 Scene 1 opens at the ladies' literary salon, where Trissotin is amusing and instructing them.Henriette wanders in during Scene 2, and Philaminte forces her to stay and listen to Trissotin's reading of his own poems.Scene 3 sees the arrival of another scholar, Vadius; the ladies swoon over him when they learn he knows classical Greek, and line up to kiss him, ""pour l'amour du grec"" ("for the love of Greek").