Editing Venice Preserv'd (section)

==Plot==
[[File:John Zoffany - David Garrick as Jaffier, Susannah Maria Cibber as Belvidera in Venice Preserved, or The Plot Discovered.jpg|thumb|300px|left|''[[Venice Preserv'd (painting)|Venice Preserv'd]]'' by [[Johan Zoffany]], 1763. Jaffeir and Belvidera as portrayed by [[David Garrick]] and [[Susannah Cibber]]]]
Jaffeir, a noble but impoverished [[Venice, Italy|Venetian]], has secretly married Belvidera, the daughter of a proud senator named Priuli, who has cut off her inheritance. Jaffeir's friend Pierre, a foreign soldier, stokes Jaffeir's resentment and entices him into a plot against the Senate of Venice. Pierre's own reasons for plotting against the Senate revolve around another senator (the corrupt, foolish Antonio) paying for relations with Pierre's mistress, Aquilina. Despite Pierre's complaints, the Senate does nothing about it, explaining that Antonio has senatorial privilege.

Pierre introduces Jaffeir to the conspirators, led by bloodthirsty Renault. To get their trust, Jaffeir must put Belvidera in Renault's care as a hostage. That night, Renault attempts to rape Belvidera, but she escapes to Jaffeir. Jaffeir then tells Belvidera about the plot against the Senate. She devises a plan of her own: Jaffeir will reveal the [[Conspiracy (political)|conspiracy]] to the Senate and claim the lives of the conspirators as his reward. (Jaffeir would then choose to pardon some or all of the conspirators, notably his friend Pierre.)

Jaffeir follows Belvidera's plan, but when the Senate gives the conspirators the choice between confession (and the possibility of pardon) and death, they choose to die rather than sacrifice their pride. In remorse for betraying Pierre and losing his honor, Jaffeir threatens to kill Belvidera, unless she can obtain a pardon for the conspirators. She does so, but the pardon arrives too late. Jaffeir visits Pierre before his execution. Pierre is crestfallen because he is sentenced to die a dishonourable death by hanging, not the death of a soldier. He forgives Jaffeir and whispers to him (unheard by the audience) to kill him honourably before he is executed. Just as Pierre is about to be hanged, Jaffeir rushes up to the gallows and stabs him; as a form of [[Atonement in Christianity|atonement]], he then commits suicide. Belvidera then goes [[insanity|insane]] and dies.