Summary
Giovanni and Annabella discuss their new relationship with one another. Puttana knows that Annabella has lost her virginity to her brother and tells her that she should not be ashamed, as she can pursue any man she wants. Richardetto arrives, disguised as a doctor, along with Philotis, who is meant to play music for Annabella.
Meanwhile, Hippolyta visits Soranzo and lambasts him for forgetting his promise that he would marry her. She regrets sending her husband on a dangerous journey that eventually killed him, as she thought she would be able to marry Soranzo afterward. When she leaves Soranzo's house, she asks Vasquez to help her get revenge. Vasquez agrees, but secretly remains loyal to Soranzo.
Richardetto explains to his niece, Philotis, that his wife Hippolyta believes him to be dead.
When Grimaldi visits Richardetto to inquire about a love potion to seduce Annabella, Richardetto decides to help Grimaldi (who is very close with the Cardinal) by finding out when Annabella and Soranzo are meeting. He promises to provide Grimaldi with a poison dagger so Grimaldi can kill Soranzo, thereby executing Richardetto's own revenge on the man who made him a cuckold.
Giovanni visits the Friar and tells him what he and Annabella have done. The Friar once again warns Giovanni about the destructive consequences of incest. He asks to hear Annabella's confession.
Meanwhile, Donado delivers the letter to Annabella along with a ring. Annabella tries to return the ring, and Florio notices that her own ring (her mother's) is missing. Annabella tells him that Giovanni took it from her.
Bergetto arrives and declares he has fallen in love with Philotis.
Analysis
Act Two of the play introduces audiences to Annabella's close confidant, Puttana, who expresses an interesting and surprising opinion about Annabella's relationship with her brother. Puttana, unlike the only other person in the play who knows about the pairing (the Friar), endorses Annabella's decision to have sex with her brother. Not only that, but Puttana encourages Annabella to love whomever she wants, whether he be related to her or not.
This willing acceptance of such a taboo phenomenon introduces one of the play's other major themes, which is the expression of female sexuality in an otherwise modest society. While Puttana's endorsement of the incestuous relationship is disconcerting, her unquestionable support of Annabella suggests that she is someone who celebrates female sexuality and thinks that women should be able to pursue their desire to the same extent that men can, without consequence. Thus, not only does the play address the conflict between individual desire and societal expectation, but it also introduces to this concept a gendered complication, showcasing how women's desire is judged and policed while men's desire is often overlooked or even encouraged.
This section of the play also introduces the early plots for revenge that will eventually become central to the play's action.
Beginning in Act Two, characters decide to take matters of justice into their own hands: Hippolyta wants to exact revenge against Soranzo for disregarding his promise to her, Richardetto wants revenge on Soranzo as well for cuckolding him, and Grimaldi wants to eliminate Soranzo as a threat when he realizes that they are both competitors for Annabella's hand in marriage. These successive and unrelenting declarations of revenge are significant because they suggest that the authorities meant to deal out justice are ineffective if not totally absent. Indeed, the only reference made to authority figures in the play at this point has been to the close relationship between Grimaldi and the Cardinal (foreshadowing Grimaldi's lack of punishment later in the play).
Thus, despite the fact that characters perceive their society through a Christian lens, the authorities meant to keep the peace are glaringly absent from the play. As such, characters begin to decide for themselves what is right and wrong, and are easily swayed toward violence by their own desires, fears, and jealousies.
