ABSTRACT
The hallmark of idealized femininity in Goldoni's plays is its scrupulous adherence to the rules of modesty, often at great cost. When the inside-outside divide is explored in relation to female characters in Goldoni's plays. The basic alignment of femininity with the private, domestic, indoor domain, and masculinity with the public, outdoor sphere of business still appears to be the rule, with masculinity remaining at liberty to move between both areas. Feminine stage presence in Goldoni's plays is determined by issues of class, wealth, age, familial role, marital and work status. In this play, as in Le avventure della villeggiatura, nubile femininity bears out Fulgenzio's view that women are sexually weak-willed, irresponsible, and require policing 'for their own good'. The interpretation of female movement does not relate to femininity as such, but is an exclusively homosocial code within which femininity is only considered in its relation to masculinity.
