Cavaradossi befriends Angelotti, a victim of Papal tyranny, who has
escaped from the castle of St Angelo, and despatches him by a secret
path to his villa in the outskirts of Rome. Scarpia, the chief of
police, who is close upon Angelotti's heels, suspects Cavaradossi of
being implicated in Angelotti's escape, and uses La Tosca's jealous
suspicions to help him in securing the prisoner. In the next act
Angelotti is still at large, but Cavaradossi has been arrested. Scarpia,
who has meanwhile conceived a violent passion for La Tosca, extracts
from her the secret of Angelotti's hiding-place by putting her lover to
the torture in an adjoining room, whence his cries penetrate to her
distracted ears. La Tosca buys her lover's safety by promising herself
to Scarpia. The latter gives orders that Cavaradossi's execution shall
only be a sham one, blank cartridge being substituted for bullets. When
they are left alone, La Tosca murders Scarpia with a carving-knife when
he tries to embrace her. In the last act, after a passionate duet
between the lovers, Cavaradossi is executed--Scarpia having given a
secret order to the effect that the execution shall be genuine after
all--and La Tosca in despair throws herself into the Tiber.
In 'La Tosca' we are in a world very different from that of 'La Boheme.'
Here there is very little scope for grace and tenderness. All is deadly
earnest.
Pages:
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318