Act 3

ACT THREE

ISABELLA, BURATTINO, the former dressed regally in her best outfit, tells Burattino that since venting her anger to the Captain she has been moved to resume dressing in her usual habit, and also because ladies are more pleasing and attractive to men when ornate and polished instead of dirty and grimy. Burattino reminds her of her honor and that of her brother Cinthio;

then

FRANCESCHINA returns to enter the house, not recognizing Isabella in her new outfit;

then

ARLECCHINO, lamenting what he believes to be the death of the Captain, his master. Isabella, hearing this, exhibits much joy. Arlecchino goes into the house;

then

PEDROLINO sees Isabella in her new clothes; recognizes her, compliments her, then tells how Orazio, noble son of Graziano, is in love with her -- Isabella says she felt the same about the man when she saw him with his father, and that she will pursue that love;

then

GRAZIANO arrives just then, looks at Isabella, greets her amorously, begins to proposition her. She tells him she is a foreigner. Pedrolino tells him he should invite her over to his house, that she will accept and go with him gladly. Graziano happily invites her. Isabella accepts the offer. Graziano leads her into his house, Pedrolino accompanies them, and Burattino goes away. Graziano: I’m looking forward to a very good night;

then

PEDROLINO, after having conducted them to the bedroom upstairs, sends Graziano to go to purchase some candy as a present for Isabella. Graziano hurries away; Pedrolino remains;

then

ORAZIO and FLAVIO laughing about the Captain. Pedrolino says he’s going to play a joke on Orazio, and so tells him about how his father has been enjoying the foreign girl who is staying in the house, and that he’s gone to buy candy for her. Orazio, enraged, goes to find him. Pedrolino laughs with Flavio, admits that Graziano hasn’t had sex with her, but that Isabella is in the house because she wants to see Orazio. Flavio goes to find him and explain everything. Pedrolino remains.

THE CAPTAIN all wet, for he’s been thrown into the Tiber, and he tells the story of how he was rescued. Pedrolino wants to make him go away; claims that he saw twenty-five armed men trying to find him in order to kill him. The Captain calls for Arlecchino in a frenzy.

ARLECCHINO enters. The Captain very frantically sends him to pack the suitcase in order for them to leave. Arlecchino returns so that they can escape, with much frenzy, in order to save themselves. Pedrolino laughs some more;

then

FLAMINIA at the window. Pedrolino, in order to lower her expectations, tells of how Orazio and Flavio have had another fight, and how they have agreed that Flavio will give Flaminia to Orazio, and Flavio will get that beautiful foreign girl. Flaminia laments for Flavio;

then

ISABELLA at Graziano’s window. Pedrolino then says to Flaminia: “Madam, behold the lady who enjoys your Flavio!” and he goes.  Flaminia greets her and mentions that she saw her at the inn, then asks what she’s doing in that house. Isabella says she is there to claim the son of the man who owns the house, without specifying either Orazio or Flavio, and she goes back inside. Flaminia laments for Flavio;

then

FLAVIO arrives; Flaminia is lamenting over his agreement with Orazio, which she has heard about from Pedrolino. Flavio, laughing, says she was deceived, then tells her that the girl in his father’s house is there for Orazio, and that if she will let him into her house he’ll tell her all about it. Flaminia figures it’s alright since she’s going to be his wife; and he enters.

GRAZIANO arrives in short order carrying candy, flasks of Greek wine and other things as presents for Isabella;

then

FRANCESCHINA comes out dramatically, having heard from Pedrolino how Graziano behaved in inviting another girl to his home so that he could have sex with her. She complains to him, weeps that he has stolen her honor and abandoned her for another; and when all is said and done, Graziano calms her down by taking her into the house to fuck, and they exit.

PEDROLINO and BURATTINO in a big argument, for Burattino wants to know if his mistress is still in the house. Pedrolino says that she was abducted. Burattino, weeping, cries out and denounces the men who would rape a virgin, and he leaves. Pedrolino laughs;

then

ORAZIO arrives, desperately, for he cannot find his father; he knocks at the house. Pedrolino stays in the background;

then

GRAZIANO enters. Orazio demands to know what he has been doing with the lady who is in the house. Graziano thinks that he means Franceschina; they argue in ambiguous terms, Orazio meaning Isabella and Graziano talking about Franceschina. Pendrolino laughs the entire time. At last Orazio says that he made a bad choice for a wife. Graziano: But that girl is already married, and finally he says that he’s been having sex with Franceschina, wife of Pedrolino, and not Isabella. Pedrolino freaks out and after he tells Graziano that he’s a traitor and that he is going to sue him in court, he leaves. Graziano tells Orazio that he can have Isabella, since he would rather keep having sex with Franceschina, and accordingly goes back to her house.

CINTHIO, CAPTAIN and PANTALONE having met, come complaining of their sorrows and how no one trusts them, and Cinthio of how he hopes to retrieve his sister and of how unloved they were without any parents. Pantalone reprimands the Captain for wanting to wed his daughter without feeling any obligations to his agreement with Cinthio’s sister. Pantalone knocks on the door of the house.

FLAVIO at the window, calls out for his wife. Pantalone: Bring her out here.

FLAMINIA agrees with Flavio that they are married. The Captain is stricken mute, and Flaminia tells him about taking another for her husband since he spoke so injuriously about her and her father;

then

BURATTINO weeping. Cinthio recognizes him, asks about his sister. Burattino: She has been kidnapped in Rome by a bunch of Romans! Cinthio despairs for her honor;

then

FRANCESCHINA from Graziano’s house, tells how the foreign girl is moving along quite well with Orazio;

then

They all hide in order to see who it is inside the house of Graziano.

GRAZIANO, ORAZIO and ISABELLA come out with the old man asking Orazio who the foreign girl is. Orazio: She says that she is a noblewoman from Genoa, sister to one Cinthio Adorni. Graziano says: “Who then will be your witness?” Cinthio says: “I will not be their witness, even though I am her brother.” Isabella, seeing him, begs virtuously before him to forgive her for running away, that she only did it so she could vent her feelings to the Captain about the way he betrayed her, and how, being annoyed with him, she found herself a better husband, one that has lived honorably and who will also honor her brother. Cinthio placates her and agrees to let her take Orazio;

then 

ARLECCHINO searching for his master; he finds him and greets him;

then

PEDROLINO arrives, saying that the court doesn’t concern itself with cuckolds and whores, and that he needs to deal with the case on his own. He sees Franceschina and tries to kill her. Everyone stands between them. Graziano says that Pedrolino has misunderstood and that he’s never even spoken to his wife, and that he must have been drunk when he heard him say he was having sex with her because he never said anything of the sort. Pedrolino: That could be, because I do drink abundantly. Everyone calls him a drunkard. Franceschina pretends to be a decent woman and scolds him, then convinces Pedrolino to beg for her forgiveness,

and thus ends the comedy.