TOSCA

Title: Tosca
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Premiere: 1900, Italian
Setting: Rome, 1800
Main Characters:

• Floria Tosca (a famous singer)

• Mario Cavaradossi (her lover, a painter)

• Baron Scarpia (the corrupt police chief)

Plot Summary:
Floria Tosca and her lover, Cavaradossi, become entangled in political intrigue when he helps a fugitive escape. The ruthless police chief Scarpia arrests Cavaradossi and manipulates Tosca, offering to spare her lover if she submits to his desires. Tosca seemingly agrees but kills Scarpia instead. Believing Cavaradossi will be saved, she watches in horror as the execution turns real. Devastated, she leaps to her death.

Key Themes & Significance:
A tense thriller blending passion and politics, Tosca is a gripping drama of love, power, and betrayal. Puccini’s sweeping melodies and realistic intensity make it one of the most electrifying operas ever written.