Questions and Answers: Act 4, Scenes 1-2
Study Questions
1. Why doesn’t Giovanni want to see Annabella marry Soranzo?
2. Why does Giovanni lie when asked why he cannot drink the wine?
3. What does Hippolita tell Soranzo about the city’s rumors of their relationship?
4. What are Hippolita's last words?
5. What does the Friar say about the impact of Hippolita’s death on the marriage’s prospects?
Answers
1. Giovanni doesn’t want to see Annabella marry Soranzo because he thinks the marriage will take Annabella from him, and he cannot endure such a possibility.
2. Giovanni says he cannot drink the wine because it would make him sick. He says this because he doesn’t want Soranzo to know how displeased he is by the marriage.
3. Hippolita tells Soranzo he and she should disregard the city’s rumors about their relationship. She says she has forgotten her interest in Soranzo and instead praises his marriage to Annabella.
4. Hippolita’s last curse is for Soranzo and Annabella to “die together in your sins.” Her hatred of Soranzo has inspired her to wish misfortune for them and their marriage.
5. The Friar says Hippolita’s death is a sign that the marriage will probably not go well. He believes that deaths at a wedding breakfast usually portend unhappy marriages.
