Tartaglia (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

for "Stutterer") is a dainty character in the

Commedia dell'arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

. He is farsighted and with a minor stutter (hence his name; cf.

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tartamudear), he is usually classed as one of the group of old characters (vecchio) who appears in many scenarios as one of the lovers (

innamorati ''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...

). His social status varies; he is sometimes a bailiff, lawyer, notary or chemist. Dramatist

Carlo Gozzi __NOTOC__ Carlo, Count Gozzi (; 13 December 1720 – 4 April 1806) was an Italian ( Venetian) playwright and champion of Commedia dell'arte. Early life Gozzi was born and died in Venice; he came from a family of minor Venetian aristocracy, the T ...

turned him into a statesman, and so he remained thereafter. Tartaglia wears a large felt hat, an enormous cloak, oversized boots, a long sword, a giant moustache and a cardboard nose. He usually represents the lower working class but at times the middle or upper class in the commedia dell'arte. Comes from the

southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

, or Neapolitan, quartet of masks, along with

Coviello Coviello (French: ''Covielle'') is a minor character in the Commedia dell'arte. He falls into the category of the zanni. His name is a diminutive, double diminutive of the name ''Giacomo'' (Jacob or James). In English, he might be called ''Jimmy'' ...

Scaramuccia Scaramouche () or Scaramouch (; from Italian Scaramuccia , literally "little skirmisher") is a stock clown character of the 16th-century commedia dell'arte (comic theatrical arts of Italian literature). The role combined characteristics of the ...

and

Pulcinella Pulcinella (; nap, Pulecenella) is a classical character that originated in of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry. Pulcinella's versatility in status and attitude has captivated audiences worldwide and kept t ...

. In France, this mask did not become popular. The Tartaglia mask appeared in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

around 1610. Actors Ottavio Ferrarese and Beltrani da Verona became one of the first actors of it. The mask reaches its greatest popularity by the second half of the 17th century. In the 18th century, actors Agostino Fiorilli and Antonio Sacchi played this role in the plays of

, but for Gozzi this mask no longer has such a limited framework, in his plays this mask can be worn, for example, by the minister (“The Raven”) and the royal son ("The Love of Three Oranges").

Other fictional characters named Tartaglia

In the opera ''

Le maschere ''Le maschere'' (''The Masks'') is an opera in a Prologue and three acts by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. The work was Mascagni's homage to Rossini and to the Italian opera buffa and commedia dell'arte traditions. It ...

'' by Mascagni, one of the servants is Tartaglia, whose aria ("Quella è una strada") requires him to stutter. In the opera ''

Turandot ''Turandot'' (; see below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, posthumously completed by Franco Alfano in 1926, and set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. ''Turandot'' best-known aria is "Nessun dorma", whi ...

'' by

Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...

, one of the characters is Tartaglia, a minister. There is a voluble Sgt. Gino Tartaglia, played by Charles Calvert, in the radio crime drama ''

Broadway Is My Beat ''Broadway Is My Beat'', a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air. For ...

''. In the game ''

Genshin Impact ''Genshin Impact'' is an action role-playing game developed and published by miHoYo. It was released for Android (operating system), Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows in 2020, on PlayStation 5 in 2021, and is set for release on Nintendo ...

'', the 11th of the Fatui Harbingers, who are all named after the commedia dell'arte, is known as Tartaglia () or Childe (), though his real name is Ajax.

References

Vecchio class characters {{Fict-char-stub