Philip Massinger,
The Great Duke of Florence
(The Great Duke)

I.ii. Florence. A room in the palace. Three courtiers, Alphonzo, Hippolito and Hieronimo, beg the Duke to remarry, preferably to the rich and single Duchess of Urbin. But the Duke, who three years since, lost his wife, is planning on marrying her to his nephew, Giovanni. Sanazarro, the Duke's right-hand man, comes in with news of the capture of a Turkish galley loaded with tribute. The Duke compares Sanazarro to a busy bee who industriously sucks the honey for his country. Contarino enters with word of the Prince's return, and a report of Lidia's charms. The Duke asks if Prince Giovanni is in love. Contarino replies: 'How it should/ Be otherwise between them, is beyond? My best imagination. Cupid's arrows/ Were useless there; for, of necessity/Their years and dispositions do accord so,/ They must wound one another.' The Duke is displeased and sends Sanazarro to spy on the girl, but not to attempt any seduction.

II.i. The Duchess of Urbin, Fiorinda, is trying on dresses in front of her sycophantic maid, Calaminta. Calandrino, the Prince's servant from the country, comes in and ridiculously tries to imitate court behavior. The Duchess takes his incompetence in good spirit and rewards him as he announces the Prince. Upon entering it is clear that the Prince was once in love with the Duchess but is no longer. She quickly surmises that someone has taken her place, and zeros in on the culprit, Lidia, whom the Prince refers to incessantly. Not to worry, the Duchess is really in love with Sanazarro. A deal is struck. If the Duchess will make Lidia a maid-in-waiting, the Prince will convince his uncle to have Sanazarro live in the court as well. Both can then see their lovers. The Duke comes in and, thinking he has surprised two lovebirds, is delighted to see them together in 'a mutual change of love and courtship.'

II.ii. The Country. A hall in Charomonte's house. Bernardo, Caponi, and Petruchio, servants to Charomonte, assume no one is about, and are having a glass of beer. They banter on the wonderful qualities of English cuisine and English ale, and the comparative inferiority of Italian, French and Spanish fare. Sanazarro comes in and shares a glass with them before being announced to Charomonte, who thinks this important courtly figure has come to try his luck with his daughter.

II.iii. A room in Charomonte's house. Charomonte leaves Sanazarro and Lidia together and watches from the balcony. Sanazarro, normally suave, is entirely tongued, so much so that Lidia thinks he is being rude. In an aside, Sanazarro confesses that he is utterly bewitched by her, and come what may, will assail her chastity. He is rebuffed, but promises to come again. Charomonte counsels his daughter not to trust men who are above her station.

III.i. Florence. An anteroom in the palace. Sanazarro, having returned to court, vacillates between telling the Duke the truth and lying. Convinced that the Duke seeks Lidia for his own, Sanazarro decides that he should lie. He meets the Prince, and-- telling him of his suspicions concerning the Duke's interests, but concealing his own sudden love for Lidia-convinces the Prince to tell the Duke that Lidia is an average girl. The Duke enters with his train and asks Sanazarro for his report. He tells the Duke that the lady is 'ordinary.' The Duke asks Contarino to restate his initial report, but Contarino, following Sanazarro's lead, finds that he now was much mistaken concerning the girls' qualities. The Duke then asks Prince Giovanni about her, and he too tells the Duke that she is "Not disproportioned.' Satisfied that the matter is settled, the Duke dismisses everyone. The Duchess Fiorinda then enters and asks if Lidia can be her maid-in-waiting. He asks why she is so interested in Lidia. The Duchess tells him that the Prince sings her praises endlessly. The Duke, outraged that both the Prince and Sanazarro have lied to him, orders that the immediate court be prepared to ride out to Charomonte's house in the morning. That night, the Prince sends Calandrino with letters to Lidia informing her that the Duke is on his way, and councils her to take a disguise of some sort.

