At the beginning of the story Fiesco is the Doge of Genoa. He has a daughter Maria. Maria has fallen in love with Simon Boccanegra who is a plebeian, so he would not be important enough to be allowed to marry her, even though he has become a hero because he has fought lots of pirates. Simon and Maria had a child, a young girl. After she was born she was given to an old woman to look after, but one day the old woman died and the small child wandered off alone. She was found wandering by the sea shore by Count Grimaldi who took her and looked after her as if she were his own child.
No one knows what has happened to the child. Count Grimaldi does not know who she is. He thinks she is an orphan.
When the opera begins, Paolo, the leader of the Plebeian party, persuades Pietro to encourage the plebeians to vote for Simon Boccanegra as the new doge of Genoa. Boccanegra arrives and agrees that he would be doge if he were chosen. Simon thinks this would make Fiesco allow him to marry Maria. For the past three months Fiesco has locked his daughter in the palace because she had had a child with Simon.
Maria dies (we never see her in the opera). Fiesco now laments the death of his daughter. Simon begs Fiesco to forgive him. Fiesco does not tell him Maria has just died. He promises to forgive him only if Simon lets him have his granddaughter. Simon explains he cannot because the child has disappeared. He goes into Maria’s room and finds she is dead. The people sing happily because Simon is the new Doge.
The story of Act I takes place 25 years later. Simon is still the Doge. He has sent many of his enemies into exile and taken away their property. Count Grimaldi is one of the people who has been exiled. In the Grimaldi castle, Fiesco is calling himself Andrea Grimaldi so that people do not know who he is. He is plotting with Simon’s enemies to overthrow him. He does not know that his granddaughter (Simon’s daughter) is the young lady called Amelia Grimaldi who is living in the castle.
At the beginning of Act I we see Amelia singing a beautiful song about the morning and the sea and the stars. She has a lover, Gabriele Adorno. When he arrives she warns him of the dangers of political plotting. The news is brought that the Doge is coming. Amelia is worried that the Doge will make her marry Paolo, so she asks Gabriele to ask Andrea (who is actually Fiesco) immediately for permission for them to marry. Fiesco agrees. He tells Gabriele that she was a poor orphan who had been found (he does not realize that it is his granddaughter). Gabriele says that he does not care about that, so Fiesco blesses the marriage.
Simon enters. He tells her that Count Grimaldi is forgiven and can return home. He asks her whether she would like to marry Paolo, but she refuses. She tells him that she is an orphan and she shows him a locket with a picture of her mother. Simon realizes that Amelia is his long-lost daughter. They are very happy to have found one another. When Paolo enters, Simon tells him he cannot marry her. Paolo is furious and decides to kidnap Amelia.
In the next scene we see Simon surrounded by the plebeian and patrician members of his Council. They are discussing whether they should make peace with the republic of Venice. Suddenly a crowd enters shouting for death to Simon. They are chasing Gabriele. Gabriele confesses that he killed Lorenzino for trying to kidnap Amelia. As Lorenzino lay dying he had said that he had been told by an important person to kidnap her. Adorno guesses that Simon must have ordered the kidnapping. He is about to attack him when Amelia rushes in and stops the fight Simon arrests Gabriele. He realizes that Paolo must be the real kidnapper, and makes everybody (including Paolo) curse him. Simon and his daughter are left alone on stage at the end of the act.
Paolo is frightened. He is furious with Simon and decides he must poison him. Fiesco and Gabriele are brought in. He tells Fiesco he can be free if he murders Simon. Fiesco refuses. Just as Fiesco and Gabriele are about to leave, Paolo asks Gabriele whether he knows Amelia is here in the palace having an affair with Simon. Gabriele is furious. When Amelia enters she denies the story. She tells Gabriele she loves him and tries to persuade him to leave, but Simon is coming and Gabriele hides.
Amelia tells Simon that she would die for Gabriele. Simon agrees to pardon him. He drinks from a poisoned glass of wine, which Paolo had put on the table, and falls asleep. Gabriele tries to kill him, but Amelia stops him. Simon wakes up. He tells Gabriele that Amelia is his daughter. Gabriele begs Simon for forgiveness and promises he will fight for him.
This takes place in a great hall which looks out on the harbour. Fiesco has been set free, but Paolo is condemned to death for leading the uprising against the Doge. Paolo tells Fiesco that he has poisoned Simon. Fiesco goes to Simon, who is now dying (the poison is working slowly). Simon recognizes his old enemy who he thought was dead. He is happy to tell him that Amelia is his long-lost granddaughter. Fiesco feels terribly sad and tells Simon about the poison. Gabriele and Amelia have just got married. They find her father and grandfather are now friends. Simon asks for Gabriele to be the next Doge when he dies. Fiesco goes to the window and announces to the crowd that Gabriele Adorno is now the new Doge and that Simon Boccanegra is dead.
Fire hydrant
A fire hydrant, also known as a fire plug or johnny pump, is a tool used for fighting fires. They are usually found easily on streets, stuck to the road. The first fire hydrant recorded was in Philadelphia.
Betty Grable
Betty Grable (18 December 1916 – 2 July 1973) was born Elizabeth Ruth Grable in St. Louis, Missouri. She was an American actress, dancer, singer, and model, famous for her legs. She insured her legs for $1,000,000.
Her swimsuit photo made her the number 1 pin-up girl during World War II. Her photo later appeared in "LIFE magazine's" "100 Photos that Changed the World".
She was awarded a star (a metal award plaque set in sidewalk cement) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. She died of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California at age 56.
She appeared in many movies:
Geyser
A geyser is a hot spring which shoots out water and steam. They erupt when pressure has built up, often at regular intervals. There are about a thousand geysers around the world. About half are in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States.
Geysers are made in special geological conditions. Only a few places on Earth have these conditions. Because of this, geysers are not very common. One place is the Yellowstone National Park, which is the remains of a gigantic volcano. Another is Iceland, which sits on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where new Earth's crust is formed.
Geysers are often near active volcanos. This is because the geyser is caused by magma. Surface water usually goes down to about . There, it mixes with hot rocks. The pressurized water begins to boil. When it is pressured enough, hot water and steam burst out of the geyser.
Individual geysers do not last forever, but "systems" of geysers last as long as the geological situation continues. The oldest individual geysers are only a few thousand years old. Geysers are usually near volcanic areas. As the water boils, the pressure increases. This forces hot steam and water to the surface through the geyser. Geysers are usually made because of three things that are around volcanoes.
Most importantly, the temperatures near the bottom of the geyser become high enough to start boiling the water. Steam bubbles come out of the top of the column. They burst through the geyser's vent. Some water flows or splashes out. This makes the weight of the column of water and the pressure on the water below less. When this pressure is released, the hot water turns into steam. It boils violently.