- Thought this play was dizzying already? Heads up: The plot thickens considerably in this scene.
- Lussurioso and Vindice burst into the Duchess's bedchamber ready to attack. They expect to find Spurio and the Duchess there in bed, but instead, the Duchess is in bed with her husband, the Duke.
- Here's where things really get interesting: The Duke and Duchess think that Lussurioso is starting a treasonous attack on his father. They call for help, and everyone turns up—Hippolito, two nobles, and the Duchess's sons, Supervacuo and Ambitioso. Apparently no one gets a good night's sleep in the Duke's palace.
- Lussurioso is hauled off to prison, and Vindice slips away in the confusion, rightly concluding that it won't do him any good to be found there and that Lussurioso won't be making any moves against Castiza tonight.
- Hippolito asks if Vindice knew the Duke was with the Duchess, and Vindice says he didn't. He adds that it would have saved them a lot of trouble if Vindice had killed the Duke by accident (since Hippolito and Vindice are still trying to get revenge on the Duke for the death of Vindice's girlfriend).
- Hang on tight, because this play is about to go into character swap spin.
- Spurio turns up onstage now, complaining to his servants that he went to attack Lussurioso at Castiza's home, but he wasn't there.
- Spurio is seriously upset, until he realizes that Lussurioso is in trouble with the Duke—like, major trouble. The Duke says Lussurioso will be executed. Spurio rapidly changes his tune, telling himself and maybe his servant: "Good, i'faith; then 'tis not much amiss" (2.3.59). Yeah, it's not the greatest sibling relationship ever.
- But then, the Duchess's three sons aren't so hot at brotherly love either. Lussurioso asks his (step)brothers to plead for him with the Duke. They agree—isn't that nice?—but then they tell each other that they'll pretend to plead for him while actually influencing the Duke against their brother. The Brady Bunch this is not.
- They put their plan into action, but the Duke is pretty wily, too. He sees their game, and he's not so excited about having ambitious stepsons (2.3.121-128), so he decides to thwart their plot and says Lussurioso will be released. They backpedal, while still trying to pretend they're on Lussurioso's side. The Duke tells them Lussurioso will die after all and hands them a signet to take to the judges to confirm the decision. (A signet works kind of the way a presidential signature on a law does today—it puts an official's decision into effect.)
- When his stepsons leave, the Duke says he will give them a nasty surprise by releasing Lussurioso suddenly (3.2.128). Two nobles come in to plead for Lussurioso's freedom, and the Duke assures them it will happen.
- After everyone else leaves, the Duke reflects that he's not really in a great position to mete out judgment on other people. He says he can forgive a mistake like Lussurioso's, since he himself is expecting mercy for committing adultery even in his old age. He also talks about poisoning women who refused him, which makes it sound like Vindice's girlfriend wasn't the only woman he's murdered. Yikes—no wonder he doesn't think he should be a judge.