In a room of the Prince, Pantalone, desperate and beside himself, narrated the furious state of the Prince due to the curse he received. It was impossible to calm him down. He demanded a pair of iron shoes from his father so he could walk around the world until he found the fatal oranges, the cause of his love. Pantalone was ordered to ask the King for these shoes, under the threat of the Prince's misfortune. The situation was very serious. The topic was fitting for a theater. He joked satirically about the subjects being discussed at the time. He rushed to the King. They exited.
The Prince, possessed, and Truffaldino entered. The Prince was impatient with the delay of the iron shoes. Truffaldino made ridiculous requests. Tartaglia declared he wanted to go on the quest for the three oranges, which, according to his Grandmother, were two thousand miles away, in the possession of Creonta, a giant sorceress. He asked for his armor, ordered Truffaldino to arm himself, as he wanted him as his squire. A comical scene followed between these two always amusing characters. They armed themselves with breastplates, helmets, and large, long swords, with great caricature.
The King, Pantalone, and the guards exited. One guard carried a pair of iron shoes on a basin.
This scene took place among the four characters with such gravity about the case that it made it doubly ridiculous. With tragic and dramatic majesty, the Father tried to dissuade his son from the perilous enterprise. He pleaded, threatened, and became pathetic. The possessed Prince insisted. He would fall back into hypochondria if he were not allowed to go. He resorted to brutal threats against his Father. The King was astonished and saddened. He reflected that his son's lack of respect came from the example of new comedies. He had seen in a comedy by Mr. Chiari a son drawing his sword to kill his own Father. Such examples were abundant in the comedies of that time, censured by this inept fable.
The Prince would not calm down. Truffaldino put on his iron shoes. The scene ended with a quartet in dramatic verses of lamentations, farewells, and sighs. The Prince and Truffaldino departed. The King collapsed into a chair in a faint. Pantalone called for vinegar to help him.
Clarice, Leandro, and Brighella rushed in; they reproached Pantalone for the noise he was making. Pantalone, dealing with a fainted King and a Prince gone to perish in the dangerous quest for the oranges. Brighella responded that these cases were as ridiculous as the new comedies that caused pointless revolutions. The King, revived, made a tragic exaggeration. He mourned his son as if he were dead. He ordered the entire court to dress in mourning and went to shut himself in his cabinet to end his days under the weight of affliction. Pantalone, protesting to join his tears with the King's, to mix their mutual tears in a single handkerchief, and to give new poets a subject for endless episodes in martellian verses, followed the Monarch.
Clarice, Leandro, and Brighella, joyful, praised Morgana. The bizarre Clarice wanted command terms in the Kingdom before elevating Leandro to the throne. In wartime, she wanted to be at the head of the armies. Even defeated, with her charms, she would make the enemy Captain fall in love. Once enamored and trusted by her flattery, upon approaching him, she would stab him in the stomach with a knife. This was a playful critique of Mr. Chiari's Attila. Clarice wanted the power to dispense court offices at her discretion. Brighella asked for the position of superintendent of the Royal shows for his merits. A three-way argument followed over the choice of theatrical entertainments. Clarice wanted tragic representations, with characters who threw themselves out of windows and towers without breaking their necks, and similar remarkable accidents; i.e., Mr. Chiari's works. Leandro wanted comedies of characters; i.e., Mr. Goldoni's works. Brighella proposed impromptu comedies with masks, suitable for entertaining people innocently. Clarice and Leandro, angry, did not want clumsy buffoonery and indecencies in an enlightened century; they left. Brighella made a pathetic speech, pitying the Sacchi comic troupe without naming it, but it was easy to understand. He lamented an honorable and deserving troupe, oppressed and reduced to losing the love of the audience it had adored and entertained for so long. He entered with applause from that audience, who had perfectly understood the true meaning of his speech.
The scene opened to a desert. Celio the magician, the protector of Prince Tartaglia, was seen making circles. He compelled the devil Farfarello to appear. Farfarello came out and spoke in martellian verses with a terrible voice:
"Hey, who calls me from the horrid and dark center?
Are you a real magician or a stage magician?
If you are from the stage, there's no need to tell you
That devils, magicians, and spirits are ancient."
The two poets had expressed their desire to eliminate masks, magicians, and devils from comedies. Celio replied in prose that he was a real magician. Farfarello added:
"Well, whoever you may be, if you're from the stage,
At least speak to me in martellian verses."
Celio threatened the devil, insisting on speaking in prose as he pleased. He asked if Truffaldino, whom he had sent with skill to the court of the King of Cups, had made any impact; if Tartaglia had been forced to laugh and had been cured of his hypochondriac effects. The devil responded:
"He laughed, he was cured; but afterward Morgana, your enemy,
With a curse, undid the effort.
Furious, panting, his cheeks inflamed
He goes in search of love for the three oranges;
With Truffaldino he comes. Morgana has sent a dark devil
To blow behind them.
They've already traveled a thousand miles and will soon be here
At the castle of Creonta, to die in distress."
