Zuniga, the lieutenant of the new guard, sends José to investigate. At the moment he decides to obey, a fracas is heard from within the factory. When he starts to read her letter, Micaëla runs off in embarrassment since it suggests that he marry her. She has sent Micaëla, the orphan girl who lives with her, to tell José that his past misdemeanours are forgiven, and to give him a letter. Left alone, Don José is soon joined by Micaëla, bringing news of his mother. The women go back into the factory and the crowd disperses. Only one man pays no attention to her – Don José – so Carmen teasingly throws a cassia flower in his face. When the men gather round her, she tells them that the love they solicit, like a bird or a gypsy child, obeys no known laws. Of all the women, the gypsy Carmen is awaited with the greatest anticipation. The factory bell rings and the menfolk of Seville gather round the female workers as they return after their lunch break.
As the guards change, Moralés tells José that a girl is looking for him. A trumpet call heralds the approach not only of the relief guard but also of a gang of street urchins who imitate their drill. Avoiding the dragoons’ invitation to step inside the guardroom, Micaëla escapes, planning to return later. She asks Moralés if he knows Don José, and is told that he is a corporal in another platoon expected shortly to relieve the present guard.
A square in Seville, with a tobacco factory and a guardroomĬorporal Moralés and the dragoons while away the time watching the passers-by, among whom is Micaëla, a peasant girl from Navarre.
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