Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

Here he sees Undine, a lovely but mysterious maiden, who has been brought up by the old
fisherman and his wife, having been left on their doorstep when a little child by some unknown
person. The beautiful maiden is very wayward and wilful; but, in spite of her strange ways,
Huldbrand is so enthralled by her loveliness and charm that he falls in love with her, and the pair
are wedded by a priest who happens to pass by one day. The Knight and his strange bride then
return to the city on the other side of the forest. Meanwhile the lovely maiden reveals to her
husband that she is a water-nymph, one of the " Undines," dwellers beneath the waves, who have
no souls, but who may obtain the same, and so become mortal, by gaining the love of a man and
she herself, having been destined by her father, the Water King, for this great honour, and sent to
dwell with the fisherfolk, has secured her great desire. Loving the Knight with her whole heart,
she now begs him to remain faithful to her, since, otherwise, her relations in the water will take
her back to the river; and should she afterwards be sent by them to visit him it would only be to
bring him death. Huldbrand promises to be faithful to her; but his body-servant, Veit, is visited by
Kühleborn, the powerful King of the Water-Spirits, and Undine's uncle, who is much enraged on
hearing from the valet that his master was formerly enamoured of the proud Lady Bertalda, and
that he does not expect his love for Undine will be lasting. On the return of the newly-wedded pair
to the city Bertalda is filled with wrath and disappointment that the task she had set her chosen
Knight to do has resulted in her own love being slighted; and she is about to wed with the King of
Naples, in order to hide the hurt to her pride, when she receives another shock. At the festival
gathered to witness her marriage a sealed parchment is opened, which states that Bertalda is the
long-lost daughter of the old fisher-couple who brought up Undine, and whose baby girl had been
stolen away by Kühleborn to make room for the fulfilment of the destiny of his niece, the waternymph,
Undine. Bertalda is now filled with anger and dismay, scorning to go forth with her
peasant parents, who have come to claim her; and when Kühleborn presently appears in the place
of a statue of the water-god amidst a fountain of water, mocking her, she sinks to the ground in
grief as the scared guests desert her. Undine, however, tenderly comforts the fallen girl, and
invites her to remain as a guest in her husband's Castle of Ringstettin. The third act takes place at
Ringstettin, where Bertalda, having recovered her spirits, has once more fascinated Huldbrand
with her luring charms; and the Knight, fearful of the mystery which ever hovers around his
nymph-wife, is gradually led to distrust her and to find more pleasure in the love of the mortal
maid. He therefore behaves unkindly to the gentle Undine, who droops and grows sad under his
growing coldness, her own love still remaining deep and abiding; and finally the wrathful
Kühleborn draws his neglected niece into the waters once more, where she mourns for her
faithless hus-band. constantly, since her love for him is unaltered. Huldbrand soon feels remorse,
and is constantly con-fronted with visions of the lovely sad face of Undine; and, fearful lest her
relations should visit their wrath upon him, he orders the castle well to be covered over, this being
their only means of reaching him. Finally, hoping to forget her utterly, he makes arrangements for
his marriage with the triumphant Bertalda; but on the wedding-night his attendant, Veit,
conscience-struck at the wrong about to be done to his gentle first mistress, removes the covering
from the well. Almost immediately the lovely Undine rises from the well; and the Knight,
overjoyed at the sight of her, and now realising that her love can alone satisfy him, his enthralment
by Bertalda being but a snare, hastens to clasp his returning wife in his arms. Undine, however,
has been sent by the power-ful Water King to bring him death as the reward for his slighting of the
royal nymph; and as she now presses her lips to his he sinks to the ground and dies in her arms. At
this moment the castle falls into ruins, and amidst thunder and lightning and a mighty flood
Undine and Huldbrand are carried away to the palace of Kühleborn beneath the waves. Here, by