The Conspirators

Cornacchia discovers that prince Filippo Spada plans to reveal the Carbonari uprising to the Pontifical Guard. He quickly decides to warn his ally, Doctor Leonida Montanari. The warning sets the conspiracy on edge and triggers a race against time in Rome.

Montanari and Targhini confront Spada in an attempt to silence the informer. The attempt initially fails, and Spada survives the attack. He immediately reports the incident to the authorities, speeding up the exposure of the conspiracy.

Spada reports the attack to the Pontifical Guard, leading to the arrest of Cornacchia and Targhini. After a swift and harsh judgement, Cardinal Rivarola sentences them to death. The pair are taken into custody as the conspiracy is pushed toward its grim end.

While the conspirators await fate, Giuditta, Cornacchia's workshop assistant, begins to develop feelings for Targhini. She remains unaware of Cornacchia's own feelings toward her, adding emotional tension to the looming executions. The human dramas intersect with the political crisis.

Cornacchia and Targhini are imprisoned in Castel Sant'Angelo, where a zealously devout friar is sent to persuade them to repent. He argues that no one can be executed until their souls are saved. The attempt to delay the executions creates a fragile pause in the justice system.

Cornacchia tells Giuditta that he is Pasquino, the anonymous satirist behind the pope's critics. Hoping to save his friends, he offers to reveal Pasquino's identity to Rivarola in exchange for the conspirators' lives. Rivarola pretends to agree and gives him a note to deliver to Nardoni.

The note from Rivarola is designed to arrest Cornacchia at once. If Cornacchia protests, it would reveal that he can read, confirming suspicions about his identity. The ruse is meant to secure his capture while maintaining the pretence of a deal.

Cornacchia and his pupil Bellachioma compose a poem urging the swift execution of the two conspirators to awaken the people. He designates Bellachioma as the new Pasquino to continue the satire. The act deepens the public manipulation behind the downfall.

Fearing continued persecution, Cornacchia withdraws from public life and joins a convent. He thus exits the open stage of political intrigue while leaving the fate of the conspirators to others. The quiet life contrasts with the bitter drama unfolding in the city.

People in the streets assault Castel Sant'Angelo, convincing Montanari that the crowd wants vengeance and hopes for a revolt. He soon discovers that many citizens also desire the death of the conspirators. The illusion of popular uprising collapses under fear and hostility.

The friar begs Cardinal Rivarola to delay the executions on the belief that every soul must be saved. Rivarola shrugs off the plea, insisting that justice cannot be postponed for spiritual concerns. The tension between mercy and justice intensifies as the day of execution nears.

On the execution day, Targhini is decapitated before the eyes of the crowd. The punishment is swift and decisive, signaling the tightening grip of the authorities. The momentum of retribution grows as the second prisoner faces his fate.

Montanari is led to the guillotine and faces execution. As the blade falls, he turns to the gathered citizens in Piazza del Popolo and utters his farewell, Good night, people. His last moment crystallizes the tragedy of the conspirators and the crowd's complicity in their deaths.