I Capuleti e i Montecchi – Bellini
Bellini’s Bel Canto Opera, the Romeo and Juliet Story
I Capuleti e i Montecchi, an Italian bel canto opera, by Vincenzo Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi plot summary, character list, and other Bellini opera information.
Vincenzo Bellini’s Italian, bel canto Opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi (The Capulets and the Montagues)
- Composed:1830
- First Performance:March 11, 1830; La Fenice, Venice (Italy)
- Libretto: Felice Romani, based on a novella by Bandello and a play by Luigi Scola.
- Setting:Verona, Italy 13th century
- Tragedia lirica in 2 acts (lyric tragedy)
The Main Characters in I Capuleti e i Montecchi (The Capulets and the Montagues)
- Capellio, head of the Capuleti clan (bass)
- Giulietta, Juliet, Capellio’s daughter (soprano)
- Romeo, head of the Montecchi clan, Giulietta’s lover (mezzo-soprano)
- Tebaldo, Giulietta’s husband-to-be (tenor)
- Lorenzo, Capellio’s advisor, friend of Romeo’s (baritone)
Basic Plot Summary of Bellini’s opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi (The Capulets and the Montagues)
Act I:
Capellio vows to kill Romeo, ignoring the advice of Lorenzo, who recommends peace between the two families, especially between he and the Montecchi leader. Romeo, disguised as a Montecchi messenger, arrives and proposes to Capellio that the two families should peacefully reconcile their differences. He further recommends that they could do this by allowing Romeo to marry Capellio’s daughter, Giulietta. Capellio decides that Giulietta should marry Tebaldo immediately. Giulietta is unhappy, but understands that she must marry Tebaldo. Romeo and Lorenzo arrive and Romeo tries to convince Giulietta to run off with him. She refuses because she is afraid of dishonoring the family name. As the wedding is about to occur, Romeo arrives dressed as a Capulet. He pleads with Giulietta, and as he does is unmasked, revealing his identity as a Montecchi. This causes a fight.
Act II:
Lorenzo tells Giulietta that Romeo has safely escaped. He recommends a plan to get out of her marriage and be reunited with Romeo. She should drink a sleeping potion that will make her appear dead. After she is placed in the Capuleti family tomb, Romeo will arrive to wake her. When her father arrives, Giulietta drinks the potion. She pleads with her father for forgiveness. Lorenzo is arrested, never getting the word to Romeo about the plan. Romeo, hearing nothing from Giulietta, decides to head for the palace. In-route, he runs into Tebaldo and they duel. During the fight, they hear a choir in the distance singing of Giulietta’s death. Romeo enters the tomb and sees Giulietta’s body. He takes poison. Giulietta awakens to see her Romeo dieing. She kills herself. Lorenzo rushes in, trying to avoid a tragedy, but arrives only to find the two lovers dead.
If you like I Capuleti e i Montecchi, here are some other operas written by Bellini:
- Il pirata
- I Capuleti e i Montecchi
- La Sonnambula
- Norma
- I puritani
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