A hilarious farce, Così fan tutte revolved around a bet made among three men; Don Alfonso, the older and more cynical of the bunch, bets Ferrando and Guglielmo that he can prove that their girlfriends, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, are unfaithful like all women. Don Alfonso, with the help of Despina, the girls’ maid, sets up the plot to pretend to send the men off to war, but then disguise them as “Albanians” in the attempts to seduce the other man’s girlfriend. After many comical struggles, and absurd tricks, Despina and Alfonso succeed in duping the quartet and putting the two couples into situations where they are forced to decide. Both girls agree to marry the “Albanians,” and Fiordiligi and Ferrando have appeared to have fallen in love, when it is announced that their old boyfriends have returned home. The men reveal themselves, and the ladies ask for their forgiveness. Alfonso wins the bet and gloats, hoping that they have all learned their lesson.
Così fan tutte guide sections
