GOLDONI, gol-do'ne, Carlo, the founder of modern Italian comedy of comedies: b. Venice, 1707; d. Paris, 6 Feb. 1793. He early showed a taste for theatrical representations, reading every dramatic production of which he could obtain possession, especially the works of the popular comic poet, Cicognini, and when scarcely eight sketched a comedy, which ex cited the wonder of his relatives. His father, a physician then practising at Chiozza, destined Wm for the medical profession, and took him occasionally to visit his patients. But Goldoni, dissatisfied with this study, obtained permission to study law in Venice. Soon after, however, a relative procured for him a place in the Papal College at the University of Pavia, from which he was expelled for writing an abusive satire. His father died in 1731, and from this time Goldoni lived an unsettled and wandering life, resorting to various means to make a liveli hood, but usually living as the companion of strolling players in a continual scene of dissi pation and intrigue until 1736, when he married and removed to Venice.
Goldoni's merits in reforming the Italian theatre cannot be mistaken. He was a most prolific writer, and in one year produced an output of 16 comedies. Many of his numerous pieces still retain possession of the stage in his native country, and, in translations, of the stages of foreign countries. Among the numer ous editions of his works, that published at Venice in 1788 and 1794-95, in 44 volumes, is the most complete; and that published at Flor ence in 53 volumes in 1827 the most elegant. Translations and imitations of some of his works have been made in French, German and English. Goldoni wrote memoirs of himself in French, in which he also composed two come dies, one of which,