Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

lost cousin. He is a silly, foppish youth, and Arline repulses him; and for her spirit of doing so the
Gipsy Queen cunningly presents her with a jewelled medallion, which one of her band had stolen
from the foolish youth the night before, hoping that trouble may come of this act for her rival. It
does. For Florestein presently sees the jewel on Arline's neck, recognises it as his own, and has her
arrested. Arline is brought before Count Arnheim for justice; and the bereaved parent is shown as
a sad and broken man, who, finding his efforts to recover his beloved child to have been in vain,
has resigned himself to his grief. He is struck by the appearance of the fair young prisoner,
however, and soon, noticing the scar upon her arm, he asks the cause of it. Arline tells him the
story of her rescue from the stag, just related to her by Thaddeus; and Count Arnheim, full of joy,
realises that his long-lost child is before him and a happy meeting takes place. Arline is restored to
her high position once more; but as she still loves Thaddeus she refuses all other suitors. At a great
reception held by the Count, Thaddeus manages to obtain an interview with Arline, who declares
she will remain faithful to him; and on the approach of the guests her lover has just time to conceal
himself behind a curtain. When the guests assemble, and Arline has been presented to them, the
Gipsy Queen appears, declaring that the Count's daughter has her lover concealed in the room, she
having followed to spy on him in revenge for his rejection of her love; and Thaddeus is thus
compelled to reveal himself. He now boldly declares his love for Arline, and asks her hand in
marriage, announcing that he is of noble birth, and producing certificates to that effect to support
his word; and though the Count at first refuses to permit his daughter to wed with the enemy of her
country Arline's entreaties at length cause him to yield, since her happiness is at stake. The Gipsy
Queen, furious at the turn of affairs, and filled with the maddest jealousy, flies to the open
casement, and bids one of her waiting followers to fire at Thaddeus as he holds Arline in his
embrace; but Devilshoof, who is also at hand, and has a grudge against their passionate ruler,. by a
dexterous alteration of the position of the gun, causes the bullet to pierce the heart of the Queen
herself, who falls dead at the feet of the lovers she had vainly endeavoured to separate.
12. THE ROSE OF CASTILE
Opera Comique in Three Acts By Michael William Balfe
Libretto By Falconer and Harris First Produced Lyceum, London, Oct., 1857
Chief Characters Elvira (Queen of Leon), Carmen, Don Sebastian (King of Castile, disguised as
Manuel the Muleteer), Don Pedro, Don Florio
THE action is laid in Spain during the eighteenth century. Elvira, Queen of Leon, "The Rose of
Castile," has been betrothed to Don Sebastian, the heir to the throne of Castile; and learning that
the Prince, who is of a bold and venturesome spirit, has the intention of visiting her city disguised
as a muleteer, in order to see for himself what his prospective bride is like, the royal lady devises a
similar plan. -She arrays herself and her maid, Carmen, in peasant costume, and escaping secretly
from the Palace makes her way to a country inn where she knows the supposed muleteer, under
the name of Manuel, will have arrived. Here the two girls are subjected to boorish treatment by the
innkeeper, from which they are quickly rescued by the disguised Prince, who, being greatly
impressed by the beauty and charm of Elvira, at once falls in love with her, the pretended peasant
maid promptly reciprocating. As they talk happily together, Don Pedro, who wishes to secure the
throne of Leon for himself, enters the inn with some of his conspirators; and part of their plan
being to secure someone to represent the Queen, whom they can thus compel to do certain acts