Editing Don Carlos (section)

===Act 3===
:[This is Act 2 in the 1883 revision]

''Scene 1: Evening in the Queen's garden in Madrid''

Elisabeth is tired, and wishes to concentrate on the following day's coronation of the King. To avoid the ''[[divertissement]]'' planned for the evening, she exchanges masks with Eboli, assuming that thereby her absence will not be noticed, and leaves.

:[This scene was omitted from the 1883 revision]

:[In the première, the ballet (choreographed by [[Lucien Petipa]] and entitled "La Pérégrina") took place at this point]

At midnight, Don Carlos enters, clutching a note suggesting a tryst in the gardens. Although he thinks this is from Elisabeth, it is really from Eboli.  Eboli, who still thinks Don Carlos loves her, enters.  Don Carlos mistakes her for Elisabeth in the dark, and passionately declares his love. When he sees Eboli's face, he realizes his error and recoils from her. Eboli guesses his secret—that he was expecting the Queen, whom he loves. She threatens to tell the King that Elisabeth and Carlos are lovers.  Carlos, terrified, begs for mercy. Rodrigue enters, and warns her not to cross him; he is the King's confidant.  Eboli replies by hinting darkly that she is a formidable and dangerous foe, with power which Rodrigue does not yet know about. (Her power is that she is having an affair with the King, but she does not reveal this yet.)  Rodrigue draws his dagger, intending to stab her to death, but reconsiders, spares her, and declares his trust in the Lord. Eboli exits in a vengeful rage. Rodrigue advises Carlos to entrust to him any sensitive, potentially incriminating political documents that he may have and, when Carlos agrees, they reaffirm their friendship.

''Scene 2: In front of the Cathedral of [[Valladolid]]''

{{Listen|type=music|filename=Le Ballet De La Reine From Don Carlos.ogg|title=''Le ballet de la reine'' (or ''La peregrina'') from Act III, Scene 2|description=Performed in 2000 by the [[U.S. Marine Band]] (15:13)}}
Preparations are being made for an ''[[auto-da-fé]]'', the public parade and burning of condemned heretics. While the people celebrate, monks drag the condemned to the woodpile. A royal procession follows, and the King addresses the populace, promising to protect them with fire and sword. Don Carlos enters with six Flemish envoys, who plead with the King for their country's freedom. Although the people and the court are sympathetic, the King, supported by the monks, orders his guards to arrest the envoys.  Carlos demands that the King grant him authority to govern Flanders; the King scornfully refuses. Enraged, Carlos draws his sword against the King. The King calls for help but the guards will not attack Don Carlos. Rodrigue realizes that actually attacking the King would be disastrous for Carlos.  He steps forward and defuses the situation by taking Carlos' sword from him. Carlos, astonished, yields to his friend without resisting. Relieved and grateful, the King raises Rodrigue to the rank of Duke.  The guards arrest Carlos, the monks fire the woodpile, and as the flames start to rise, a heavenly voice can be heard promising heavenly peace to the condemned souls.