Tosca, you are too beautiful and too loving. I yield to you. And at a paltry price; You ask me for a life. I ask of you an instant.Scaria threatening Tosca to be his lover, or he will execute Mario Cavaradossi.
Baron Vitellio Scarpia is the main antagonist of Victorien Sardou's 1887 play, La Tosca, and Giacomo Puccini's 1900 opera based on the said play and titled Tosca.
Scarpia is a corrupt and sadistic head of the police who relentlessly hunts down those deemed as "traitors" and subjects them to torture and execution.
Portrayals
- He was portrayed by the late Pierre Burton in the premiere of original stage play La Tosca.
- Throughout the history, Scarpia had been portrayed by various baritone singers in the opera, starting from the late Eugenio Giraldoni in the opera's premiere, later followed by more singers including (but not limited) to the late Antonio Scotti, the late Tito Gobbi, the late Pasquale Amato and so on.
In the Opera
Act 1
The opera begins without any prelude, but the character theme of Scarpia himself, which leads immediately to the agitated appearance of Cesare Angelotti, former consul of the Roman Republic and now an escaped political prisoner, and the enunciation of the "fugitive" motif. It turned out that Angelotti was hunted down by Scarpia and ran to a church seeking refuge, before he managed to find a shelter with the help of the painter, Mario Cavaradossi (the deuteragonist and male hero of the opera).
Later, the Sacristan began their celebration on the news that Napoleon has apparently been defeated at Marengo, but it cease abruptly with the entry of Scarpia, his henchman Spoletta and several police agents. They had heard that Angelotti has sought refuge in the church. Scarpia ordered a search, and the empty food basket and a fan bearing the Attavanti coat of arms are found in the chapel. Scarpia interrogated the Sacristan, and learnt that Mario Cavaradossi has been in the church. Becoming suspicious about Cavaradossi, Scarpia and believed the painter was helping Angelotti to escape.
When Floria Tosca, a singer and the lover of Cavaradossi, arrived to the scene, Scarpia managed to manipulate her jealousy by implying an unloyal love affair between the painter and the Marchesa Attavanti, Cesare Angelotti's sister whom Cavaradossi had painted on a painting, which almost brought misunderstanding between the two. He then showed Marchesa's fan to Tosca, who thus fell for his deceit.
Enraged, Tosca rushed off to confront Cavaradossi, while Scarpia ordered Spoletta and his agents to follow her, assuming she will lead them to Cavaradossi and Angelotti. Afterwards, Scarpia privately gloated about his true intentions to execute Cavaradossi before possessing Tosca for himself.
Act 2
After manipulating Tosca into finding her lover, Scarpia arrested Cavaradossi and tortured him for a long time, demanding answers. When Tosca realized the truth, she arrived to confront Scarpia, but Scarpia let her hear Mario screaming in order to torment her, forcing her to betray Angelotti and gave out his hideout in order to save her lover.
Angelotti was soon discovered by the police, but had committed suicide to evade capture. Scarpia then prepared to execute Mario, whilst Tosca begging to let him pardon Mario. However, Scarpia only demanded that Tosca must become his lover and spent the night with him, so that he would fake the painter's execution, leaving the lovers to be together.
In despair, Tosca agreed. Scarpia then believed it was his victor. However, when Scarpia attempted to force himself on her, she stabbed him to death, before placing a crucifix on his body and left.
Act 3
Still believing in Scarpia's words, Tosca arrived to Mario and said she has killed Scarpia and that the imminent execution was a sham, which would allow him to feign dead and fled with her to live happily forever. However, after Mario's execution, it was revealed that Scarpia actually lied about the sham, and the execution was for real, killing Mario in the process.
Horrified and saddened by her lover's death, the despaired Tosca was soon surrounded by Spoletta and the police force, who tried to arrest her after discovering she had murdered Scarpia. She escaped to the parapet and threw herself over the edge to her death, with her last words were a spite to Scarpia.
O Scarpia, we meet before God!Tosca's last words.
Gallery
Songs from Tosca
"Tre sbirri una carrozza"
"Già, mi dicon venal"
"Già, mi dicon venal" ("Yes, they say that I am venal"), performed by Antonio Scotti in 1908 for Victor Records.
"Te Deum"
"Te Deum", performed by Pasquale Amato in the act 1 finale with the Metropolitan Opera chorus, in this 1914 recording for the Victor Talking Machine Company.
Images
Trivia
- Tito Gobbi, who can be considered the world's foremost authority on Tosca, having directed it and played Scarpia probably thousands of times, confirmed that in the scene where Tosca said that Mario's incoming execution would be a fake one, according to Scarpia's words, Mario only realized he's about to die since he knew Scarpia's depraved nature.
- "Scarpia" means "spider's web" in Venetian.
External Links
- Vitellio Scarpia on Pure Evil Wiki