The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-06 00:00:00

THE

"ARGUMENT" of " LA TEMPEST A."
We have received a copy of the scenario, or " ar-
gument" of the &emetic portion of the opera, founded
on Shakspere's Tempest, about to be produced at Her
Majesty's Theatre. Tne conjunction, in one work,
of two such men as Scribe and Halevy, has excited a
more than ordinary ietereet in the musical publis ;
and we therefore think that our readers se ill be glad
to have the following summary of the action of the
opera, by which they will be enabled to see how far
the distinguished French dramatist has adhered to the
form and character of Shakspere's drama ia his
libretto.
Tne opera is in three acts, preceded by a prologue,
and the characters introduced are, fur the most part,
the sanie as in Shakspere'a Tempest. On the en-
chanted island we have Prospero, Miranda, Caliber:,
Ariel (altered from a talking and singing into a pan-
tomimic sprite), Sycorax (who plays a more active
part than in the original drama), and an additional
personage, entitled the Spirit cf the Air ; and there
are ass, Alfonso, Antonio, Ferdinand, and Trinculo,
together with numberless courtiers, soldiers, ma-
fibers, elves, and sprites.
In converting the drama into the libretto of an
opera, it was of course to be expected that M. Scribe
would make some alterations. It is especially cre-
ditable to his skill that this portion of his work is so
cleverly carried out, that the character, and in many
instances, even the language of the drama is adhered
to, as far as regards the mortal persons, the new
treatment being chiefly confined to the supernaturals.
The prologue is confined to the shipwreck scene.
On the deck of the vessel are seen Antonio, Alonzo,
and the courtiers, sleeping. Words uttered by An-
tonio and Alonzo in their sleep betray their con-
science-stricken state, and prepare the audience for the
coming action. Presently Ariel appears with a
chorus of sprites. They warn the sleepers of the ap-
proaching tempest, which immediately commences,
and the curtain falls amidst all the horrors of a ship-
wreck. This ends the prologue.
The proper action of the opera commences at this
point, and it is surprising with what skill M. Scribe
has concentrated the materials afforded by the ori-
ginal, so as to make them serviceable for operatic
purposes. The first four scenes follow the drama
pretty closely. After the prologue the curtain rises
on theigrotto of Ariel, who is seen flitting about while
his attendant spirits sing a chorus expressive of their
devotion to Prospero and Miranda. Then comes a
scene between Prospero and Miranda, very closely
following the similar scene in Shakspere, in which the
father, prescient of the speedy arrival of Ferdinand,
sounds his daughter's mind. This gives opportunity
for a cantabile and cavatina, in which Miranda de-
scribes her feelings in poetical language, of which the
following is a prose translation :
"An undefined, secret feeling of restless has begun
to obsure my senses, and makes my heart beat quicker
than was once its wont. Everything wears a different as-
pect for me, and all appears to me altered except my love
for you. The balmy air seems to me rapturously sweet.
The rivulet murmurs more musically, the perfume of the
flowers intoxicates my senses. The warbling of the birds
throws me into a reverie, and I delight in imitating their
sweet notes—oh! ab! an undefined secret feeling of
restlessness obscures my senses, &c.
" I am happy—yet I sigh. I am near you—yet I
long; you, hater, to whom nothing is impossible, cure
me, protect me. I have seen you dispel the clouds, and
lull the storm. Allay, 0 Father, that which rages in
my bosom. Dispel the langour that overcomes me, the
strange sadness which overpowers me, and which is
both a pain and a pleasure. You see it. lam happy
—yet I sigh. lam near you—yet I long. You, father,
to whom nothing is impossible, protect and cure your
daughter."
We are next introduced to Caliban, who groans
and curses under the mastership of Prospero, almost
in the words of Shakspere. Caliban discloses, too,
his demoniacal passion for Miranda, and vows to gra-
tify it. In the next scene Ariel appears at the sum-
mons of Prospero, and in pantomimic expression de-
scribes the shipwreck, the landing of the Duke of
Milan and the others in different parts of the island,
and the separation of Ferdinand from his followers.
Tnen Prospero tells Ariel that the termination of his
exile depends on the union of Ferdinand and Miranda,
and commands the sprite to bring about a meeting.
This last commission is effected by Ariel in a very
charming scene, where he gradually entices the
Prince to the spot where he first beholds Miranda,
and is rivetted to the spot by her beauty. The seventh
and last scene of the first act consists of the meeting
and mutual astonishment and admiration of Miranda
and Ferdinand, witnessed by Prospero from a dis-
tance. From this brief summary it will be per-
ceived how closely the framework of the original has
been preserved.
In the second act M. Scribe has taken more liber-
ties with his text, by introducing Sycorax as a more
active supernatural agent than in the original play.
