Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto

SYNOPSIS

Act I Scene 1 . The Duke of Mantua’s palace . The Duke of Mantua, fond of parties and women, is enjoying himself at a festive ball. (“Questa o quella”) The libertine Duke is engaged in the pursuit of a desired affair with the married Countess Ceprano. Count Ceprano furiously watches the Duke and the Countess together. The court jester, Rigoletto, cruelly mocks Count Ceprano’s ill-concealed anger. Marullo, a courtier, excitedly reports the unlikely news that the deformed jester is apparently keeping a mistress. Ceprano and the other members of the court, all of whom have been the butt of Rigoletto’s derisive humor at one time or another, decide to take revenge against the jester.

Count Monterone, a nobleman, enters in a fury; he has discovered that the Duke has seduced his daughter. Rigoletto viciously insults Monterone, who curses the jester for mocking a father’s grief. (“Quel vecchio maledivami”) Although Rigoletto’s insults have made him the object of many curses before, this is the first time he has been cursed by a father, and Rigoletto is filled with horror.

Scene 2 . Rigoletto’s house . (“Pari siamo”) Rigoletto keeps his 16-year-old daughter, Gilda, under the constant supervision of her nurse, Giovanna, far away from the debauchery of the Duke’s court. She is forbidden to leave the house except for her Sunday visits to the church. As Rigoletto walks home from the palace, he is greatly disturbed by Monterone’s curse. He encounters Sparafucile, a hired assassin, who offers his services. Rigoletto sends him away after telling Sparafucile that he will keep him in mind if he ever should require him.

Gilda has noticed a handsome young man at church—it is the Duke, disguised as a student named Gaultier Maldé. One night, the Duke manages to gain entry to Gilda’s house, with the help of Giovanna. He and the innocent girl soon exchange words of love. When he has gone, Gilda sings of her new love. (“Caro nome”) A group of courtiers (who assume that Gilda is Rigoletto’s mistress) trick Rigoletto into assisting with his own daughter’s abduction.

Act II The Duke of Mantua’s palace . Alone, the Duke reveals that he had returned to Rigoletto’s house to see Gilda but had found the place deserted. Back in the palace, he mourns the loss of a woman whose love, he now feels, might have inspired true love and devotion unlike any other he has experienced before. (“Ella mi fu rapita”) The courtiers return and report the abduction of Rigoletto’s “mistress” whom they have brought to the palace. Ecstatic and relieved, the Duke rushes into his bedroom where Gilda is concealed. Rigoletto enters and tries to find his daughter’s whereabouts. He denounces the courtiers for their cruelty. (“Cortigiani, vil razza dannata”) Gilda rushes into her father’s arms and, ashamed, confesses her liaison with the Duke. Rigoletto vows revenge despite Gilda’s pleas on the Duke’s behalf.

Act III An inn on the banks of the Mincio . Rigoletto plans to escape from the corruption of Mantua. He disguises Gilda (who still loves the Duke) in men’s clothing so they can leave the city unnoticed. He also hires

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Sparafucile to kill the Duke. Sparafucile’s sister, Maddalena, assists in the scheme by luring the Duke to her house. (“La donna è mobile”) (“Bella figlia dell’amore”) Maddalena feels sorry for her handsome victim and persuades her brother to let him live; in his place, they will kill their next visitor. Overhearing this, Gilda decides that she will sacrifice her own life for the Duke’s. When Rigoletto returns to claim the Duke’s body, the jester is shocked to discover that it is his own daughter who has been murdered instead.

Washington National Opera www.dc-opera.org 202.295.2400 · 800.US.OPERA