primary members of this group are Pantalone, il Dottore,[1] and il Capitano.[2] Pantalone and il Dottore are the alter ego of each other: Pantalone being the decadent wealthy merchant, and il Dottore being the decadent erudite.[1]
They are overwhelmingly the antagonists, opposing the love of the innamorati; the comic ending is produced when the Zanni manage to overcome them and unite the lovers.