The devil disappeared. Celio exclaimed against the enemy Morgana. He explained the great peril of Tartaglia and Truffaldino sent to the castle of Creonta, not far from that place, where the three fatal oranges were kept. He withdrew to prepare the necessary things to save two worthy and very useful people for society.
Celio the magician, who in this farce represented Mr. Goldoni, was not supposed to protect Tartaglia and Truffaldino. This was an error worthy of censure, if a diabolical farce like this scenic sketch deserved censure. Mr. Chiari and Goldoni were enemies in their poetic art at that time. I wanted Morgana and Celio to serve to caricature the opposing genius of these two talents, and I did not care about doubling characters to save myself from criticism in an excessive caprice.
Tartaglia and Truffaldino exited, armed as described, and exited at great speed. They had a devil with a bellows who, blowing behind them, made them run precipitously. The devil stopped blowing and disappeared. The two travelers fell to the ground from the force with which they ran when the wind ceased.
I am infinitely obliged to Mr. Chiari for the very effective result of this diabolical parody.
In his representations taken from the Aeneid, he had his Trojans make great journeys within the span of a scenic action without my devil with a bellows.
This writer, who pedantically insulted all others for irregularities, granted himself particular privileges. I saw in his Ezzelino, tyrant of Padua, in one scene Ezzelino was subdued and a Captain sent on a mission to Treviso, subject to the tyrant's arms. In the same act of the same representation, in the following scene, the Captain returned triumphant. He had traveled more than thirty miles, taken Treviso, killed the oppressors, and in a florid narration, justified the impossible action with the prowess of his excellent horse.
Tartaglia and Truffaldino had to travel two thousand miles to reach Creonta's castle. My devil with a bellows justifies the journey better than Mr. Abate Chiari's horse.
These two always amusing characters got up from the ground, bewildered by the event, and amazed by the wind they had experienced. They made an absurd geographical description of the countries, mountains, rivers, and seas they had passed. Tartaglia, on the wind ceasing, concluded that the three oranges were nearby. Truffaldino was exhausted and hungry and asked the Prince if he had brought provisions of money or bills of exchange. Tartaglia scorned all these low and useless requests; he saw a castle on a hill, not far away. He believed it to be Creonta's castle, the keeper of the oranges; he headed there; Truffaldino followed, hoping to find food.
Celio the magician appeared, frightening the two characters, vainly trying to dissuade the Prince from the dangerous quest. He described the insurmountable dangers; those told to children with this tale; but Celio described them with wide-open eyes, a terrible voice, and as if they were great things. The dangers consisted of an iron gate, rusty from time, a hungry dog, a well rope, half-rotten from dampness, a baker who, lacking a broom, swept the oven with her own breasts. The Prince, undeterred by these terrifying objects, wanted to enter the castle. Seeing him resolved, Celio handed him
a silver pitcher, ordered him to draw a few drops of water from a certain well, sprinkle them on the heads of the oranges if he found them, and all would be well. Celio disappeared. The devil with the bellows appeared; he blew. Tartaglia and Truffaldino were driven out by the wind. The devil disappeared.
Morgana entered, triumphantly confident in her stratagem. Celio, showing up at the window, mocked her confidence. He declared that Tartaglia, thanks to his skill, was on the verge of achieving his goal. Celio's sarcasm convinced Morgana. She tried to poison the water in the well, to counter the magician's positive influence on the event. A poetic duel in martellian verses was sustained between the two characters. Morgana left, furious, defeated. Celio sang a cheerful triumphal song, with comical pomp.
Truffaldino entered, running, hungry, grumbling. He saw an oven, a baker, a broom, and a wooden bin full of flour, a woman dressed as a baker. The Prince ordered the oven to be lit. He wanted to bake bread. Truffaldino offered to do the work. He emptied the bin of flour, set it aside. He took the wooden bin, turned it upside down, and stood on it. He performed a solo ballet, parodying all the movements made by people of this trade to provide an audience for the play. The devil with the bellows appeared behind him, and at each movement, he blew with his bellows, turning and pushing him in the direction he wanted him to go. The Prince, having lit the oven, sprinkled the woman with the water from the well, who fell asleep. The Prince took the three oranges from the oven. Truffaldino, astonished at the event, took them under his arm. The woman woke up as Truffaldino exited. The devil blew; the woman disappeared. The wind carried away the two heroes.
The scene shifted to the most arid desert. The devil, out of breath, disappeared, leaving the two actors to their fate. Truffaldino, exhausted from hunger and heat, demanded a peeled orange from the Prince. The Prince, irritated, shouted at him, saying he didn't know the trouble he was in. Truffaldino could not resist. He begged for permission, appealing to his pity, threatening death if he didn't eat. The Prince, softened, allowed it. Truffaldino, filled with joy, put the oranges on a rock, took one, peeled it, and found a beautiful girl. He was stunned. The girl asked for water; otherwise, she would die. She died. Truffaldino trembled with fright. He threw the orange peel on her, and her body disappeared. He peeled the second one, and a more beautiful girl came out. She made the same request. She died the same way. Truffaldino, frightened, ran to find the Prince, exclaiming that he found a girl in the oranges.
