This is the Plot Summary | On Stage | Behind the Scenes

il Riassunto in italiano | the Summary in Italian

Act I

The play begins with the narrator, Leopoldo Notarbartolo. He describes his father, Emanuele Notarbartolo, an aristocrat and politician of Palermo who was killed by the Sicilian Mafia on February 1, 1893. Notarbartolo was the first “excellent cadaver” to have been killed by the Mafia and this work centers around his son’s memories of him and his pursuit of justice through finding and arresting Notarbartolo’s killers. The play is a series of present scenes in court and in Leopoldo’s life, flashbacks to the life of Notarbartolo, and imaginary conversations that present-day characters have with the deceased Notarbartolo.

The act continues with one of these imaginary conversations, as Leopoldo and his father remember Leo’s childhood. Even after his murder, Notarbartolo seems to have pleasant memories of his life. The next character revealed to the audience is Marianna, the wife of Notarbartolo and mother of Leopoldo. She speaks of her memories of Notarbartolo from their youth, including their love and her innocence. This is followed by two short flashbacks—the first is of the married couple directly following their wedding in which they are playful and joking; the second is of the joy they felt when Marianna realized that she was pregnant with Leopoldo.

The happiness of this scene of Notarbartolo’s early life is then contrasted with Notarbartolo’s struggle working against the Mafia. Notarbartolo is shown in a hospital where he is trying to explain to both a nurse and the director of the hospital that food and supplies are running out much too quickly. Notarbartolo believes that something dishonest occurred, but the workers at the hospital insist that there is nothing to worry about and that things are always done in this manner. The hospital director also warns Notarbartolo against getting too involved in this situation. In a present narration, Leopoldo explains that Notarbartolo was a moral man and that he tried to always do the right thing in all his work affairs. This did not sit well for members of the Sicilian Mafia who were used to being able to profit off of the business “mistakes” of their companies.

The flashback that follows carries on the same threatening mood as Notarbartolo attempts to convince an accountant, Panormo, of the underhandedness which occurs at the hospital. Panormo plays dumb and warns Notarbartolo against concerning himself with this situation. He also mentions Palizzolo, who is a member of the Parliament and a powerful man with Mafia connections. He will prove to be a very important and interesting character in the play.

In the next scene, there is a present-day conversation between Leopoldo and his mother. Leo tries to discuss the extensive Mafia net that surrounded his father’s work, but Marianna responds by stating that many, although afraid of the mafia, loved and respected Notarbartolo.

In the following scene, the audience gets to meet Palizzolo, the man against whom Notarbartolo has been warned. Palizzolo is angry about Notarbartolo’s dealings with the hospital, but the Prince, an upper-class friend of Palizzolo, warns him to be patient. After this scene, there is a bit of comic relief as Palizzolo’s mother enters. She is portrayed as a stereotypical Italian mother who is very involved in her son’s life and who always wants to make sure that he eats enough. In this scene, Palizzolo is cursing Notarbartolo for his meddling with the affairs of the hospital while his mother worries about his foul language.

Following this scene, there is another imaginary conversation between Leopoldo and Notarbartolo. Leo seems confused and sad that his father chose to speak out against the misdeeds of the Mafia. However, Notarbartolo has no regrets and, as a just man, believes that the law comes before all things.

Next, in a flashback to Leopoldo’s childhood, Marianna reprimands Notarbartolo for working too much and never spending enough time with his son. Although Notarbartolo apologizes and promises to make more time for the family in the future, Leopoldo recalls that this change never occurs. He does, however, remember one story about the Italian hero of the Risorgimento, Giuseppe Garibaldi, which his father told him so much as a child that he can now recite it by memory.

In a return to the house of Palizzolo’s mother, we again see Palizzolo outraged about Notarbartolo’s working against the mafia, which is displayed in the next scene at the Bank of Sicily. The receipts of the bank prove to be missing and inconsistent and Notarbartolo is aghast when the bankers suggest stealing from clients. Like the scene at the hospital, the bankers also insist that this is how things are always done and that Notarbartolo needn’t meddle in them.

Up until this point, Notarbartolo has been portrayed as a just and honest man in his business deals. However, in the following scene, when Agata, his secretary, confesses her love for him, the audience learns that Notarbartolo is also an honest man in his private life. He refuses her advances and reminds her that they both have families.

In the final scene of the first act, Leopoldo recounts his memories of his father’s death. He waited at the train station with his mother for his father to arrive but Notarbartolo never did. Members of the Mafia had murdered him while he returning home to see his wife and son.

Act II

Act II opens in a court room in the middle of a trial. Carenza, a fruit vendor who was onboard the same train as Notarbartolo the night of his death, is retracting his previous statement that he saw a man fall from the train. Instead, he claims that he remembers nothing of the night of the murder. The next scene is a flashback in which a recently widowed Countess visits Palizzolo to seduce him. She wants him to help her with some money problems, but she quickly leaves when Palizzolo tells her he is powerless and cannot help her.

