Complications ensue: Basilius falls in love with "Zelmane the Amazon," while his wife, seeing through the disguise, falls in love with the real Pyrocles. To escape this tangle, Pyrocles arranges to meet both the king and queen in a cave — but he leaves them to run into each other, while he pursues his own suit to Philoclea. Musidorus, meanwhile, wants to elope with Pamela.
Complications arise: Basilius falls in love with "Zelmane the Amazon," while his wife, recognizing the disguise, falls in love with the real Pyrocles. To resolve this entanglement, Pyrocles arranges a meeting between the king and queen in a cave — but he leaves them to encounter each other, while pursuing his own romance with Philoclea. Meanwhile, Musidorus wants to secretly marry Pamela.