Characters
Amalia Agazzi
Amalia is the wife of Agazzi and the sister of Laudisi. She and her daughter, Dina, feel snubbed by Signora Frola, who neither answers the door nor returns their visits. Their interest in Signora Frola is partly due to genuine concern but mainly driven by small-town curiosity. Amalia enjoys the status and comfort that come with being married to a councilor.
Commendatore Agazzi
Agazzi is a provincial councilor or lawyer, married to Amalia, who is Laudisi’s sister. Nearly fifty, he is accustomed to the power that comes with his position in the small town. He is actively involved in the gossip surrounding Signora Frola and Ponzo.
Dina Agazzi
At nineteen, Dina takes her role in uncovering the truth behind the rumors very seriously.
Centuri
Centuri is the Police Commissioner tasked with investigating the backgrounds of Ponzo, his wife, and his mother-in-law. He is around forty, highly focused, and very serious about his work. He presents his findings as if he has solved the mystery, yet fails to realize that facts don't hold much weight in this situation. He feels relieved when asked to involve his superior, the Prefect, as it allows him to return to more tangible tasks.
Signora Cini
Signora Cini is an elderly townswoman with affected manners and a penchant for hearing about others' misdeeds. Along with Signora Nenni and the Sirellis, she acts like a Greek chorus, representing typical citizens reacting to the play's events. Unlike a traditional Greek chorus, they don't guide the audience but serve as a contrast to the audience's expected reaction.
Commissioner
See Centuri
Signora Frola
Signora Frola is an enigmatic older woman living in a stylish apartment provided by her son-in-law. The townspeople are unsure whether to believe her or her son-in-law. She may either be delusional about her deceased daughter or perfectly sane, pretending to be mad to appease Ponza's delusions. Her requests for privacy are ignored.
Governor
See The Prefect
Lamberto Laudisi
Lamberto Laudisi, affectionately called "Nunky" by Dina because he is her uncle, engages in the town's gossip with a playful yet probing style reminiscent of Socratic questioning. Despite his efforts, he cannot persuade the others of the futility in uncovering the truth about Ponza and his mother-in-law. From the outset, he tells the Sirellis that both perspectives are valid, illustrating that he himself appears differently to each of them. When they believe they have conclusive evidence through Centuri’s report, Laudisi demonstrates its ambiguity by questioning which Signora Frola was in a sanitarium and suggests the possibility of a forgery. He urges them to interrogate Ponza's wife, only to laugh when her presence further complicates the mystery instead of clarifying it. As a raisonneur, Laudisi stands out as the voice of reason amid chaos, akin to Sherlock Holmes. He also serves as the playwright's alter ego, crafting a complex puzzle without offering a conventional solution. Instead, his answer is a "metasolution" that seeks to deepen the audience's understanding of awareness.
Signora Nenni
Signora Nenni is another local gossip, much like Signora Cini, who appears toward the play's conclusion.
Nunky
See Lamberto Laudisi
Ponza
Ponza, the newly appointed secretary to the town’s prefect, has recently moved to town with his wife while arranging separate accommodations for his mother-in-law. His aloofness and the secrecy surrounding his wife, who remains secluded in their fifth-floor apartment, intrigue the townsfolk. Meanwhile, his daily visits to his mother-in-law, whom he prevents from seeing her daughter, add to the mystery. Ponza's swarthy appearance and nervous behavior cast doubt on his credibility, yet his narrative competes with Signora Frola’s, leaving the townspeople baffled. He...
(This entire section contains 869 words.)
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insists that his first wife is deceased and claims to shield his second wife from his mother-in-law's delusions by pretending to be insane.
Signora Ponza
Signora Ponza makes her entrance in the final scene, dressed in mourning attire and heavily veiled in black. After Ponza and his mother-in-law leave the room in tears, shaken by her public appearance, she declares herself to be Signora Frola's daughter, Ponza's wife, and to herself, "nobody." This statement casts doubt on all assumptions and facts known about her, suggesting she has allowed herself to be shaped by others, thereby nullifying the possibility of speaking "the truth." She embodies Laudisi’s theory that each person is as others perceive them, but simultaneously challenges it by denying his assertion that she remains her own person.
The Prefect
The Prefect, who is Ponza's superior and holds the highest position in the town, is summoned to address the gossip crisis by personally questioning Signora Ponza. At around sixty years old, he is competent, good-natured, and fully confident in his ability to manage the situation effectively. Nonetheless, he needs to threaten Ponza with dismissal to compel him to bring his wife forward. Although the Prefect has trusted Ponza until now, his trust is shaken by an overload of information.
Sirelli
Sirelli is a flashy, overdressed local who, along with his wife, becomes deeply involved in the town's gossip scene.
Signora Sirelli
Signora Sirelli, a young and attractive provincial gossip, struggles to grasp Laudisi's explanation that she can be perceived differently by different people. She insists that she is "always the same, yesterday, today, and forever!"