Damira, sentenced to drown by her husband Creonte, king of Egypt, was saved by the fisher Silo, who took her in with his wife Lerinda to raise her as their daughter, changing her name to Fidalba. During a royal hunting game, Silo gives Creonte water from the Nile. To thank him, Creonte invites him to Court with his family. Fillide, the king’s favourite, has two lovers – Nigrane and Breno – but she hopes to marry Creonte. However, when the king promises that he will marry her, a painting of Damira falls to the ground: Creonte has an unfavourable premonition. Breno and Nigrane, pining for love together, realise that they love the same woman. Creonte discovers them and condemns them to exile. Damira comes back to Court, disguised as Fidalba, with Silo and Lerinda; Nerillo organises a dance of Armenians for them. Fillide says goodbye to her two lovers. In the palace, Nerillo shows Fidalba a painting recounting Damira’s story, and he announces the wedding of Creonte and Fillide. The king welcomes Silo and Lerinda, and thinks he recognises their daughter as his ex-wife. Fillide tries to bring the wedding forward, but Fidalba interrupts her and announces that the king’s wife is still alive. While the young woman is thought to be mad, Creonte is plagued by remorse. Fillide overhears the end of his monologue and believes that she will be killed like Damira: she asks Breno to kill Creonte. Damira, hopeful, pretends to be mad. The act ends with a dance of madmen. Breno tries to kill Creonte, who is sleeping by the Nile; Nigrane prevents him from doing so, but he is wrongly accused of trying to kill the king, and he is poisoned. To save him, Fillide gives him her clothes and has him leave with Nerillo. She gave Silo a golden chain to thank him for his good offices. Out of jealousy, Lerinda tries to take revenge on her rival and reports that she fled with Nerillo; Damira, wanting to take revenge, hits Nigrane, dressed as Fillide. Excused because Lerinda thinks she is mad, Damira reveals her identity and asks Creonte to pierce her breast: he is moved and decides to take his wife back. Creonte uncovers the veiled figure, Nigrane, and everyone reconciles – accusing Cupid, the blind god.

"On foot and by rod" puppet

Marionette with counterweight

Not specified

Acciaiuoli Filippo (aka Gran Burattinajo)

Aureli Aurelio

Italy

Venice

Printed

Love

Murder

favorite

Shepherdess

Egypt

Lyrical

Italian

Wife

King

Favorite

Knight

Captain

Eunuch

Peasant (man)

Peasant (female)

Music

Love duet

Play in verse

Interlude

Dancing entertainment

Disguised character (false identity)

Love story

Love rivalry

Seduction scene

Hunting scene

Sleeping character

Attempted assassination

Sword thrust

Cross-dressing

Scene of recognition

Damira placata

Damira pacified

The play begins on the banks of the Tiber river, where Costantino (Constantine) is about to fight the usurper Massenzio (Maxentius), son of Massimiano (Maximian), whose crown he stole. The Sky opens, and Religion appears to announce Costantino’s victory to him. Costantino promises to avenge his sister Costanza (Constantia), who was betrayed by Licinio (Licinius): the latter was supposed to marry her and make her queen of Orient, but he joined the enemy. In Rome, Arsace passes on Costantino’s offer of peace to Massimiano, who rejects them. Fausta, Massimiano’s daughter, announces her brother’s defeat: her father asks her to swear fealty to the winner. Arsace, whom the audience believed to be in love with Fausta, gives unclear reasons to explain that he cannot love her. During a triumphant procession, the legitimate Emperor moves with the chariot of Fama (Renown), pulled by winged horses; then Fama promises Costantino victory. When the latter makes a speech to the Romans to bring them peace, Fausta throws herself at his feet. In the procession, Planco, Costanza’s servant, is looking for Licinio. Thanks to a portrait, he recognises Arsace as his mistress’ future husband. Convinced that Licinio betrayed her, Costanza promises that she will take revenge on him. Informed by Planco, Costanza pretends not to have recognised Licinio—she wants to feel just how badly she was betrayed. Licinio is won by love and reveals himself to her; he manages to make her reconcile with him: she suggests that she remains hidden before she is certain that her brother will be merciful. Drusilla learns from Planco that Costantino no longer has a wife, and that he can therefore become Fausta’s lover. But Massimiliano despairs and asks his daughter to avenge her dead brother by leading Costantino into a trap, at which point Arsace will kill him; then, he promises to marry his daughter with the murderer. Fausta refuses; Costantino finds her as she is crying. When he tells her that he wishes everyone could unite thanks to his peace proposal, she lets him know that his father left to cry from sorrow. He asks her to take him to her father, insistent despite Fausta’s vague warnings. In the forest, Massimiano is waiting for Costantino; he is with Arsace, who vainly tries to talk him into choosing peace. Costantino arrives with Fausta. As he is about to embrace the defeated king, conspirators ambuscade him. Arsace intervenes to save him; so does Fausta. Not knowing who to believe in this confusing situation, Costantino sends the three suspects to prison. When he tries to find out who the culprits are, Costantino reconciles with Arsace, whom he recognises as Licinio. But Costanza, convinced that her husband betrayed her with Fausta, wants him dead. Announcing that Massimiano is threatening his own daughter as punishment for having saved Costantino, Drusilla tells Costanza the truth. Fausta flees into the forest, looking for her father who went insane. She manages to control him, then denounces herself to Costantino. In the dungeons of the place, Arsace is locked up; Costanza meets him there. Suspecting that the two conspirators, Arsace and Fausta, are meeting, Costantino walks in on them: Costanza, leaving the prison, throws herself at his feet to tell him the truth. In the final scene, Costantino is accompanied by a procession and celebrates peace; he gives up his plan to take revenge. The play ends with two marriages, and Massimiano is said to be on the run. Then, Faith appears, surrounded by the Liberal arts.

