Carlo Goldoni (February 25, 1707 - February 6, 1793) was an Italian playwright. In some of his plays he retained the masked characters of the commedia dell'arte which dominated the Italian stage at that time, but in many others, including those regarded as his best, he broke from that tradition, and wrote contemporary comedies of manners with realistic characters.
Goldoni collaborated with Baldassare Galuppi on a number of operas. His libretti were later employed by other composers, Joseph Haydn's Il Mondo della luna being one example. His works were the basis of several operas by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari in the 19th and 20th centuries.
