The nobleman Don Giovanni has apparently lost all his manners: not only does he rape the Commander's daughter and murder the old man; later on he invites his statue to dinner. It's completely inappropriate, and there will be Hell to pay.
Ring Cycle, pt 3. Years later, the twins' baby is a man; he goes forth to do manly things, like kill his guardian, slay dragons, steal the Ring and talk to animals. He finds a woman imprisoned by a wall of fire; they fall instantly in love.
The oft-told tale of the scientist Faust, who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for an extra 24 years to live, is updated, apparently happening entirely in the confines of Faust's lab, which makes the Act 2 carnival hard to fathom.
Naive Manon is seduced by Chevalier Des Grieux and she runs away with him to avoid being sent to the convent. Gradually she learns to use her beauty to her advantage in the world of men. In opera, that usually spells bad news for the woman.
The self-sacrificing courtesan with a heart of gold, and yes, she's going to die before it's over, and it will be too late to make amends for those who have wronged her. That's why the big clock in the background is ticking away like that.
Country bumpkin Nemorino is desperately in love with Adina, but she barely gives him the time of day. She seems to be smitten with the handsome braggart, Captain Belcore. Perhaps Dr. Dulcamara can spare a magic cure to save the day.
Berlioz' last large-scale work was an attempt to rise above what he viewed as shallow, crowd pleasing "grand" operas in vogue at the time. This is his retelling of nothing less than the Trojan Wars of antiquity; the style hints at Wagner.
Set in rat-pack Las Vegas. Duke is Sinatra; Rigoletto is Don Rickles. Rigoletto owns a condo; he holds the elevator for the courtiers. Later on, when he finds a stranger's corpse in his car-trunk, why doesn't he drive her to the hospital?
Many arguments have been made about Wagner's last opera: claims of racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny. The story is simple, really: the Knights who were supposed to guard the Holy Relics managed to lose one; now God wants it back, or else.
Francesca waits to be fetched to her wedding; her new husband's brother arrives, and they fall instantly in love. The groom happens to be a fierce and remorseless warrior, fresh from battle. Moral: don't sleep with your brother's new bride.
Onegin's friend Lensky introduces him to Tanya, his fiancee's sister but Onegin flirts with his fiancee. Lensky challenges him to a duel; nobody stops them. Later, Onegin tries to seduce Tanya, but she's married. Onegin just doesn't get it.
A love triangle with Floria Tosca, a jealous diva; Mario Cavaradossi, her painter lover; and Scarpia, the authoritarian Chief of Police of Rome who wants Tosca for himself and uses his position to get rid of his competition.