Gl’innamorati

About the play

Carlo Goldoni (1707-1773), perhaps best known for his plays written in Venetian dialect, was a very prolific writer indeed: 120 plays altogether, including those written in Italian and French. His plays are generally humorous, giving us a very witty and satirical picture of his times. In this play, which was written in 1749, Goldoni said that he wanted to illustrate the absurdity and destructive nature of jealousy, which he calls the “scourge” of Italy. The whole play revolves around two young lovers who, because of constant suspicions and jealousies, almost destroy the love they have for each other. Set in Milano, the play is quite accessible to speakers of modern Italian. In fact, there has been very little adaptation of the original text.