Guglielmo Ratcliff

Tragedy in four acts by Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945) after a play by Heinrich Heine, translated by Andrea Maffei.

First performance, La Scala, Milan - 16th February 1895.

Location: The action takes place in the north of Scotland, around 1820.

Synopsis

Act 1.

Act 1. Douglas (baritone), betrothed to Maria (soprano) the daughter of MacGregor (bass) arrives at MacGregor's castle. He says that on his way there he had been attacked by three brigands near the castle but saved by an unknown cavalier. MacGregor tells Douglas that many years before, apropros his betrothal to his daughter Maria, that she had rejected the love of Gugliemo Ratcliff (tenor), who since that time has taken his revenge by challenging and killing Maria's next two suitors. Douglas, the latest aspirant, now finds himself receiving a similar threat from Ratcliff, inviting him to fight it out near Black Rock.

Act 2

In an inn, Ratcliff explains to his friend, Lesley, how his better nature was destroyed when Maria rejected him, and how he is now compelled to kill anyone who may succeed where he failed. Two have already died as a result of this obsession, but coincidentally Ratcliff nows finds himself being shadowed by two ghostly figures, whose presence disturbs him somewhat. He does not seem to realise their connection with those he's already killed.

Act 3

Douglas now arrives at Black Rock to take up Ratcliff's challenge. The two ghostly figures who shadow Ratcliff are also there, but disappear temporarily from view when Ratcliff arrives. Douglas is surprised to recognize Ratcliff as the cavalier who had earlier saved him from the brigands, and in the duel that follows, calls on the spirits of Maria's former suitors to help him. Somehow they seem to respond to this call for help, and Ratcliff falls to the ground. Douglas, however, refuses to kill Ratcliff, and leaves him alone with his own thoughts and another visitation of the ghostly figures.

Act 3

Maria, meanwhile, is preparing for her wedding to Douglas. Margherita, her nurse (mezzo-soprano), tells Maria the story of the love affair that had occurred between Maria's late mother, Elisa and Ratcliff's father, Edward before Elisa married Maria's father, MacGregor and Edward, another girl, Jennifer. However, after their marriages to other people, Edward and Elisa soon realised that they had made a terrible mistake and that they were still in love with each other. And inevitably, this state of affairs being found out before too long, Edward found himself murdered by MacGregor and Elisa left to die of grief. At this point in the family history the nurse is telling the bride-to-be, Gugliemo Ratcliff, having failed to kill Maria's husband-to-be, Douglas, bursts uninvited into her room, pale and covered in blood. Maria is confused by his appearance and starts to think she is reliving her mother's story. She feels pity for him, but when she recovers from this, asks him to leave. Ratcliff is unable to accept Maria's decision, and when she refuses to run away with him, goes mad, hurling himself upon her and killing her. He then kills her father as well, during a vain attempt to save his daughter life, before committing suicide.