The Mistress of the Inn
play by Carlo Goldoni
The Mistress of the Inn (Italian: La locandiera [la lokanˈdjɛːra]), also translated as The Innkeeper Woman or Mirandolina (after the play's main character), is a 1753 three-act comedy by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni centred around a coquette. The play has been regarded as his masterpiece, with Frederick Davies describing it as "Goldoni's Much Ado About Nothing".
Characters
Mirandolina, the mistress of the inn
Ripafratta, a knight
Marquis of Forlipopoli
Count of Albafiorita
Fabrizio, a servant of the inn
the Baron's servant
Ortensia
Dejanira
Plot
Act 1
Mirandolina runs an inn in Florence and is constantly courted in marriage by all her clients, particularly the Marchese of Forlipopoli and the Conte of Albafiorita, who represent the two extremes of contemporary Venetian society, since the former is a born aristocrat who has fallen on hard times and sold his title whereas the latter is a young newly-rich merchant who has bought a title and become part of the new nobility. With only his honour to fall back on, the Marchese is convinced that offering his protection to Mirandolina will be enough to win her heart, whilst the Conte gives her many expensive gifts, believing he can buy her love just as he has bought his title. This reiterates the differences between the 'Nobles of the Sword' descended from the medieval nobility and 'Nobles of the Robe' who had bought their title. Mirandolina wisely does not accept either of the two men's attentions, leaving both of them still under the illusion that they can win her over.
The fragile equilibrium in the inn is broken by the arrival of the Cavaliere of Ripafratta, a haughty and inveterately woman-hating aristocrat inspired by the Florentine patrician Giulio Rucellai, to whom the play is dedicated. Anchored to his noble origins and lamenting the poor service at the inn, Ripafratta gives orders to Mirandolina and mocks Forlipopoli and Albafiorita for courting a woman. Not used to being treated as a servant and with her pride hurt, Mirandolina promises to make Ripafratta fall in love.
Act 2
To make Ripafratta fall in love, Mirandolina appears more and more polite and attentive to him as time goes on, until he first seems to yield.
“The Mistress of the Inn” enters the record as play by Carlo Goldoni. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Mistress, play and Carlo can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1232053. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1753.
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