The Innkeeper: summary and characters of the comedy by Carlo Goldoni. The plot focuses on the adventures of Mirandolina in her inn in Florence.
The Mistress of the Inn is a three-act play written by Carlo Goldoni in 1752 and is set ineighteenth-century, in the midst ofthe Enlightenment, when people began to talk about equality and social classes. The characters inThe Mistress of the Innbelong to both the bourgeoisie, like the protagonist herself, and to the nobility. The syntax of Goldoni’s play is clear and linear, while the language, although elevated, is rather accessible. Mirandolina, the protagonist, is an unusual character for the time in which the play was written, as she represents a strong and independent woman who uses her cunning and charm to achieve her goals. The Mistress of the Inn was criticized by Goldoni’s contemporaries, as it was considered “scandalous” and because the character ofMirandolinaappeared too independent and bold for a woman of the time.
Carlo Goldoni was born on February 25, 1707 in Venice, studied law and, after graduating, began a career as a lawyer. A few years later he became passionate about theater and joined a company as a playwright. Goldoni was innovative and proposed a new way of doing theater : credible characters, defined in the psychological and sociological aspect, realistic representation and written script. He began, thus, to produce his first comedies according to his new schemes but without success and receiving criticism. Goldoni, however, continued with his project and in the subsequent comedies he exalted the bourgeois class, towards which he had a particular sympathy. Tired of criticism, he moved to Paris in 1762 and here he found the same situation: Goldoni’s new way of doing theater was not understood. Carlo Goldoni died in Paris in 1793.
The Landlady: Summary
The protagonist of La locandiera is Mirandolina, owner of an inn inherited from her father that she runs together with the waiter Fabrizio. Mirandolina is about thirty years old, she is a beautiful and charming woman used to receiving attention from her customers, who is courted by two nobles: the Count of Albafiorita and the Marquis of Forlipopoli. The Count of Albafiorita buys expensive gifts for Mirandolina while the Marquis of Forlipopoli, due to his financial constraints, is unable to prevail over the Count. In the inn there is a third customer, the Knight of Ripafratta, grumpy and misogynistic, who does not understand the behavior of the two contenders and boasts of never having fallen in love.
Mirandolina, curious and stimulated by the behavior of the Knight, tries to attract him to her attention, so that he too will fall in love with her. Mirandolina’s goal is to have fun and do whatever she wants with her lovers and suitors. The Count of Albafiorita and the Marghese of Forlipopoli are not the only ones in love with the innkeeper, even the waiter Fabrizio has feelings for his mistress. With the entrance on the scene of Dejanira and Ortensia, two comedians who pretend to be ladies, Mirandolina has time to devote herself completely to the Knight, showering him with attention. In a short time the Knight gives in to Mirandolina’s flattery and falls madly in love with her, unleashing the jealousy of Fabrizio, the Count and the Marquis.
Mirandolina, having achieved her goal, realizes that she has exaggerated and finally decides to marry Fabrizio and send away all her contenders.
The Landlady: Characters
The Marquis of Forlipopoli is a man of noble origins, but without any wealth, unlike the Count of Albafiorita . The Count is a rich merchant who bought the noble title. He is a courteous man, willing to squander to appear liberal in front of Mirandolina. The Count gives diamond necklaces and earrings to the innkeeper, while the Marquis tries to justify his behavior and that of the Count. The only object that the Marquis owns, and that he gives to Mirandolina, is a handkerchief that he passes off as precious; in fact, on every occasion, he reminds Mirandolina of that handkerchief to emphasize his kindness.
The Knight of Ripafratta is a nobleman of blood and rich; he immediately shows coldness towards the innkeeper. He is characterized by his contempt for women but he will later deny it, when he realizes that he has fallen in love and is jealous of Mirandolina. Mirandolina also receives a gift from the Knight: a small bottle of lemon balm to cure her in moments of fainting.
Ortensia and Dejanira represent the other side of the innkeeper: they are not shrewd and malicious and as characters in the innkeeper they make the profession of the actor ridiculous. Goldoni uses these two characters to criticize the commedia dell’arte . Ortensia and Dejanira are two comedians who improvise parts that are not credible and are immediately unmasked by Mirandolina, the real actress on stage.
Fabrizio is the innkeeper’s butler and Mirandolina’s betrothed. The innkeeper had promised her father, on her deathbed, to marry the young butler. Fabrizio is a young man who came from the countryside, and had passed into the bourgeois class by entering the inn as a butler. For Fabrizio, marrying Mirandolina is an opportunity to change his social position: from servant to entrepreneur. In the last scene of the comedy, in fact, Fabrizio hesitates to pronounce his “yes” to Mirandolina, as the servant is first interested in “making the deal”.
Mirandolina is a beautiful, self-centered and self-confident woman. Goldoni portrays her as a smart and hard-working woman who runs the inn with the help of her servants. Mirandolina is interested in the profit of her inn and therefore appears kind and polite with her customers. Aware of her charm, she takes advantage of her suitors, accepts all their gifts, and tries to keep them in the inn, without ever giving in. The innkeeper is also a woman with my facets: she is brusque with the Marquis, opportunistic but without exposing herself with the Count and combative with the Cavalier.
In the end, Mirandolina is frightened by the Knight’s threats and aware of having exaggerated with her ways of dealing with the customers of the inn and decides to marry Fabrizio, a shrewd choice, as her father had advised her on his deathbed.
