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Film's Storyline:
In the early years of the Sixteenth Century the Estense Court falls prey to strife after of the death of Ercole I. His four sons; Alfonso, Ippolito, Giulio and Ferrante almost immediately manifest pent-up hatred and jealousies while Court life brazenly continues with lavish parties attended by sensuous Court ladies. During a Court meeting the situation further degenerates; Ippolito is spurned by the lovely Angiola, who prefers Giulio. The jealous Ippolito gives orders that his brother be ambushed and horribly scarred. Simultaneously Giulio, in collusion with Ferrante, are caught in a failed attempt to kill Alfonso. The guilty brothers, condemned to death in a public execution, are saved at the last minute by an act of clemency and are instead condemned to life imprisonment. Behind the scenes of all these machinations is Moschino, a humble buffoon who at first seems to be in the service of Giulio and then Alfonso, but later begrudgingly plays a role in the overall intrigues of the Court and the brothers. The only two who may suspect Moschino’s true importance to the hidden politics are the courtesan Martina (a peasant for whom Moschino always plays secret benefactor), and Ludovico Ariosto, a court scholar.
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