Ottoboni Pietro

Rome

Faith

Emperor

Ancient history

Usurper

Roman History

Fantasy

Edifying

Heroic

Il Costantino pio (1710), title page

Sister

Servant

Lady-in-waiting

Chorus

Revelation

Vision

Miracle

Monologue

Allegory

Apparition of an angel

Procession

Crowd

Running away

Flying machine

Apparition

Clouds

Apotheosis

Il Costantino Pio

Constantine the Pious

Faetonte (Phaethon) came to Italy to find the young woman whose portrait made him fall in love. He meets Egéria, the daughter of Tirreno (Tyrrhenus), who was dispossessed of her kingdom by her uncle Tages. The latter wants his daughter Ismene to become queen; he would like her to marry his nephew Albano. Faetonte does not know that he is the son of the Sun and introduces himself as a shepherd from Thessaly. Egéria falls in love with him and asks him to avenge her by killing Ismene. Faetonte meets the magician Fíton, who followed him from Thessaly. The servant Chichisbéu, who also followed his master Faetonte, is mistaken for the magician and taken prisoner by Tages’s soldiers. Albano worries because he betrayed Egéria, choosing Ismene instead. Tages announces the arrival of the great magician; he hopes that he will reveal the identity of the son of the Sun, who is known to be in the region. Faetonte arrives at Tages’s palace and reunites with Chichisbéu, who is tasked with finding the son of the Sun. On Faetonte’s suggestion, Chichisbéu pretends that his master is the son; he can therefore enter the palace. Chichisbéu tries in vain to charm Chirinola, Egéria’s maid: his nose grows longer with every lie he tells. Faetonte is about to kill Ismene when he realises that she is the young woman from the portrait. He stops his hand, and she calls the soldier, but Faetonte flees in the darkness cast by Fíton. Ismene asks Albano to avenge her. Albano asks Chichisbéu to reveal the murderer’s identity: the fake magician says that he will find him in the forest. The King admits that he would rather give his daughter’s hand to the son of the Sun rather than to Albano, whom he does not trust. Ismene goes into the forest to hunt and wounds Faetonte, believing that he is an animal. He falls to her feet and declares his love to her. Albano is convinced that Faetonte is Ismene’s murderer and tries to kill him. Chichisbéu stops him and reveals that Faetonte is the son of the Sun; the trees begin to move on orders of Apolo to signal that this is true, and he is escorted with great pomp to the King’s court. When Egéria finds blood on the ground, she believes that Faetonte has killed Ismene and been imprisoned. Faetonte declares his love to Ismene, who recognises the portrait in his hands as the one she sent to her future husband, the Prince of Rhodes. During the ceremony meant to unite Ismene and Albano, Fíton turns off the lights: claiming that this is a sign from Apolo, the King adjourns the wedding. Fíton tells Faetonte that he really is the son of the Sun, but that disclosing his identity would only cause his downfall. The King wants Ismene to marry the son of the Sun and have Egéria marry Albano. Albano and Faetonte fight, but they are interrupted by Ismene, who appeals to the gods. To curry favour with Chirinola, Chichisbéu reveals his true identity and says that Faetonte is only a shepherd. Ismene and Albano were spying on them and now believe that they know the truth: the King announces that he will marry his daughter to Albano, and Faetonte despairs. Quarreling with Fíton, he asks his father to confirm his identity. Apolo therefore entrusts his chariot to him: the horses bolt and run to the sea where Egéria is—she finds Faetonte’s lifeless body in her arms. Apolo brings his son back to life. Faetonte marries Egéria, and Chirinola agrees to marry Chichisbéu.