ACTI Scene I (A room in the palace. KING SILVIO, PANTALONE, and GUARDS.) SILVIO, KING OF HEARTS. Oh, Pantalone, advisor to me, the King of Hearts! My only son, Tartaglia, heir to my throne, is still sick after all these months. He lies in his room day in and day out, too ill to leave, miserable and dying and yet we still do not know what has made him so sick. Meanwhile, on a potentially unrelated note, Prin- cess Clarice, second in the line of succession to the throne, grows more strange and cruel by the moment. Now the doctors have said that there is no hope for recovery and the kingdom is as good as de- stroyed. Oh, the inhumanity! (KING sobs.) PANTALONE. Uh...this is true, but with all due respect, your Maj- esty, why are you telling me this? Perhaps you have forgotten but I live here. I know all this already. KING. Oh, I know. PANTALONE. Then...why...? KING. It’s for them. (Points to the audience.) Plot exposition. PANTALONE. Ah! Very good your majesty. Very clever. It was in- terwoven so well I hardly noticed. (Rolls eyes.) KING. That's why I'm King. (In a daze:) I still do not understand where he could have gotten such a sickness. I've always made him wear his coat outdoors and wash his hands before eating and Inever let him kiss frogs... PANTALONE. Your majesty. (PANTALONE signals to the KING to come closer and he says confidentially:) { don’t mean to be indiscreet, but could the illness be something that you (Chooses word:) contracted in your youth? KING. Pardon? I'm not following. PANTALONE. What I mean to say sire, is that you may have (Chooses word:) known several women other than the Queen... KING. Good God man! Why are you whispering? (Loudly:) Know- ing women is nothing to be ashamed of. Lord, Pantalone, I knew women at an early age. [ had all my sisters and I showed my aunts a good time as soon as I was able to walk. And to say nothing of my Grandmother! Ah the times that bathtub has seen. I was dirty and grandma would rub me down. Oh, the games we played in that tub! 7