The Marriage of Figaro Lesson Plan

Read the following lines spoken by Figaro: "Do you wish the Friendship of a great Lord, or a great Lady it's still the same--Chink, chink, and s'il vous plait, Monseigneur--S'il vous plait, Madame--the French are a very witty People!--Amazingly quick of apprehension!" Who is Figaro talking to? Why is "Lady" in italics? What does "Chink, chink" refer to? How does the fact that this is an English translation of a French play influence our understanding of the passage?

Figaro is responding to the Count asking him whether he speaks French. The Count is asking this question in the context of seeing whether Figaro will accompany him to Paris (he is really trying to figure out...