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Zanni (from the Italian, dialectal nickname for Giovanni) was the archetype of the comic servant characters of the Commedia dell'arte. The character of Zanni was an older, impoverished man and hired servant of one of the other characters, typically Pantalone.

Zanni's costume was loosely fitting white smock and pants. He wore a black mask reminiscent of his more popular descendant, Arlecchino. His behavior is a cartoon imitation of the impoverished rural folk of Bergamo who were forced to move to Venice in order to make a living. As such, his interests do not always coincide with those of his master. His primary goals are his own comfort and the satisfaction of various immediate desires.

In later periods the character fell into disuse and the word "zanni" came to mean (but not in Italy) the whole category of comic servant characters such as Arlecchino, Brighella, Coviello, Pulcinella, and Pierrot. The word eventually evolved into the English word "zany".
Italian}}} 
Official status
Official language of:  European Union
 European Union
 Switzerland
 San Marino
Vatican City
Sovereign Military Order of Malta

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tricky slave is a clever, lower-class person who brings about the happy ending of a comedy for the lovers. He is cleverer than the upper-class people about him, both the lovers and the characters who block their love, and typically also looking out for his own interests; in the New
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Pantalone (French: Pantaloon) is a stock character that is classified as one of the vecchi (old men) in Commedia dell'arte. He is a miserly and often libidinous character who is portrayed as a Venetian and often speaks in the Venetian dialect.
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Harlequin (Arlecchino in Italian) is the most popular of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'Arte.

Although illustrations of Arlecchino have only been dated as far back as 1572, the character had existed before then.
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Country Italy
Region Lombardy
Province Bergamo (BG)
Mayor Roberto Bruni (since 27/06/2004)

Area km
Population
 - Total (as of December 31, 2006)
 - Density /km
Time zone
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Country Italy
Region Veneto
Province Venice (VE)
Mayor Massimo Cacciari (since April 18 2005)

Area km
Population
 - Total (as of January 1 2004)
 - Density /km
Time zone
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Harlequin (Arlecchino in Italian) is the most popular of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'Arte.

Although illustrations of Arlecchino have only been dated as far back as 1572, the character had existed before then.
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Brighella (French: Brighelle) is a comic, masked character from the Commedia dell'arte. His early costume consisted of loosely-fitting, white smock and pants with green trim and was often equipped with a battachio or slapstick, or else with a wooden sword.
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Coviello (French: Covielle) is a minor character in the Commedia dell'arte. He falls into the category of the zanni. His name is a double diminutive of the name Giacomo (Jacob or James). In English, he might be called Jimmy or Jackie.
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Pulcinella, often called Punch or Punchinello in English, Polichinelle in French, is a classical character that originated in the Commedia dell'arte of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry.
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Pierrot is a stock character of mime and Commedia dell'Arte, a French variant of the Italian Pedrolino. His character is that of the sad clown, pining for love of Columbine, who inevitably breaks his heart and leaves him for Harlequin.
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English}}} 
Writing system: Latin (English variant) 
Official status
Official language of: 53 countries
Regulated by: no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1: en
ISO 639-2: eng
ISO 639-3: eng  
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