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Overview
Synopsis
The play tells the story of a hungry servant who, upon realizing that working for two masters could ensure him a greater supply of food, tries to do the job of two men while working desperately to conceal that fact from both employers.
The play’s most famous scene takes place during a feast, when a starving Truffaldino attempts to serve dinner to both his masters’ companies at the same time, without either group finding out (and desperately trying to have his own dinner as well!). With a zany plot featuring lost love, mistaken identity, ravenous servants, and lots of letter mix-ups, Goldoni’s classic The Servant of Two Masters makes a wonderful addition to any theater season!
Show Information
- Book
- Carlo Goldoni
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1746
- Genres
- Comedy
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- venice, 18th century
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Male, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly, Late Teen Characters, Medium Cast
Context
The Servant of Two Masters was originally written in 1746 by Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni. He wrote it to honor the request of actor Antonio Sacco, one of the finest Truffaldinos of all time. Servant features stock characters in the tradition of commedia dell’arte, such as Truffaldino, Smeraldina, and Pantalone. It originally had large sections left open for improvisation, but Goldoni revised it in 1753 to the version that we use today.
to read the context for The Servant of Two Masters and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One:
Everyone is gathered for a wedding celebration at the House of Pantalone. Clarice, Pantalone’s daughter, and Silvio, her betrothed, prepare to sign the marriage contract in front of their guests. Suddenly, the party is interrupted when a young man claiming to be Frederigo di Rasponi appears. This is most upsetting for Clarice, because she was previously engaged to Frederigo-- until he was declared dead following a duel with his sister’s lover. Now she is in love with another
to read the plot for The Servant of Two Masters and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
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Lead |
Male |
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Lead |
Female |
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Lead |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
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Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
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Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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