![]() Gilda is crushed as she looks through the window to see the Duke wooing Maddalena, and at Rigoletto's urging she dons men's clothing so she can return home safely by herself. Knowing the Duke will find Maddalena irresistible, Rigoletto takes Gilda to stand outside the tavern so she can see for herself that the Duke is not a faithful lover. Consumed with the desire for revenge, Rigoletto contacts a murderous thief named Sparafucile (who just happens to have a beautiful sister named Maddalena), and he contracts with the two of them to lure the Duke to Sparafucile's tavern on the river where Sparafucile will murder the Duke. Rigoletto returns to the court and reveals to the courtiers' amusement that Gilda is his daughter. In an attempt to humiliate Rigoletto, they kidnap Gilda and deliver her to the Duke's bedroom, where she is quite willing to let him have his way with her. Later, the courtiers discover that Rigoletto is secretly living with Gilda, whom they believe to be his mistress. ![]() Rigoletto ridicules Monterone, the Duke laughs, and Monterone casts an awful curse on both of them. Suddenly Count Monterone appears at court, furious that the Duke has seduced his daughter. What nobody realizes is that the girl is the jester's beloved daughter, Gilda, and that Gilda has seen the Duke every Sunday and is smitten with him. In fact, we learn as the opera begins that he's recently been noticing a young lady every Sunday on her way to church, and he's vowed to have his way with her. The Duke is a ladies man who feels his life would be meaningless if he couldn't chase every skirt he sees. The courtiers, of course, are not amused. ![]() He has a hunch-back and he's rather unattractive, but he's good at his job of humiliating the courtiers for the amusement of the Duke. Rigoletto is a jester in the court of the Duke of Mantua. This summary contains the complete plot of the opera Rigoletto by Guiseppi Verdi.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |