Carmen
By Georges Bizet
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée
Time: 1830's
Place: Spain
Act I
The opening scene takes place outside a cigarette factory in Seville, Spain. A group of soldiers are gathered there, passing time by watching the passers-by with amusement. Morales, a soldier, notices a pretty young peasant woman named Micaëla looking dazed. She tells him that she is searching for her boyfriend, a corporal named José. Morales informs her that José will be returning shortly, and invites her to stay inside the soldiers’ quarters while she is waiting. She firmly rejects his invitation and leaves. José returns as the cigarette girls arrive for work. The young women are all pretty and flirtatious, but to the soldiers, Carmen is the most attractive. The men try to woo her and ask for her love. In response she sings the famous aria, “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” (“Love is a rebellious bird”).
Micaëla returns with a letter for José from his mother. His mother’s love fills José with strength and courage, and just as he agrees to honor her wish that he marry Micaëla, a shriek is heard from the cigarette factory. The soldiers discover that Carmen has struck another girl, and the captain, Zuniga,
orders José to tie her up and arrest her. Although José tries hard to follow his orders, Carmen is able to seduce him by promising him her love, and he lets her escape.
Act II
At a local tavern, Carmen and her gypsy friends, Frasquita and Mercédès, sing and dance wildly, entertaining a group of officers and other gypsies. Shouting is heard outside, signaling the approach of a famous bullfighter, Escamillo, followed by cheering fans. Escamillo sings the famous song, “Toréador, en garde!” (“Toreador, be careful!”). Although Carmen is dazzled by Escamillo, her heart still belongs to José, who has just been released from prison after setting Carmen free.
Late in the night as the tavern is closing, Carmen’s smuggler friends named Dancairo and Remendado arrive with a plan for the night’s run. They insist that they need help from the girls, as thievery is always more effective when women are present. However, Carmen refuses to go with them, for she is in love. José arrives, and is jealous when he finds out that Carmen danced for the officers. She asks him to join her and the smugglers that night and promises to dance for him alone, but just as she says this, the bugle sounds, calling José back to the barracks. He chooses his duty over being with Carmen, and she becomes disillusioned with his love. Suddenly, Zuniga breaks in, pursuing Carmen as well. José becomes enraged with jealousy, and fights with him over her. The smugglers take Zuniga away, but because José acted violently against an officer, he will be punished, and thus he decides to abide by Carmen’s wishes to run away with her.
Act III
Carmen, her gypsy friends, José, and the smugglers are gathered in a mountain pass. Carmen is becoming less and less attracted to José, and he can tell. Along with this disappointment, he regrets that he is not with his ill mother. But when Carmen tells him to go join his mother, he harshly
refuses to leave. The gypsies are singing and telling fortunes – Carmen’s card foresees death, for both her and José. She nonchalantly accepts the prophesy, “En vain pour éviter les réponses amères”, for fate cannot be avoided.
The smugglers bring news that three customs guards are stationed at the pass. The women will have to charm them to pass through. Micaëla appears, sent by José’s mother. She is determined to be unafraid of the beautiful woman who has turned José into a criminal. Suddenly, she hears a gun shot, and finds José, who is stationed as a watchman. He was firing at Escamillo, but narrowly missed. Escamillo boldly declares his love for Carmen. When José reveals himself as the soldier for whom Carmen had fleeting affections, Escamillo challenges José to a fight for her beauty, then swiftly exits. Micaëla begs José to return to his dying mother. He reluctantly leaves, knowing that Carmen will take this opportunity to run after her new love interest, Escamillo.
Act IV
A passionate crowd of villagers is cheering on Escamillo and the bullfighters. Carmen and Escamillo enter arm in arm, very much in love. Carmen’s gypsy friends tell her that José is hiding among the crowd, but she is fearless. When José approaches her, pleading that she remember the past and begin life anew with him, Carmen firmly tells him that anything between them is over, for she has a new love. She becomes so angered with him that she takes the ring that he once gave her from her finger and throws it onto the ground. José loses his temper and stabs her, then regretfully
admits to killing the woman that he loved.
