Tartaglia is a minor character in the Commedia dell'arte. He is nearsighted and with a terrible stutter (hence his name; cf. Spanish 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). His social status varies; he is sometimes a bailiff, lawyer, notary or chemist. Dramatist Carlo Gozzi 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. His characteristics formed the basis of Porky Pig. In the opera Le maschere by Mascagni, one of the characters is Tartaglia, a stuttering servant.