Tartaglia was speechless. The Prince, infuriated, made him draw his sword, ordering him to kill him if the third orange had the same outcome as the first two. Tartaglia hesitated, then rushed to the third. As he peeled it, Ninetta appeared, the most beautiful of all, covered in diamonds. The Prince was overjoyed. He took the pitcher and sprinkled her with water from the well. The girl revived. She related her past misfortunes, revealing she was a King's daughter, taken from her palace and imprisoned in the enchanted oranges, but due to the Prince's skill and virtue, she was finally freed. The Prince prostrated himself before her, kissing her hand. He promised to make her his wife, his Queen, if she agreed. He wanted to escort her to his palace and celebrate their union with joy. Ninetta bowed to him with humility and love, thanking him for the high honor he wanted to bestow on her, declaring herself eternally grateful and a slave for life. She gracefully offered her hand, asking him to take her wherever he wanted. They sang and danced, pledging love and happiness. They walked away, leaving Truffaldino alone, grumbling. They ordered him to follow them, but he grumbled, exhausted by fatigue and hunger, unable to continue. They agreed to give him a pillow to sleep on under a palm tree and a large plate of maccheroni. The two heroes exited. Truffaldino remained, sighing with joy, eating the maccheroni. He ate two forkfuls, then lay down. He heard a noise behind the tree and woke up.
Morgana, dressed in tattered clothing, entered. She turned into a dragon. Truffaldino hid behind a tree. The dragon took on the appearance of a bizarre and deformed woman. She snuck up on the sleeping Ninetta, took her clothes, threw them into a well, stripped her of her diamonds, then transformed into the image of Ninetta and sat in her place. Truffaldino, seeing the girl, fainted. He did not have the strength to speak. Ninetta, dressed as a country girl, entered from behind the tree. Seeing the impostor, she exclaimed. Morgana wanted to strike her. Ninetta disappeared. The devil Farfarello arrived in a flash, took Morgana by the hair, threw her over his shoulder, and flew away. Truffaldino, recovering from his fright, thought the whole adventure was a nightmare. He explained his encounter with the dragon and the fantastic transformations he witnessed. The scene ended with a cheerful satire on fantastic actions like these, comical and dramatic in the same style.
The Prince, after much searching, found Ninetta in a miserable state. His father, the King of Cups, tried in vain to convince him of the absurdity of marrying such a poor and disfigured creature. The Prince was resolute. He ignored the dictates of blood and royalty. His marriage should not make the least difference in the fate of the Kingdom. He was King by birth and fortune, and Ninetta would be Queen by beauty and merit. His love made him despise the immense consequences of this monstrous marriage.
The news was announced to the King, who, lamenting, received the sorrowful news that Prince Tartaglia had found the three oranges, but had married a vile creature. Pantalone, a faithful servant, took part in the grief and announced that the Prince was leading his bride to the palace for a presentation to the King. All the court entered, mourning, to witness this sorry spectacle. Brighella, in a strange costume, dressed as a Poet, entered the scene, ordering the actors and musicians to prepare for the tragic and sad occasion, accompanying the tragic success of the events that had just taken place. He was full of compliments to the Poet Abate Chiari, who, with these farces of martellian verse, sweetly enhanced our tragic representations. I ridiculed myself in this character, though the public took it as a caricature of the very obliging Poets who composed theatrical advertisements.
Truffaldino, who entered and exited as he pleased, heard the King preparing to receive the unknown bride. He demanded a large basin full of water, enough to wash his hands. He placed the basin in a corner and, acting the part of a grand lord, awaited the time to execute his revenge. The Prince, with his beloved Ninetta, entered. The audience murmured. The people murmured. The King looked sorrowfully at his Son, clasped his hands, and covered his face with both hands. Brighella burst into laughter. Clarice wanted to jump on her face. Leandro, half frozen, thought he would swoon. Only the most desperate Pantalone dared to speak to the girl, asking her about her birth. The poor thing, half confused, hesitated. The Prince ordered her to speak clearly, to dispel the confusion of the people's prejudice. Ninetta had barely opened her mouth when she felt a profound emotion in her soul. Tartaglia ran to her, asking her to explain the cause of her sigh. She replied that she did not know herself, but something inexpressible pierced her soul. At that moment, Truffaldino advanced with the basin of water in his hand. With his hands immersed in the water, he looked at the audience. He approached Ninetta, and with his hand full of water, wet her face. The diamonds Ninetta wore appeared immediately, and the enchantment broke. At this sight, Tartaglia recognized his beloved. The impostor fell lifeless at the feet of the Royal Bride. The music sounded. The choir sang. The King, in the middle of the chorus, praised Truffaldino for his wisdom and intelligence. The chorus sang with joy and in celebration of the happy ending. All sang and danced in chorus. The farce ended. The actors and audience remained satisfied.