Il Dottore
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Il Dottore or the Doctor (usually called Dottore Balanzone or Dottore Graziano, the Doctor) is a commedia dell'arte stock character, he is a local aristocrat or doctor of medicine or doctor of law (lawyer), or doctor of anything he claims to know everything about which is most things. He went all the way to Bologna to read for his degree. He is extremely rich, with "old" money. He adores food and good wines, thus he is a little round... He is extremely pompous, and loves the sound of his own voice, spouting ersatz Latin and Greek. Many modern politicians would make good Dottores...His interaction in the play is usually mostly with Pantalone, either as a friend, mentor or competitor.
He is typically depicted as an elderly man who only knows nonsense. He makes many cruel jokes about the opposite sex and believes that he knows everything about everything. He is an obese man that enjoys the bottle and eating to excess. His mask is unique in that it is the only mask in Commedia dell'arte to cover only the forehead and nose.
The saying you are full of Baloney is in reference to this characters having been to the academy of Bologna.
Famous examples
- Gratiano from plays written by Shakespeare
- The doctors from Le Malade imaginaire one of Molière's plays