Il Dottore Commedia Dell'Atre

Il Dottore

Il Dottore; usually called Dottore Balanzone, Dottore Baloardo, or Dottore Graziano; is one of the vecchio or old men. The Doctor is a local disruptive busybody who doesn't listen to anyone else from any of the fields that he claims to know about. Although he speaks with a lisp, Dottore is loath to stop talking. Educated in Bologna, he is extremely pompous and loves the sound of his own voice. Spouting artificial Latin and Greek, His speech is filled with malapropisms and gibberish.

He has a pot-belly and dresses entirely in black except for a white collar. He frequently wears a hat, and long, trailing robes. If the actor playing the role is not naturally fat then he is padded out to make him seem so. Il Dottore’s mask is unique in that it is the only mask in Commedia dell'arte to cover only the forehead and nose. It is sometimes black, or else flesh-toned with a red nose. The actor's cheeks are often highlighted and reddened with makeup to show the effects of Dottore's drinking.

Dottore finds it hard to move very fast because of his large size.  He puts most of his weight on his heels and tilts his stomach forward.  While talking, Dottore moves in figure eights with small steps, and he continually gestures with his hands.  He never stops moving.  Dottore loves to eat and will do so whenever possible, but he is not preoccupied with food, like Zanni.

Often a great bore to the other characters, Il Dottore’s interaction in the play is usually with Pantalone, either as a friend, mentor or competitor.  The Doctor mispronounces Pantalone's name in stupid and embarrassing ways and speaks in non sequitur, sporadically changing between seemingly unrelated topics. Another character will seek medical advice from the doctor only for him to pronounce them pregnant, regardless of their gender, or that they are dying of some incurable disease.The Doctor character is normally used in the Commedia dell'Arte plays to put a break in the action, with empty,...