A Curious Accident by Carlo Goldoni. Short summary

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Jeannine is the daughter of a rich man in love with a poor French lieutenant. Realizing that her father would not marry her off to her lover, she becomes the Frenchman’s wife by deception.

1 minute

Jeannine is the daughter of the wealthy Dutch merchant Philibert. She is in love with a lodger in their house, the French Lieutenant de Lacotry. But the girl realizes that her father will never allow her to marry a poor Frenchman.

Then she goes for a ruse. Jeannine tells her father that de Lacontry is in love with her pal Constance. To her friend, who has long been in love with the Frenchman, Jeannine tells her that her feelings are mutual.

Philibert decides to help the young people and facilitate their marriage. When Constance’s father refuses to marry off his daughter to a poor Frenchman, Philibert gives the young people money so they can get married.

But with the money, his daughter Jeannine runs away from home and secretly marries her lover de Lacontry. Upon learning of this, Philibert becomes furious. But then he forgives his beloved daughter and son-in-law and allows them to live in his house.