Italian: Vecchio (pronounced as /it/; : Italian: 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.
They are overwhelmingly the antagonists, opposing the love of the Italian: [[innamorati]]; the comic ending is produced when the Zanni manage to overcome them and unite the lovers.