Rigoletto Opera Analysis Essay

Gruesome, gritty, and disturbing don’t give justice to what Rigoletto truly is. The mind only can wonder when presented with a plot based around adultery, murder, and fallacies. The opera was first performed in 1832 and was immediately banned and declared “immoral” by the French government due to the portrayal of the monarch (Schwarm & Cantoni). The ban was well within reason due to the time period in which it was first written. Additionally, when first viewed, it can be compared quite similarly to Romeo and Juliet which has aroused controversy in the past.

When I first watched the opera, it was rather confusing due to the language barrier. There were no translations or captions so I had to rely heavily upon the acting and character portrayals. That being said, once I figured out the characters, protagonists and antagonists, it was easy to follow. I discovered a few things while watching the opera for the second and third times that I had missed when I first viewed it. First, the lower the pitch of the male singer usually means they are a significant role. An example of this can be found in Act I when the characters are introduced. The Duke of Mantua, the antagonist, sings in a baritone, and the same is heard when Rigoletto sings in his baritone pitch (Giuseppe). This helps the audience distinguish the significance in each role. Another thing I discovered was that the play had very similar characteristics to Romeo and Juliet. A girl, Gilda, falls in love with a man, the Duke, and they are forbidden to be together so the girl kills herself to protect her love. While the two are not verbatim, there is a definite sense that there was some sort of inspiration from Shakespeare’s play.

When the Rigoletto first premiered, the audiences were shocked by the manner of the play and its blatant attack on the Monarch. The play is rather gruesome when the audiences dissect it. Ultimately, I think there was a definite split of opinions when the opera first premiered. No successful Monarch has ever had the complete following of its people, so those who disagreed with the government probably enjoyed the negative portrayal. On the other side, those who supported the government and the government itself strongly disapproved. One thing that may have angered the audience is that there is no punishment for the Duke and he is able to freely live on. In comparison to today’s American society where people can freely criticize the government, it seems rather odd that a government has the ability to censor entertainment for its people.

Rigoletto was a significant piece of the Middle Period in opera. It was one of many that helped sway away from the classic Italian Aria format and into the new, understandable, and linear musical storytelling (Schwarm & Cantoni). This was important because rather than having a solo voice sing and be accompanied by a obscure plot, this helped make the transition of Italian operas to be dramatic and deep. It almost put the audience in their own moral dilemmas. The Duke isn’t obviously the villain, and Gilda isn’t to blame for being in love with the Duke. The music paired with each character supports the mood that audience is supposed to feel. The Duke usually sings charming music and Gilda is light and airy to symbolise each characters personality.

The technology used specifically in this version of Rigoletto I viewed, there wasn’t an overwhelming use of complex technology. In the background, a marble cube can be seen. That is the backdrop for most of the opera. The cube has a few different options and provides different structures to the play depending on what is going on. By opening it up, there is a elevated platform accompanied by stairs and a spotlight. This is where Gilda sings her songs to the Duke and mainly is seen. Other than the cube that has a stage inside of it, there is a great deal of lighting that accents each scene by either singling out a character or even creating a different floor. In Act I, a brick pattern is projected onto the ground to make it appear like Rigoletto is walking home. The less technology used in this version brings more focus upon the actors and the music itself. Which in some cases emphasises the plot and the opera and forces the music to be the sole focus of the audience. This is beneficial since it is an opera to begin with. However, there are some cases where the use of more technology could bring more dramatic emotions to an already ghastly opera. An example would be in Act III where the body of Gilda is presented Rigoletto. She was bleeding after being stabbed by Sparascufile, the local assassin, but there was no sight of blood nor was Gilda looking like she was dying. These are small critiques, but if added would have provided a deeper feeling of grief for the audience.

If I were a 21 century director and had to make this into a video game, I would make it a version of a mystery/decision making game. The player would play as Rigoletto and have to discover clues that his daughter is fooling around with the Duke and once discovered, he would have to make choices. Hypothetically, when the player first encounters the assassin, he has to decide to kill the Duke then and there or keep going forward. In addition, the songs can be picked depending on the players moods while playing. If he/she is angry at the Duke, the music would be deep and dark, and vice versa if his feelings were happy toward another character.

For an opera written during a time period where graphic content and criticizing governments was forbidden, Verdi Giuseppe took leaps that few dared to. Because of this, his opera Rigoletto, is infamously known and compared to the works of Shakespeare and others. Additionally, by creating a soundtrack that explained how each character not only felt but what their motives were added immensely to the feelings of the audience.

 

Works Cited

“Rigoletto.” Tosca | The Opera 101, The Opera 101, www.theopera101.com/operas/rigoletto/.

Schwarm, Betsy, and Linda Cantoni. “Rigoletto.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 12 Oct. 2014, www.britannica.com/topic/Rigoletto.

Verdi, Giuseppe, 1813-1901. “Rigoletto : Opera in Three Acts.” 1832: n. pag. Print.