Granada

Granada enters the narrative as the destination of a politically arranged marriage, rather than as a place where the action unfolds. The planned journey connects the Tunisian princess’s father, the King of Tunis, with the King of Granada, while its threatened interruption draws Gerbino into conflict with the assurances made by King Guglielmo II of Sicily.

A Destination Arranged by Marriage

The King of Tunis gives his daughter in marriage to the King of Granada. The princess is distressed by the match because she expects it to separate her from Gerbino, with whom she has fallen in love, and she would flee to him if she could find a way. Granada thus represents the future her father has chosen for her, set against the attachment she has formed elsewhere.

The Political Guarantee

Aware of Gerbino’s reputation and suspecting that he might interfere, the King of Tunis seeks a guarantee from King Guglielmo II of Sicily that neither Gerbino nor anyone else will obstruct the princess’s departure. King Guglielmo grants the assurance without knowing of Gerbino’s love or intentions, and sends a glove as its token. The marriage voyage therefore proceeds under an explicit promise of safe passage, though the king who gives that promise does not understand the danger it is meant to prevent.

The Interrupted Voyage

When the princess learns that the ship is being prepared to carry her to Granada, she secretly sends word to Gerbino. He arms two galleys at Messina and waits off the coast of Sardinia for the vessel. It appears where he expects it, making the route to Granada the setting for an impending interception. In the evidence presented here, Granada remains the intended endpoint: the narrative’s action turns instead on the departure, the promise of non-interference, and Gerbino’s decision to challenge it.