IV.i. Charomonte's House. Charomonte and his daughter discuss the Prince and Sanazarro, and Lidia reaffirms her love for the Prince. Calandrino arrives and delivers the letters to Lidia, who swears she would rather die than give up her chastity to the Duke, 'Though it [the Duke's lust] raged more than Tarquin's.'

IV.ii. Another room in Charamonte's house. The Duke and his court arrive, and the Duke demands to see Lidia. However, her maid Petronella, a woman as foul and simple as Lidia is fair and sophisticated, takes her place. The Duke is horrified, and, after learning that she can't use cutlery, calls her a 'monster,' and begins to force feed her like a barnyard animal. Charomonte enters and the Duke asks if his daughter is the same girl who is now full, and drunk to boot. Charomonte has no idea what he is talking about, and soon returns with his child. The Duke now understands why they tried to hide the truth from him. She is wondrously beautiful. But a lie is a lie. The Duke orders the arrest of both the Prince and Sanazarro. Lidia begs the Duke for mercy and swears that she would rather live in a convent than have her beauty cause so much pain. She faints from the emotional strain. The Duke, lifting her up, tells her to 'take comfort.'

V.i. An upper chamber in Sanazarro's house. Sanazarro languishes in a makeshift prison but, on hearing the Duchess close by, writes a message on a pane of glass. He throws the pane of glass out the window and, miraculously, it does not shatter. The Duchess finds the plate of glass and reads the note. She agrees to intercede on Sanazarro's behalf, even though it is clear that he has jilted her. She hopes her display of love will be the deciding factor in winning his heart.

V.ii. A state room inside Charomonte's house. The Duke accuses Charomonte of being a traitor by purposefully matching his low daughter with the royal house. Charomonte defends his honor, and the Duke excuses him. He then turns his ire on the Prince and Sanazarro, who both admit that they were wrong to lie. Hearing that Lidia has recovered, the Duke orders that she appear. He intends to have the two tried for slandering so fair a virgin.

V.iii. . A state room inside Charomonte's house. The Duke has the women judge whether the men have acted properly, but the women decide that only the Duke can make so complicated a ruling. He considers having Lidia for himself, but decides to honor the memory of his own departed wife, Clarinda, and allows Lidia and Giovanni to get married. Calandrino then enters with Petronella. They too are engaged. The Duke agrees to pay for Calandrino's wedding.

Cozimo, the Duke of Florence, widow of Clarinda.

Giovanni, the Duke's nephew, his heir, in love with Lidia.

Sanazarro, the Duke's principle advisor, promised to Fiorinda, but in love with Lidia.

Carolo Charomonte, tutor to Giovanni, and father to Lidia.

Alphonso, Hippolitto, Heironimo, Counselors to the Duke.

Caladrino, the Country servant to Giovanni, marries Petronella.

Bernardo, Caponi, Petruchio, Servants of Charomonte

Fiorinda, the Duchess of Urbin, in love with Sanazarro.

Lidia, beautiful daughter of Charomonte, in love with Giovanni.

Calaminta, Servant to Fiorinda.

Petronella, a maid in Charomonte's house. She marries Calandrino.

A Gentleman, Attendants, Servants.

II.ii. The Seduction scene is much like Tourneur's The Revenger's Tragedy, in which Vindice, working on the Duke's behalf, attempts to seduce his own sister. Charomonte's warning to her daughter echoes Polonius' warning to Ophelia that Hamlet is an unsuitable match.

III.i. The taking of disguises and the switching of identities is a standard feature in many Shakespeare plays, especially the comedies, Comedy of Error, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure. Heywood uses the bedtrick in Fair Maid of the West, Middleton and Rowley use it in The Changeling, Shakespeare uses it in both Measure for Measure and All's Well That Ends Well.

V.ii. The Duke's accusation that Charomonte is a traitor echoes Shakespeare's King Simonides, who accuses Pericles of traitorous activities when his own daughter in similarly ensnared. See Shakespeare's Pericles.