her out of the room. The narrator says he knows who the man is and says he will tell her his story the next evening. The next evening, the narrator tells Mme de Rochefide about Ernest-Jean Sarrasine, a passionate, artistic boy, who after having trouble in school became a protégé of the sculptor Bouchardon. After one of Sarrasine's sculptures wins a competition, he heads to Rome where he sees a theatre performance featuring Zambinella. He falls in love with her, going to all of her performances and creating a clay mold of her. After spending time together at a party, Sarrasine attempts to seduce Zambinella. She is reticent, suggesting some hidden secret or danger of their partnership. Sarrasine becomes increasingly convinced that Zambinella is the ideal woman. Sarrasine develops a plan to abduct her from a party at the French embassy. When Sarrasine arrives, Zambinella is dressed as a man. Sarrasine speaks to a cardinal, who is Zambinella's patron, and is told that Zambinella is a castrato. Sarrasine refuses to believe it and leaves the party, seizing Zambinella. Once they are at his studio, Zambinella confirms that she is a castrato. Sarrasine is about to kill him as a group of the cardinal's men barge in and stab Sarrasine. The narrator then reveals that the old man around the household is Zambinella, Marianina's maternal great uncle. The story ends with Mme de Rochefide's expressing her distress about the story she has just been told. Characters The Narrator – The narrator tells the story of Sarrasine to Madame Rochefide, as a way to seduce her. He is a member of Paris' upper class and regularly frequents its grand balls. Sarrasine – Ernest-Jean Sarrasine is the main protagonist of the story. The story is a narration of his falling in love with Zambinella. He is described as passionate and artistic. The only son of a rich lawyer who, rather than following in his father's path as the family wants, becomes an artist, eventually having his talent as a sculptor recognized by Bouchardon. He is generally more interested in art than in women, but on a trip to Italy falls in love with the opera star, La Zambinella, who serves as the model for his most perfect statue. When he learns that Zambinella is a castrato, he tries to kill Zambinella and is himself killed instead. Zambinella – A star of the Roman