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|ˈvɛakk yo|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,{{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}} and il Capitano.{{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}} Pantalone and il Dottore are the alter ego of each other: Pantalone being the decadent wealthy merchant, and il Dottore being the decadent erudite.

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