Then, we move to a flashback of Notarbartolo dropping Leopoldo off at a Jesuit boarding school. Leo is scared and wants his father to stay so Notarbartolo tries to explain that he also had to go away to boarding school and tells Leopoldo that he should be strong and brave. Back in the courtroom during the trial of the assassin Fontana, Signor Diletti, another witness, retracts his statement as well, saying he made a mistake. The prosecution lawyer tries to prove that Palizzolo bought Fontana a house for assassinating Notarbartolo as well as that the mafia is threatening all the witnesses. Since nobody wants to testify against Fontana, Leopoldo decides to further investigate Fontana’s business in Hammamet (in Tunisia) in order to look for proof that Fontana’s alibi is false. He found four Sicilian fishermen that report a small boat departs for Sicily every two days from Hammamet, outside government control. He believes Fontana was able to leave Hammamet long enough to kill his father and then return without anyone knowing he left. However, Leo’s friend, a lawyer by the name of Marchesano, warns him that the fishermen will never tell what they know in front of a judge for fear of the mafia. Leo tries to meet with the king, who refuses to see him, but luckily finds a friend who is willing to help. Leo tells Marchesano how Crisafulli tricks the king into meeting him and convinces him to help with Notarbartolo’s case. In a separate conversation, Leo reveals to the Prince that he has proof that not only did Fontana kill his father, but that Palizzolo ordered the murder. The Prince wonders why Leo doesn’t have the murderers of his father killed. Leo responds that he has faith in the law. The Prince says he will do all he can to defend Fontana because he needs the mafia’s protection of his land.

The next scene moves to focus on Marianna, who is still grieving the loss of her husband after ten years. Her husband’s secretary comes to bring flowers for Marianna to put on Notarbartolo’s grave. Agata admits that she was in love with Notarbartolo, but assures Marianna that nothing ever happened between them. Marianna feels both relieved, and a little guilty, because she was sure the two had had an affair.

As the trial proceeds, another witness retracts his statement, but this time the judge puts him in jail until he admits he saw Notarbartolo. Leo celebrates the news that an arrest warrant was issued for Palizzolo. Two policemen arrive at Palizzolo’s house, to arrest him. His mother proclaims her son’s innocence and tries to bribe the police, but Palizzolo is forced to go with them. During his trial, the judge brings up other cases in which Palizzolo is involved in. He is accused of killing the owner of a garden and then buying his property at a low price, though Palizzolo denies these charges. He also denies all involvement in Notarbartolo’s death.

In the last scene of act II, Leo and his father discuss the mafia. Leo denounces the people that claim the mafia doesn’t exist since everyone knows a politician in Sicily cannot get elected without the mafia. “Everyone knows this, yet nobody does: this is the victorious strategy of the mafia” replies Notarbartolo.

Act III

The third act begins with the Attorney General apprehending the Prince. After the Prince is dismissed the Attorney General talks to Leopoldo about the best methods for making sure the murderers of Notarbartolo go to jail. Next is a scene in which Fontana, the suspected assassin of Notarbartolo, is being tried in court. He claims that he was in Hammamet during the time of the murder because he had to deliver a package and denies the judge’s accusation of having used an illegal sailboat to return to Palermo and murder Notarbartolo. It is believed that Fontana’s brother falsified his signature.
Palizzolo is then called back to the stand where he claims not to know Fontana. Another man, the barber Costanzo, is called to the stand to testify that he saw Fontana and Carollo the day he claims to have been gone. Again, Palizzolo denies his involvement and knowledge of anything. He then rallies the crowd--mainly composed of members of the recently created organization “Pro Sicilia”--by chanting “Viva la Sicilia!”

The state eventually prevails in the next scene when the court of Milan sentences Palizzolo to twenty years in jail for organizing the death of Notarbartolo. Leopoldo is very pleased with the verdict and expresses this to his father in a monologue. In the next scene, a young Leopoldo reads a letter he has received from his father about how he should stay in school and not complain.

Next, we see Leopoldo receive some disheartening news from Marchesano; the verdict has been overturned for the testimony of the public minister is invalid because of a recent law that was passed. The trial will have to be redone in Bologna.

Next there is a playful flashback scene between Marianna and Notarbartolo. Marianna has cut her hair, but after Notarbartolo says he doesn’t recognize her anymore she promises to grow it back out. Then, Leopoldo speaks with the image of his father about the justice that will be done to Palizzolo in court.

In the next scene, Marchesano informs Leopoldo that the testimony in Bologna has also been invalidated, but this time it’s because a witness was questioned twice. The trial will now be moved to Florence. Meanwhile Principe comforts Palizzolo by telling him not to worry, that this trial will be the last and he will not have to go to prison.

In the next scene between Notarbartolo and Leopoldo, Leo tells his father how much he misses him. They reflect upon a time when Leo was very young and then Notarbartolo comforts Leo’s fears that he will not marry.

We then find Palizzolo back in the court room. His testimony is different from that of Fontana as Fontana claims not to know him. Then Fontana is brought to the stand where he is interrogated and the testimonies again do not match up. In spite of this, all the defendants are found innocent due to lack of proof. Members of the Pro Sicilia rent a boat to take Palizzolo back to Sicily, in triumph. To all the members of the jury, Palizzolo has sent a ticket to join him in Palermo and there, at a party, gives them a golden rose with a diamond as a symbol of his gratitude. Only one member of the jury, Mannarò, who gave the only vote against Palizzolo, refuses the gift for he still believes that Palizzolo is guilty.
Finally Leo is at least relieved that Palizzolo, even if out of jail, didn’t get many votes at the last elections since he is now considered unreliable even by his Mafia friends.

In an imaginary scene, Notarbatolo and Leo read a letter written by the poet Giovanni Pascoli and then recite to each other lines from his poems--written by the poet after the mysterious murder of his own father.

The final scene is an endearing sweet flashback between a very much in love Notarbartolo and Marianna in the rain. The play closes with the two of them each claiming to love the other one more.

Plot Summary | On Stage | Behind the Scenes

il Riassunto in italiano | the Summary in Italian