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Who is Dottore, the commedia dell'arte mask?
- SumMaSk
- May 28
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Il Dottore (the Doctor) belongs to the family of vecchi in the Commedia dell'arte. He is a doctor of medicine from Bologna who seems to know everything, speaking Latin without truly understanding it. He can also be a professor, magistrate, or notary; in any case, he holds a position of power linked to knowledge. Ironically, this character finds his satire in his lack of knowledge despite his learned appearance. He is dressed in a black robe. His mask consists of a large, deformed, dark nose (or one marked with a black spot).
Who is Dottore, the commedia dell'arte mask
What are the origins of Dottore ?
He originally comes from Bologna.
What are the characteristics of Dottore ?Who is Dottore, the commedia dell'arte mask
He is a doctor of medicine (professor, physician, etc.) or a doctor of law (judge, magistrate, etc.). He is the stereotypical caricature of the supposedly learned scholar: he punctuates his interminable speeches with incomprehensible Latin quotations. He prescribes absurd potions and medications, sometimes even dangerous! As an endless chatterbox, his reasoning is nonsensical.
Behind his grand pronouncements lies profound ignorance.
Physically, he is hampered by his width; his body is heavy and cumbersome.
What does his mask look like?
Like most characters in the commedia dell'arte, he wears a mask: in his case, the mask generally only covers his eyebrows and nose.
Shaped in a T, this mask denotes a strong downward weight, but also a haughty air directed upward (at the level of the eyebrows). His nose is often deformed, round, and heavy, and black in color.
Article based on the texts of Pierangelo and Robin Summa: La maschera è libertà, storia di un'insurrezione teatrale.
Libretto 1 : le origini della commedia dell'arte e qualche suo personaggio, Il Quaderno Edizioni
