Victor Hugo's drama Hernani had been staged with great success in 1830, becoming a sort of touchstone of French Romanticism. Considering that some modifications were unavoidable, we can say that the libretto closely follows the original of Hugo. Verdi wanted a shorter and quicker ending after the great scene at Charles V's grave, so he opted for the rapid death of only Ernani. Hugo intensely objected to the modification of his work, and condemned the music drama decisively. Ernani marks an evolution in the work of Verdi because the center of gravity is shifted from the choral mass to individuals.
Choruses still play an important role in the music, but the key pages are for the solo voices.
In fact, with Ernani Verdi comes closer to the usual scheme of contemporary operas. The only unconventional character is Elvira. Her role as victim and unhappy lover had been traditionally coupled with a weak, pathetic figure, as in Lucia di Lammermoor . Political meanings are an important aspect of Verdi's youthful works, as they affected the success of these operas on Italian stages. Their influence on Verdi's creative work is often overestimated.