Theatre
The Servant of Two Masters
Il servitore di due padroni
Carlo Goldoni · 1753
Opening lines
Silvio
Eccovi la mia destra, e con questa vi dono tutto il mio cuore. (a Clarice, porgendole la mano)
Here is my right hand, and with it I give you all my heart. (to Clarice, holding out his hand to her)
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from it.wikisource.org
Synopsis
In Venice, at the house of the merchant Pantalone, the engagement of his daughter Clarice to Silvio is being celebrated, when Truffaldino arrives, valet to a certain Federigo Rasponi who was believed dead. His master is in fact Beatrice, Federigo's sister, who has disguised herself as her brother to come to Venice in search of Florindo, the man she loves. Truffaldino then also enters the service of Florindo, and must do everything to keep his two masters from discovering that he serves them both at once.
Context
The play originated in the 1740s from a scenario designed for the actor Antonio Sacchi, famous in the role of Harlequin: some of the scenes were written, the rest left to the actor's improvised business. The author then rewrote it entirely, once his reform was under way, and the text was published in 1753 by the publisher Paperini. In the twentieth century, Giorgio Strehler staged it. Valérie Tasca translated it into French (Flammarion, 1996); Stephen Mulrine into English (Nick Hern, 2012).
Who it is for
A lively comedy of intrigue, full of misunderstandings, which comes into its own on stage, in the servant's performance.
Prizes and reception
According to the Vivit portal, the play has been praised over the centuries by the greatest theatre directors.
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