Thinking about Rigoletto
The Duke is the Bad Boy of this opera, but for all his villainy and mistreatment of women, he is a rather shallow character. His power and stature as a Duke allow him to live out his lustful fantasies without fear of interference or retribution, but there is never any hint of introspection on his part.
One interesting aspect of the production we are seeing is that power and privilege are now depicted as deriving, not from a sort of royal inheritance, but rather from fame and fortune that permit the Duke to grab women’s nether regions without reprisal.
Those familiar with Mozart’s Don Giovanni may notice plot similarities. Both the Duke and the Don are able to easily have their way with multiple women. In each opera there is a secondary character or sidekick, Rigoletto and Leporello, who assist them in perpetrating their misdeeds. But there is an inversion of outcomes. In Mozart’s opera the perpetrator is punished. In Verdi’s opera the enabler is punished.
The character Rigoletto is filled with self loathing. In traditional productions it is linked to his obvious physical deformity. In the Met production his self disgust seems to arise from knowing that he is cravenly going along with the Duke’s exploits. Rigoletto knows this is wrong but goes along to maintain his position in the Rat Pack. You get the idea that in this production he is keeping Gilda hidden so she can’t see what a toady he is.
To me this puts a different spin on Monterone’s curse. It is not a conjuring of otherworldly occult forces. It is rather the moment when Rigoletto realizes just how pathetic and weak he is. This is brought back to him at the end of each of the acts. At the end of Act 1 when he realizes he has been duped into aiding in his daughter’s kidnapping. At the end of Act 2 when he realizes that his bungling attempt at revenge has cost his daughter her life.
