L'OLIMPIADE; or the jewels of the crown.

Speranza

The intricate plot line of "L'OLIMPIADE" ("tratto d'Erodoto, Libro VI) proves that simplicity was definitely not a requirement for successful opera libretti.

The plot revolves around two pairs of would-be lovers. Princess Aristea is the daughter of Clistene, a king of Northern Greece who is about to host the Olympic games.

Princess Aristea is in love with Megacle, a great Athenian athlete who is about to compete in the Olympic games.

That seems all for the good, as King Clistene has declared that his daughter will be the prize for the victorious competitor, and Megacle is a strong contender.

 

                        

                   

But there's another man who is also in love with Aristea.

He is a prince and goes by a feign name, since he is in reality Aristea's BROTHER!

He and Megacle are close friends.

In fact, Megacle owes his life to the prince, and has declared his unquestioned loyalty.


Aristea has no idea that Megacle is one of the athletes competing for the right to marry her, since he is competing under the name of the Prince of Creta.

That's because, as a favour, Megacle has come to the games pretending to be the king of Creta.

So Aristea thinks that no matter which athlete wins, she'll be handed over to someone she doesn't love -- since she loves MEGACLE who she has met before.

There's also a visiting lady on the scene called Argene, whose father wants her to marry Megacle.

But she is only in love with the prince of CRETA.

All of this is laid out in ACT ONE.

Megacle arrives just in time, and agrees to compete under the feign name of the prince of CRETA.

Aristea and Argene consult.

When they realize that both of their love lives are about to go sour, princess Aristea asks her father, King Clistene to postpone the games, but he refuses.

With the competition about to start, Megacle learns that Aristea is the grand prize.

But MEGACLE is indebted to the prince of CRETA and resolves that he'll live up to his promise — to compete under the feign name of the Prince of CRETA — even if it means losing the woman he loves.
As ATTO I is ending, Aristea runs into Megacle.
Aristea asks if he has truly entered the games hoping to win her hand.


By that time, Megacle is so confused and depressed that he's unable to give her an answer.

 

                

In ACT TWO, the Olympic games are already over — and the prince of CRETA has won.

Aristea is heart-broken, believing she has lost her chance to marry Megacle.


Argene is angry, seeing that the prince of CRETA seems to prefer Aristea to her.

As for Megacle — still pretending to be the prince of CRETA — he feels honour-bound by his promise, so he's not ready to come clean.

King Clistene, Aristea's father, prepares to award the prize.

When the prince of CRETA steps forward to accept, in Megacle's place, Clistene is obviously distressed.

Though we don't yet know why.

Aristea then approaches, resigning herself to be turned over to this prince, whoever he is. -- it's her twin brother!

Megacle takes her aside and finally tells her the truth — that he made an oath to give her to the prince of Creta.

Aristea faints.

When Aristea wakes up, and finds herself with the prince of Creta (her twin brother!), she calls him a brute.

He finds himself in even more hot water when Argene shows up, and accuses the prince of Creta of betraying her.

Then Aminta, the advisor to the prince of CRETA, arrives with tragic news.

Megacle has thrown himself off a cliff, into the sea, while screaming that his promise to the prince of Creta has killed him.

At first, this angers the prince of CRETA, who draws his sword and threatens Aminta, the mere messenger!

Then the prince of CRETA thinks better of it, realizing that he has himself to blame.

In a furious solo scene, he lists all the emotions afflicting him, and there are plenty.

 He rants about "fury, revenge, affection, friendship, remorse, pity, shame and love."

As the acts ends, it's the turn of the prince of Creta to consider suicide.

As ACT THREE opens, it turns out that Megacle has survived his plunge into the ocean — though Aminta has to talk him out of trying the same thing all over again.

Princess Aristea, who loves Megacle, still thinks Megacle is dead.

So when Aristea arrives on the scene with intentions to jump off the same cliff, she's relieved to find him alive and well.

We then hear from Alcandro, an advisor to King Clistene.

It seems that the prince of Creta, in his blind anger, has tried to MURDER King Clistene.

But the prince of Creta was caught and has now been condemned to death.

At this news, Megacle rushes off to rescue the prince of Creta.

The scene changes to the palace, where King Clistene is getting ready for the execution of the prince of Creta.

There's something about the prince's face that makes him think twice.

But the decision has already been made.

Instead of begging for mercy, the prince of Creta has a final request — he wants to see his friend Megacle one last time, and King Clistene agrees.

After their meeting, the executioner is ready to proceed, and raises his axe.

But he's stopped by Argene, who she says she still loves the prince of Creta, and is willing to die in his place.

At first, King Clistene refuses to listen.

But then he sees Argene's jewels, which were given to her by the king of Creta, and he recognizes them.

Long ago, King Clistene had a son, FILINTO — Princess Aristea's twin brother.


But an oracle from Delphi warned Clistene that FILINTO would try to kill him.

So CLISTENE gave the FILINTO away to be killed.

FILINTO ended up in Creta and was raised by the King of Creta as his son.


Now, Clistene realizes that the prince of Creta is the son he abandoned.

The prophecy has come true: the son HAD TRIED to kill his father.

But Clistene has survived.

 Prince FILINTO is spared, and Clistene blesses two weddings.

FILINTO marries Argene, and Megacle is finally awarded the prize he won at the Olympics: the hand of his beloved Aristea.