Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

the passionate pleadings of Undine, Huldbrand is restored to life and pardoned for his offence, his
only punishment being that he must dwell for evermore with his fairy wife in her watery domaina
penance to which he very gladly submits.
83. ACTÉ
Opera in Four Acts By Johann Manen
Libretto By the Composer
First Produced Barcelona, 1903
Chief Characters Acté, Agrippina, Nero, Tigellinus, Marcus, Parthos
THE scene is laid in Rome, when Nero is ruling. Agrippina, the mother of Nero, begs him to give
up a favourite freed slave, Acté, a Greek girl whom he passionately loves; and upon the wilful, selfindulgent
Caesar angrily refusing to do so, a violent quarrel takes place between the pair. Nero's
satellite, Tigel-linus, encourages his master in his defiance of his mother, and aids him in his lovemaking
with the beautiful Acté. The latter, however, comes under the influence of an old Christian
teacher, Marcus, who converts her to his own faith, and persuades her to renounce the evil Nero;
and Acté, becoming an earnest Christian, agrees to do so, and to join the devout company in their
secret meeting-place that evening. She therefore persuades her slave, Parthos, to give back to Nero
the ring he has given her as a token of his love, which she can no longer accept; and by means of a
valuable gift gains the slave's promise not to betray her whereabouts. This scene has been watched
by Agrippina, who happens to be passing by; and she rejoices in the circumstance as a means for
revenging herself on the lovers. At a great feast that evening, she asks her son to send for his
beloved one; and when Acté cannot be found she suggests that the slave Parthos may know, since
she has seen him in company with the girl earlier in the day. The jealous Nero causes Parthos to be
brought before him; and when the slave returns him the ring entrusted to his care, but refuses to
reveal the hiding-place of Acté, the tyrant orders him to be tortured. Then Agrippina offers to give
him the desired information, on condition that her son restores to her the Imperial power which
she has resigned to him, and for which she still longs; but Nero violently refuses her demands, and
causes her to be imprisoned. In Act 3 the tortured Parthos, having been forced to betray Acté, Nero
and Tigellinus arrive with a party of the royal guards at the hiding-place of the Christians, who are
seized. Acté is captured by her royal lover, who once more declares his passion and invites her to
return with him. Acté, however, firmly declares her intention to renounce him, and to think only of
her new Christian faith; and Caesar, furious at her refusal of his love, orders her to be led away
captive with the others. Act 4 shows us Nero on the terrace of his palace, full of gloom and wrath,
torn first by love, then by jealous fury against the girl who has dared to refuse his pleasure; and
when as the captured Christians are being led to execution, Acté and Marcus are brought before
him, the former pleading for the life of the latter, his pent-up rage vents itself upon the calm
steadfast old man, whom he falls upon and kills with his own hands. At this moment, it is
discovered that the houses and streets of Rome are bursting into flames, and the maddened people
charge Caesar himself with the deed; and as the fire gains ground, they furiously demand the
tyrant's death. Nero, hearing their angry cries, falls into a terrific passion of mingled wrath and
fear; and to save himself from the onslaught of the crowd he flings the trembling Acté down into
their midst, declaring that the disaster has been brought about by the Christians. The fickle
populace therefore vent their fury upon the innocent captives, the lovely Acté being their first