The Baroness von Freimann, sister of the count and recently widowed, arrives disguised as a student to travel incognito.

The Baroness hears of Baculus's misfortune, and offers herself to plead his case in place of Gretchen.

The Countess von Eberbach has a weakness for ancient tragedies, particularly Sophocles, and she bores her servant when she expounds on them.

Pancratius, the house master, advises Baculus to exploit this feature to gain favour with the countess.

A storm then arises, and this forces Baculus and Gretchen to remain locked in the castle.

It also turns out that Baculus had accidentally shot his own donkey initially, rather than a deer on the count's grounds.