View source for Vecchio

{{Short description|Character archetype in commedia dell'arte}}
{{For-multi|the river in Corsica|Vecchio (river)|the surname and people named ''Vecchio''|Vecchio (surname)}}
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'''{{lang|it|Vecchio}}''' ({{IPA|it|ˈvɛkkjo|lang}}; {{plural form}}: {{lang|it|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]],<ref name="HenkeRoles">{{cite book |last=Henke |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Henke |title=Performance and Literature in the Commedia dell'Arte |chapter=Improvisation and Characters, Individual Roles |date=2010 |orig-date=2002 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=9780521172387 |oclc=701072868 |pages=19–24}}</ref> and [[il Capitano]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commedia dell'arte| url= https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/comm/hd_comm.htm |access-date=6 November 2021 |website=MetMuseum.org}}</ref> Pantalone and il Dottore are the [[alter ego]] of each other: Pantalone being the decadent wealthy merchant, and il Dottore being the decadent erudite.<ref name="HenkeRoles" />

They are overwhelmingly the [[antagonist]]s, opposing the love of the {{lang|it|[[innamorati]]}}; the comic ending is produced when the [[Zanni]] manage to overcome them and unite the lovers.

==See also==
* [[Commedia dell'arte]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Vecchio class characters| Vecchio]]


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