In Manfred’s castle, the servant Herman greets the Abbot of St. Maurice. The Abbot wants to meet with Manfred, concerned about rumors that Manfred has associated with demonic spirits. He tells Manfred he has heard that the lord has held “converse with the things / Which are forbidden to the search of man” (86). The Abbot urges Manfred to find solace in the church, but Manfred feels that the church represents punishment. When the Abbot counters that religion offers “penitence and pity,” Manfred scoffs at the idea (86). Manfred tells the Abbot that he is too far gone for religion to save him, and compares himself to the sixth emperor of Rome, who Manfred thinks died by suicide. At his wit’s end, the Abbot pleads with Manfred to find something meaningful to cling to, but Manfred compares his soul to a wasteland and insists that the Abbot’s effort is in vain. As the scene closes, the Abbot says to himself that he will follow Manfred secretly.

Manfred’s servant Herman tells Manfred when the sun has set, as he was instructed to do. Manfred sings a long hymn to the sun, calling it the “[g]lorious orb” which brings light and life to humanity (90).