Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

her passion for the King, who visits her in secret. The King's chief adviser, Scindia, also has
conceived a passion for the beautiful priestess, and declares his love for her; but when she refuses
to accept his advances, his love turns to hate, and, learning that his royal master is his rival, he
determines to revenge himself upon the pair by betraying their secret. He therefore informs the
High Priest, Timour, that the revered Nair has committed sacrilege by permitting a lover to visit
her in the Temple; and a trap being set for the young King, he is captured on his next visit. For
committing such an offence, the High Priest lays upon him the- penance of going to the wars
against the Moslems; and Alim is thus compelled to part from his beloved Nair, and goes forth to
the campaign. Scindia, however, is fearful lest he should return un-harmed and triumphant; and he
therefore lays a plot, by means of which the young King is betrayed into the hands of his enemies
and slain. Alim awakens from his earthly death to find himself in the beautiful garden paradise of
Indra; and here he entreats the gods to grant him permission to return to earth again, so that he
may still be near his beloved Nair. The gods take pity upon him; and being anxious to reward such
perfect love, they permit him to return to earth, but shorn of his former wealth and power, on
condition that when Nair draws her last breath he also shall die again. Alim therefore appears in
Lahore once more as a humble traveller; and here he finds that his dominions have been seized by
the traitor, Scindia, who has also forced the unhappy Nair to be his wife. Full of fury, and forgetful
of his present helpless condition, Alim denounces Scindia as the betrayer and murderer of his
King; but Scindia causes him to be driven from his presence with contumely. Nair, however, has
Seen that the stranger is her lover; and rejoicing that he has been permitted to return to her, she
escapes from the palace and joins him in the country beyond. Her flight is, however, quickly
discovered by the jealous Scindia, who follows the lovers with his guards; and overtaking them,
they are soon in a desperate position. Then Nair, seeing that all is lost, and determined not to fall
into the hands of the hated tyrant, bids farewell to her lover and stabs herself; and Alim's life being
thus forfeited at the same time he falls dead beside her, the opera ending with the glad welcome of
the faithful lovers into the Paradise of Indra.
97. MANON
Opera in Four Acts By Jules Emile Frederic Massenet
Libretto By Meilhac and Gille, Adapted from Abbé Prévost's Story
First Produced Paris, January, 1884
Chief Characters Manon Lescaut, Des Grieux, Guillot Monfontaine, De Bretigny
THE scene is laid in France in 1721. Manon, a beautiful young girl, is destined for a convent, her
guardians thinking her of too light a turn of mind; but stopping on her journey at the courtyard of
an inn, she comes in contact with a gay party of travellers. Her brother, Lescaut, who has come to
meet her, leaves her for a short time; and during his ab-sence she makes the acquaintance of the
Chevalier des Grieux, and the pair fall in love with one another. The beautiful girl is also accosted
by Guillot Monfontaine, a disreputable old roué-gambler, who endeavours to persuade her, with
promises of a gay life, to go away with him; but Manon will have nothing to do with him, and
finally elopes with Des Grieux in Guillot's carriage. In Act 2 the lovers are traced to Paris by
Lescaut and De Bretigny, who also is in love with Manon; and when the latter learns that Des
Grieux has little wealth, and further, that his friends intend to abduct him that night, in order to
withdraw him from her influence, she is persuaded to accept De Bretigny as her lover instead,