Well to be honest, I did kinda feel the elitism slightly, lol, which was rather amusing, in a Sam-ish sort of way.
But as for boring, based on my experience, I think it's only boring if you don't make the effort and take the time to understand what's going on in the show. And modern culture is sometimes a bit too fast paced for that, heh.
The opera was Ernani. A little hard to explain, but basically this outlaw Ernani is in love with a woman named Elvira, who also loves him. But she's engaged against her will to her much older Uncle. Meanwhile, the potential king of Spain also wants her hand in marriage and holds her hostage.
Ernani wants to save her and forms an uneasy alias with the Uncle. But he's still an outlaw and his fate is in the Uncle's hands. The Uncle refuses to help Ernani unless he swears an oath to kill himself after Elvira is saved, when he hears a horn sound three times. Ernani loses faith that he'll ever be together with his love, since his entire life has been one of misery and bad luck, he'll never be truly happy. So he agrees to the oath.
Meanwhile, we learn the future King is tormented and confused about what kind of person he needs to be as king. His people dispise him as an oppressor. He thinks power, glory and youth are the important virtues to strive for. Then after a big confrontation with Ernani and the Uncle, he captures them both and orders them to death. But Elvira pleads for pity--truly the highest virtue. The king then realizes that in order to be a good king, he must model himself after God, who would show pity and mercy towards others. He spares their lives and allows Ernani and Elvira to marry, and the people of Spain admire him for his actions.
Ernani and Elivra marry and they're finally truly happy. But then, Ernani thinks he hears a horn in the distance! He wonders if it's real or simply the ghosts of his past. Elvira thinks he's gone mad or simply paranoid. But sure enough, the Uncle comes back, demanding that Ernani fulfill his oath to kill himself, or be labeled a liar. Elivra again pleads for mercy, but the Uncle is unmoved.
Ernani feels he has no choice but to fulfill his oath. He laments that perhaps he was never meant to be truly happy, that fate was simply mocking him. There's this great line he has, "All my life, fate gave me the cup of misery, and forced me to drink it dry..."
He finally stabs himself and dies in Elvira's arms. But not before he says she can honor him by continuing to life and carry on. They are assured of each other's love even though they've only known misery in life. Then in a truly shocking move, the Uncle, perhaps out of strange mixture of pity and spit, slits the throat of Elvira! And these them there together to die...
Wow, heh, yeah. It's pretty heavy on emotion, but I love the messages. That pity and mercy is really what every leader should strive for, not power and glory. I also think that if Ernani had kept faith and trusted that happiness could be his, he wouldn't have sworn the oath. But I think he does learn that lesson in the end when he tells Elvira to honor him by living and not giving up.
It's not often you see a hero being so tormented and having to learn the painful lesson in the end. That does make Opera pretty amazing in my book! And it teaches us all a lesson in not giving up. When things are at their worst, we still must keep the faith. It's something I struggle with a lot, and I think I was almost meant to see this show, hehe. Another interesting point, I think the idea of oaths was taken more seriously when the show was written. Nowadays, we end up thinking the idea that he HAS TO keep it is insane.
Anyway :
ants, pants:: I invite comments! Lol
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