The act opens in another part of the island, hard by
Prospero's grotto. Near at hand is a dark rock, on
the top of which are tufts of bright red flowers. Ca-
liban enters, bearing a log of wood, and curses Pros
pero and Ariel. He then appeals aloud to his dam
Sycorax to aid him, when, to his terror, she answers
him from the heart of the rock, in which Prospero has
confined her. Sycorax tells her son that his sole
hope of emancipation is by obtaining possession of
Miranda, and at her command he plucks from the
rock a tuft of the flowers. These have the magic
property of gratifying any three wishes expressed by
their possessor. She enjoins him that his first wish
shall be for her liberation, but the monster un-
gratefully determines first to gratify his passion for
Miranda. Sycorax is left in the rock. Caliban
uses his power first to imprison Ariel in a tree, and,
secondly, to bear away Miranda (reduced to insen-
sibility) to another part -of the island. In flying off
with his prize he falls in with Trinculo, Stephano,
and the crew of the liing's vessel. They are drinking
and boisterously singing. When tkey discover
Miranda they endeavour to take her from him ; and
then comes a capital scene, in which Caliban is in-
toxicated by the sailors. Miranda becomes more in
danger and more terrified as the orgie proceeds; but
having discovered the secret of Caliban's power over
her, she seizes the flowers, and by their magical in-
fluence transfixes all the drunken rioters in the atti-
tudes they held at the moment. After her departure
they gradually recover, and then comes a scene of
wild rage, capable of very exciting musical treatment.
The act concludes with a chorus of the sailors, who
are led off by Caliban to the destruction of Prospero.
From the foregoing outline it will be seen that the
greater portion of this act is new, but the interpola-
tions, although less poetical in character than the su-
pernatural machinery of Shakspere's Tempest, are
more suited to the purposes of opera, by appealing
more directly to the eye, and working the action in a
more condensed form.
We now come to the third act, of which the open-
ing scene is laid in the same place as that at the com-
mencement of the second act. "Antonio and Alonzo,
who have been wandering on the island since the
morning, are discovered. Each is taunted by Ariel
(invisible) and Sycorax (from the rock) with his
crimes. While they are thus abused, Prospero enters
and taxes them with their guilt. They are struck with
terror at his supernatural knowledge of their condi-
tion ; and Prospero is about to dictate to them the
conditions of their pardon, when he discovers that
Ariel is imprisoned in the tree, and that, in the
absence of her guardian spirit, Miranda had been
carried off by Caliban. Ariel is released, and they
proceed on their search for Miranda. They have
scarcely left when she enters, having escaped from
Caliban. Thinking aloud, she ascribes the misfor-
tunes of the day, and the strange sensations she
experience, to some mysterious relation with
Ferdinand's arrival. While thus soliloquizing aloud,
she is addressed by Sycorax from the rock. The
witch pretends that Ferdinand is a traitor, who
has sworn to kill Frospero, and that he has cast
upon Miranda herself a magic spell. She incites her
to kill Ferdinand. Miranda enters Prospero's cell,
where Ferdinand is ling asleep, murmuring the
name of Miranda. Here ensues a good operatic
scene, where the love of Miranda struggles with
her sense of duty. She is about to kill Ferdi-
nand with a dagger, when the sailors, led on by
Caliban, are heard without. This changes her pur-
pose. She awakens him, and bids him protect him-
self. Caliban enters, and rushes to seize Miranda;
but the sailors no sooner see Ferdinand than they
fall on their knees before him, and salute him as
their king. Ferdinand presents Miranda to
them as their queen. This brings on the finale
of the opera, which, it is evident, will be very magni-
ficent. Caliban, finding the magic flowers, which
Miranda has dropped, essays their power with a wish
for the destruction of all. But their magic influence
is exhausted. At a wave of Ariel's wand the scene
opens, and discloses a splendid aerial palace, in which,
on a throne, are seen Prospero, Alonzo, and Antonio.
They unite Ferdinand and Miranda. Again Caliban
appeals to his magic flowers, with the wish that all
Prospero's party may be chained to the isle, and that
they may never see their country. Instantly Ariel
waves his wand once more, the back of the palace
opens, and the sea is discovered, with a ship splen-
didly arrayed. They all embark on board this vessel
for Milan, leaving Sycorax and Caliban to exchange
mutual curses, while Ariel and his elves, to use the
phrase of the " Argument," "by flying in the
rigging supply wind to the sails."
The foregoing is a tolerably close outline of the
action of this libretto, in which it will be seen M.
Scribe has arranged his materials with consummate
tact, so as to construct a drama in which the action
moves rapidly, the characters are sufficiently deve-
loped, opportunities are afforded for solos and concerted
pieces, without retarding the action, and brilliant
openings are afforded for ,the scene painter and the
machinist. The production of an original work of
• such a character by a dramatist and a composer, each
of world-wide reputation, and sustained by such a
phalanx of musical talent as that which is announced
in the programme, constitutes it an epoch in the
annals of the operatic stage in this country. We have
*too long been accustomed to wait on tle eMaprile