Summary
Melantha, a young woman, and Philotis, her maid, enter. Philotis tells Melantha that Rhodophil is a fine gentleman and Melantha ought to take his doting seriously, before suggesting that it is a shame he is married and so cannot pursue an "honourable intrigue" with her mistress. Melantha is an exceedingly pretentious woman, who loves nothing more than to sprinkle her sentences with French phrases.
Palamede enters, and a servant tells him that Melantha is the woman who is to be his wife. Melantha asks him if he came from Palermo and he tells her he has. When Philotis tells Melantha that the new prince is passing by, Melantha and her servant rush off to see him.
Left alone, Palamede comments on how annoyed he is by Melantha's casual use of French phrases, and bemoans that he must be locked in a bedroom with her at night, with nowhere to run from it. When he sees Rhodophil coming, he decides not to speak of his fiancée with his friend.
When Rhodophil approaches, Palamede tells his friend that he loves his fiancée and will marry her, but intends to keep his mistress as well. Rhodophil discusses the fact that if only women would accept affairs and extramarital dalliances, life would be better, saying, "if they would suffer us but now and then to make excursions, the benefit of our variety would be theirs; instead of one continu'd, lazy, tyr'd love, they would, in their turns, have twenty vigorous, fresh, and active loves."
As they discuss this, Doralice enters, reading. Excitedly, Palamede confides in Rhodophil that Doralice is his beloved, and Rhodophil says nothing. When Doralice notices her husband, she asks him why he isn't speaking to her. Palamede realizes that Rhodophil and Doralice are married and Rhodophil asks Doralice how long she has known Palamede, but she tells him she never saw him before.
Just then, Melantha enters, and Palamede identifies her as his betrothed. Rhodophil realizes that he is wooing his friend's fiancée and becomes anxious. In an aside, Palamede discusses the fact that he must marry Melantha so that he will not be disinherited. He also plots to keep up his friendship with Rhodophil in order to stay close to Doralice.
Suddenly, Melantha reenters and gushes about how wonderful the new prince is, and that he has "the air of the Court." She alludes to a promise she made to the prince and whispers in Doralice's ear.
Amalthea enters and announces that the prince is coming that way. After Melantha has run off, Amalthea asks for a word with Rhodophil, while Doralice asks Palamede why he did not follow his fiancée. He tells her that he is in love with her, and Doralice assures him she will never speak of their private affair in public, before leaving to go to the church. Palamede resolves to follow her there and "endeavour to joyn [his] own" devotions with hers, before exiting after her.
Meanwhile Amalthea confides to Rhodophil that she is worried about a fight breaking out between Argaleon and Leonidas. When Polydamas and Leonidas enter, Polydamas whispers to Amalthea. Rhodophil is angry with Palamede for marrying his mistress, but resolves to stay close to his friend, so that he can continue to have an affair with Melantha.
After Rhodophil exits, Polydamas makes it known that he wants Leonidas to woo Amalthea, even though Leonidas protests that he is not yet refined enough, and tells the king that he would like to choose his wife. Polydamas asks the prince why he should disobey his wishes, to which Leonidas replies, "Sir, ask the Stars,/Which have impos'd love on us, like a fate,/Why minds are bent to one, and fly another?"
Polydamas counters, "Leonidas, you owe me more/Then to oppose your liking to my pleasure." He becomes angry, as Amalthea entreats the king to be more gentle with his son. Meanwhile, Leonidas keeps his love for Palmyra secret, saying, "I have some reasons, which I cannot utter,/That force my disobedience; yet I mourn/To death, that the first thing you e'r injoyn'd me,/Should be that onely one command in Nature/Which I could not obey."
When Polydamas becomes impatient with Leonidas, Amalthea begs him not to be too rash, and the king agrees to give Leonidas one day to consider the offer. He and Amalthea exit, just before Argaleon and Palmyra enter. Palmyra begs Leonidas to free her from Argaleon, a "bad man."
Leonidas orders Argaleon to leave, drawing his sword. Argaleon agrees and exits, but listens and watches as Leonidas and Palmyra speak to one another in private. Leonidas speaks about the fact that there is very little room for privacy and love in court, in contrast to the open schedules of cottage living. They recount their first meeting at the fisherman's cottage, the fact that Leonidas was immediately drawn to Palmyra.
Leonidas assures Palmyra that he will not give up his love for her, and will bravely face exile if it means he can return to her. Palmyra insists that he should "not lose a Crown for love of me." They vow to remain true to one another, then bid adieu and leave.
Analysis
It is at the beginning of this act that we learn of the complications in Rhodophil and Palamede's respective relationships. The pretentious Melantha is in love with Palamede, who is courting her as his mistress, though she is engaged to Rhodophil. The two friends, Rhodophil and Palamede, have no idea that they are involved the same woman. Not only that, they do not realize that they are courting one another's official beloveds: Palamede is in love with Rhodophil's wife, while Rhodophil is in love with Palamede's betrothed.
A major theme in the play is the fact that love inevitably fades, and that the thing that can most easily revive faded love is a more relaxed attitude towards infidelity. Rhodophil and Palamede spend a great deal of time talking about the fact that affairs reinvigorate men's' lives, with Rhodophil attesting that woman are "their own enemies" because they will not allow their husbands to "make excursions." Faced with the monotony of commitment, these young men must contend with their competing desires for security and adventure.
The major motor of the plot is romantic discontent, the fact that none of the characters can ever feel satisfied with their respective beloveds, and are in the thrall of others. Palamede vows to remain close to Rhodophil so that he can have an affair with the latter's wife, while Rhodophil pines for Palamede's fiancée, Melantha. If everyone was open with their desires, perhaps more clarity could come of it, but instead the characters harbor secrets from one another, which keeps the plot of the play moving at a rousing clip.
Time and time again in the play, the heart wants what the heart wants. Not only do Rhodophil and Palamede love women other than their betrothed, but Leonidas finds himself in a complicated situation when Polydamas orders him to wed Amalthea. He actually loves Palmyra, and entreats the king to understand that people cannot control who they fall in love with. However, in the eyes of the power brokers of the upper classes, marriage and love are hardly about choice and pleasure, but about obedience and practical unions.
In this act, Palmyra and Leonidas speak to one another in poetic verse about their love for one another and the fact that their love was so much easier to sustain when they lived together in the country. Through pleasing rhymes, they philosophize about the fact that it is much easier to fall in love as simple country folk than it is to pursue their desires in the court. While the wealthy courtiers of the play may have luxury and status, they are penned in by this status and unable to pursue their desires freely, as Leonidas and Palmyra once were in their humble fisherman's cottage.
