Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi about the amorous Duke of Mantua and his hunchbacked jester Rigoletto. The opera opens with the Duke plotting the seduction of a young beauty he met in church while gossips whisper that Rigoletto has found a mistress and mock his deformity. An assassin offers to rid Rigoletto of a man whose words cut especially close to the heart and it turns out that the clown has a beautiful daughter.
This is the source of La Donna è Mobile, one of the most famous opera tunes. Beautiful music and tragic love, what else does an opera need?
Tropes used in Rigoletto include:
- Badass Baritone: Sparafucile.
- Broken Bird: Arguably, Maddalena.
- Casanova: The Duke
- Downer Ending
- Hitman with a Heart: To a degree, Sparafucile. He takes his jobs seriously due to his honor, never double-crosses anyone, and cares for his younger sister Maddalena.
- Karma Houdini: the Count
- Kill the Cutie: Gilda was waaaaay too cute and naive for her own sake.
- Kill the Ones You Love: Rigoletto ends up causing the death of his own daughter while trying to avenge her honour
- Love Martyr: Gilda, who takes the Duke's place when the assassin shows up.
- Meaningful Name: Rigoletto (from the French rigoler=to laugh) is a buffoon, Sparafucile (from the Italian, spara=shoot, fucile=rifle) is a hitman.
- Monster Clown: Rigoletto is neither cheerful nor good-looking.
- Sad Clown: And his story? Pure drama.
- Take a Third Option: Sparafucile's decides to kill the first man to get in his way so he neither will "break" his deal with Rigoletto, nor tear his sister's heart via killing her lover. Sorry, Gilda.
- The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Gilda
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Gilda dies because she invoked this voluntarily, disguising herself as a boy to save the Duke from Sparafucile.
- Villain Song: La Donna e Mobile, the Duke's self-justification for forcing himself on every fickle woman he meets.
- Tear Jerker