Tosca

Tosca is a famous opera by Giacomo Puccini. The main characters are Floria Tosca, a singer, Mario Cavaradossi, a painter, Cesare Angelotti, former consul of the Roman Republic and Baron Scarpia, the chief of police. It takes place in Rome in 1800.

Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner, runs into a church and hides in the private chapel. A caretaker enters and begins to clean. The painter Mario Cavaradossi arrives to work on his painting of Mary Magdalene. Cesare Angelotti appears and tells Mario Cavaradossi that he is being pursued by the Chief of Police, Baron Scarpia. The painter promises to assist him after nightfall. The voice of Floria Tosca is heard calling the painter. Cesare Angelotti returns to his hiding place.

Floria asks Mario what he has been doing. She thinks he has been talking to another woman. After he reassures her, she tries to persuade him to take her to his villa that evening. She expresses jealousy over the woman in the painting who she recognizes as Cesare's sister. He explains that he has only seen her in prayer at church and tells her he has been faithful.

After she leaves, Cesare reappears. He discusses with the painter his plan to escape as a woman, using clothes left in the chapel by his sister. He gives Cesare a key to his villa and suggests that he hide in an abandoned well in the garden. The sound of a cannon indicates that Cesare's escape has been discovered, and the two men quickly leave the church.

Baron Scarpia enters the church with his police and orders a search of the church. Then Baron Scarpia questions the caretaker and becomes more suspicious when he learns that Mario was in the church. He does not trust the painter and believes he is complicit in Cesare's escape.

When Floria arrives looking for Mario, Baron Scarpia implies a relationship between the painter and the woman in his painting. She falls for his deceit and rushes to confront Mario. Baron Scarpia then orders his agents to following her, believing that she will lead them to Cesare and Mario. 

Baron Scarpia sends Floria a note asking her to visit his apartment. His agent Spoletta reports that Mario has been arrested. The painter is interrogated, but he denies knowing anything about Cesare's escape.

As she enters the apartment, she sees the painter being escorted to another room. All he has time to say is that she must not tell Baron Scarpia anything. Baron Scarpia then tells her that she can save the painter from indescribable pain if she reveals Cesare's hiding place. She resists, but the sound of screams make her tell Baron Scarpia to search the well in Mario's villa.

Baron Scarpia orders the torture to stop, and the bloodied painter returns. He is devastated to learn that Floria has betrayed his friend. One of Baron Scarpia's agents announces that the French are marching towards Rome. The painter, unable to contain himself, tells Baron Scarpia that his reign of terror will soon end. This is enough for the police to consider him guilty, and they take him away to be executed.

Baron Scarpia, now alone with Floria, proposes a bargain. If she gives herself to him, the painter will be freed. She is disgusted and rejects his advances, but she hears the drums outside announcing an execution. She tries to offer money, but Baron Scarpia is not interested in a bribe. He wants her.

Spoletta returns and announces that Cesare killed himself when he was discovered, and that everything is ready for Mario's execution. Baron Scarpia hesitates and looks at Floria. In desperation, she agrees to his offer. He then tells Spoletta to arrange a mock execution.

Floria insists that Baron Scarpia must provide safe passage for Mario and her. He agrees and heads to his desk. While he is preparing the document, she quietly takes a knife from the supper table and stabs him while he begins to embrace her. She removes the document from his pocket and leaves.

A jailer informs Mario that he has one hour to live. Floria arrives and shows him the document that guarantees safe passage. She tells him that she has killed Baron Scarpia and that the execution is false. He must feign death and then they can escape before Baron Scarpia's body is found. 

Mario is led away, and Floria watches with increasing impatience. The men fire, and she praises the realistic depiction of his fall. When the soldiers leave, she runs towards Mario and orders him to get up quickly. Only then does she learn that Baron Scarpia betrayed her. The bullets were real. Heartbroken, she embraces the painter's dead body and weeps.

The voices of the police and the soldiers are heard announcing that Baron Scarpia is dead and that Floria has killed him. As they rush towards her, Floria evades them and runs towards a wall. She then throws herself over the edge to her death.

Tosca is an opera of love and betrayal. It is a tragedy because the main characters all lose their lives. The opera is one of the most popular because of the beautiful music and dramatic scenes.