Western and Classical Operas

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg

- Born on January 2, 1783 at Blåkrog, Denmark
Ancient Greece: OEDIPUS REX AND MEDEA - Died on July 22, 1853
- He went on to lay the foundation for the period of
Oedipus Rex art known as the Golden Age of Danish Painting.
- Referred to as the "Father of Danish painting".
- The story of Oedipus Rex revolves around the
king of Thebes, Oedipus who is destined to
Bénigne Gagneraux
fulfill a prophecy that predicts that he will
- Born in 1756 at Dijon, France
shed the blood of his father and marry his
- Died in 1795 at Florence, Italy
mother, leading to the end of a plague.
- First instructed in the school at Dijon under François
- Oedipus unaware of his fate and eager to
Devosge, from whence he proceeded to Rome,
find the culprit, summons the blind prophet,
where he acquired a reputation by his picture of the
Tiresias for answers, however Tiresias, knowing
Meeting of Gustavus III.
the truth, was afraid to speak up but after
being provoked by Oedipus reveals the truth.

Themes: Medea

1. Fate vs. Free will - Oedipus himself makes a - The plot of Medea revolves around the
different argument at the end of the play, character of Medea, a sorceress and the
when he says that his terrible deeds were wife of Jason, the hero of the Argonauts. The
fated, but that it was he alone who chose to story is set in Corinth and begins with Medea's
blind himself. betrayal by Jason, who plans to marry the
2. Sight vs. Blindness - Oedipus's vision and daughter of King Creon of Corinth, in order to
intelligence have made him a great king of secure his own political power and wealth.
Thebes—he solved the riddle of the Sphinx
and revitalized the city. When Oedipus
learns that he has killed his father and Themes:
married his mother, he gouges out his eyes.
1. Revenge - The theme of revenge is
He learns the nature of fate and the power
intertwined with Medea’s response to
of the gods, but at a great cost.
Jason’s betrayal. Medea’s desire for
3. Hubris - It is a Greek term used for excessive
vengeance consumes her and propels her
pride, over-confidence or arrogance by the
to commit heinous acts, including the
character which ultimately leads to his
murder of Glauce and her own children. The
downfall at the end of a Greek tragedy.
play explores the destructive power of
Motifs: revenge and its ability to cloud judgment
and lead to irreversible consequences.
1. Oracle - The most important. The oracle, as 2. Betrayal - Serves as a central theme in
well as Tiresias the prophet, represents the Medea. Jason’s betrayal of Medea, his wife,
fate of human beings as determined by the by divorcing her in favor of a political
gods. marriage with Glauce, the daughter of King
2. Light vs. Darkness - Light and darkness takes Creon, fuels the intense emotions and
on three different forms throughout the play, actions that unfold throughout the play.
the first form refers to knowledge, the 3. The Power of Passion - Medea’s intense love
second to physical light and the third to for Jason turns into seething hatred and fuels
truth. her revenge. The play explores the
3. Swollen Ankles - Oedipus's very name which overwhelming force of emotions, the
means "swollen ankle," was given to him consequences of unchecked passion, and
because of a childhood ankle injury, are the transformative effects it can have on
clues to his own identity that Oedipus fails to individuals. It serves as a cautionary tale,
notice. reminding us of the destructive potential
when powerful emotions are left
Artists of Oedipus Rex unchecked.

Gustave Moreau Motifs:

- Born on 6 April 1826 1. Exile and Home - Medea’s exile represents
- Died on 18 April 1898 her loss of identity and stability, and it
- A French artist and an important figure in the
intensifies her feelings of betrayal and
Symbolist movement. isolation. The motif of exile explores the
- Jean Cassou called him "the Symbolist painter par profound impact of being uprooted from
excellence". one’s homeland and the longing for a sense
- He was an influential forerunner of symbolism in of belonging.
the visual arts in the 1860s, and at the height of the
symbolist movement in the 1890s.
 2. Power and Rhetoric Manipulation - Medea - His extant works, including collaborations, consist
demonstrates her mastery of persuasive of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative
language and rhetoric, using it as a tool to poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain
influence and manipulate others. This motif authorship.
highlights the power of language and the
ways in which it can be used to shape
perceptions, manipulate emotions, and Shakespeare’s Works are classified into three
ultimately drive the course of events. genres: comedy, tragedy, and history. An example
3. Symbolism of Natural World - Imagery and of his comedy is The Taming of the Shrew the drama
references to natural elements, such as Julius Caesar is his famous tragedy.
storms, the sea, and poison, are employed
to mirror the emotional turmoil and chaos
unfolding within the characters. Shakespeare Plays/Work

Artists of Medea
Love and Romance
Rembrandt - Love and romance are recurring themes
- Born on July 15, 1606 at Leiden, Netherlands. throughout Shakespeare’s works, often taking
- Dutch Golden Age painter, he is generally center stage in plays such as "Romeo and Juliet".
considered one of the greatest visual artists in the
history of art. Death and Mortality
- Died on October 4, 1669 at Amsterdam, - Shakespeare’s plays often explore the idea of
Netherlands. death and mortality, which is a major theme in
many of his works.
Henry Ferguson
- born in 1665 at The Hauge, Netherlands Ambition and Power
- Died in 1730 at Toulouse, France. - Ambition and power are recurring motifs in many
- He was a Dutch Golden Age painter. of Shakespeare’s plays.

Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini Betrayal and Jealousy

- born on April 29, 1675 at Venice, Italy - Betrayal and jealousy are two of the most
- died on November 2, 1741 at Venice, Italy. prominent themes in Shakespeare’s works.
- one of the leading Venetian history painters of the
early 18th century. Fate and Free Will
- born in 1601 at Amersfoort, Netherlands - Fate and free will are two of the most prominent
themes in Shakespeare’s works, particularly in plays
Paolos Bur such as "Romeo and Juliet" and "Macbeth".
- born in 1601 at Amersfoort, Netherlands
- died on August 10, 1669 at Amersfoort, Madness and Mental Illness
Netherlands. - Shakespeare’s exploration of madness and mental
- He was a Dutch Artist and representative of the illness in his plays is a testament to his understanding
Golden Age. of the human condition.

Family and Loyalty

Renaissance Period: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE - Family and loyalty are two of the most important
themes in Shakespeare’s works.
Renaissance comes from a word “rebirth”.
Generally described as taking place from the 14th Disguise and Deception
century to the 17th century, the Renaissance - Disguise and deception are recurring motifs in
promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, Shakespeare’s works.
literature and art.
Morality and Justice
William Shakespear - Shakespeare’s exploration of morality and justice is
- Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, an often complex and ambiguous, as he does not
alderman and a successful glover (glove-maker) provide a clear-cut answer to the questions he
originally from Snitterfield in Warwickshire, and Mary raises. Instead, he allows the audience to draw their
Arden, the daughter of an affluent landowning own conclusions about the themes, and how they
family. can be reconciled.

- William Shakespeare was an English playwright, Order and Chaos

poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the - Shakespeare’s plays often explore the tension
greatest and most influential writer in the English between order and chaos.
language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.
He is often called England's national poet and the
"Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard").
Shakespeare Famous Operas CHARACTERS OF THE OPERA (CARMEN)

Romeo and Juliet Carmen - A fierce and mercurial woman who works
as a cigarette girl in Sevilla, Spain.
-Play by William Shakespeare, written about 1594–96 Don Jose - A corporal of the Spanish Dragoons who
and first published in an unauthorized quarto in 1597. falls for Carmen’s charms.
- An authorized quarto appeared in 1599, Escamillo - A glamorous toreador or bullfighter who
turns Carmen’s head from Don José.
substantially longer and more reliable. A third quarto,
Micaela - A kind and naive young woman in love
based on the second, was used by the editors of the
with Don José. Micaëla may seem sweet, but she
First Folio of 1623. loves fiercely.
Captain Zuniga - The captain of Don José’s
Macbeth platoon.
-tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written Morales - Another corporal in the Spanish Dragoons.
sometime in 1606–07 and published in the First Folio Dancaïre - Leader of the smugglers.
of 1623 from a playbook or a transcript of one.
- William Shakespeare's Macbeth is set mainly in 11th-
century Scotland, with a couple of short scenes set THE ACTS OF CARMEN
in England. The character of Macbeth reigns over
Scotland from 1040 to 1057. Act I - Soldiers parade in the square. Micaëla
arrives, looking for José. Moralès tells her that José is
Othello on the next watch. He tries to persuade her to wait
- tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written with them, but Micaëla decides to return later. A
in 1603-1604 and published in 1622 in a quarto crowd of street children appears, followed by the
relief guard headed by Zuniga.
edition from a transcript of an authorial manuscript.
- The play Othello takes place approximately in the
Act II - Carmen and her friends, Frasquita and
1570s, when the wars between Italian city states and
Mercédès, are entertaining Zuniga and Moralès. A
the Ottoman Empire were heating up.
crowd of soldiers arrives with the celebrated
- Othello is set against the backdrop of the wars bullfighter Escamillo. He is instantly attracted to
between Venice and Turkey that raged in the latter Carmen.
part of the 16th century.
Act III - Black-market smugglers come by night to
the border. Carmen and José’s love affair has run its
Romantic: CARMEN course: she has grown tired of him and he, though
still obsessed with her, is tense and unpredictable.
-Carmen is set in and around Sevilla, Spain, about Frasquita and Mercédès hope to read their fortunes
1820. in a pack of cards; when Carmen cuts the cards,
-The opera Carmen is based on the novella of the they foretell only her death. The women leave to
same name by the Romantic writer Prosper decoy some customs guards, and José remains
Mérimée. behind in the camp.
-It is the last work of French composer Georges Bizet,
with a libretto by Henri Act IV – Escamillo and Carmen enter a bullfight,
with Escamillo claiming their love. Carmen is
Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. + The first production of
warned by Frasquita and Mercédès that José is
"Carmen" took place at
hiding within the crowd. Carmen refuses to leave
the Opera Comique, Paris, on the 3rd of March 1875. with him, stating she was born loose and could die
-Inspired by an 1830 murder case in Spain, Prosper loose. When the group cheers Escamillo, she enters
Mérimée's the stadium, but is stopped by José. She confesses
novella Carmen’ was written in the style of a true-life her love for Escamillo and frees herself. José then
story. asks her if she can join him, but she refuses. As the
crowd cheers, she enters the stadium, and José
Composer/s: stabs her.

-Carmen was written by Georges Bizet, a french

composer. Bizet composed the opera along with
Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halèvy, in which they
adopted the story based from Prosper Mérimée's
novella with the title "Carmen," a novella about
Spanish Gypsy life by Prosper Mérimée, a French
Author.

-Georges Bizet was a French composer of the

Romantic era. He is known for his operas in a career
cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few
successes before his final work — Carmen, which has
become one of the most popular and frequently
performed works in the entire opera repertoire.