About the work
Carlo Goldoni wrote "La bottega del caffè" in 1750 as part of a self-imposed wager to deliver sixteen new comedies within a single season; the play is considered one of the model works of his reform of commedia dell'arte into a character comedy of everyday bourgeois life.
Plot
On a Venetian square with a coffee house, a barbershop and a gambling den, the reckless merchant Eugenio loses his money under the guidance of the swindling fake "Conte" Leandro and neglects his wife Vittoria. The coffee house owner Ridolfo tries to mediate, while the gossip Don Marzio poisons nearly every relationship on the square with his indiscretions — until the fake count's fraud is exposed and Don Marzio is publicly disgraced.
Cultural significance
The character of Don Marzio, who causes harm purely out of curiosity and loose talk, is one of Goldoni's most memorable character studies and exemplifies his aim of drawing psychologically consistent types instead of fixed masks.