STORY

Lucia di Lammermoor has a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on The Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter Scott.

The action takes place in Scotland near the end of the 17th century.

Act I

The action opens on the Ravenswood estate near the Castle of Lammermoor. Normanno, captain of the guard, has ordered his henchmen to search the woods for a stranger seen nearby (Chorus: Percorrete le spiagge vicine). As they leave, Enrico Ashton enters with the chaplain Raimondo Bidebent, and is angry because his sister Lucia refuses to marry Lord Arturo Bucklaw, whose wealth would help Enrico to improve his failing finances. Normanno reveals that Lucia is in love with a stranger who saved her from a charging bull, and that she has been meeting him every morning at dawn. He suspects the stranger of being Edgardo of Ravenswood, who is Enrico’s mortal enemy. At the sound of this name, Enrico is furious (Cruda, funesta smania). The henchmen return with news that the stranger is indeed Edgardo, and Enrico swears vengeance (La pietade in suo favore). At dusk near a ruined fountain, Lucia enters with her companion Alisa to wait for Edgardo’s arrival. The sight of the fountain terrifies Lucia, and tells a story of a girl who was murdered there by her jealous lover (Regnava nel silenzio). She then reveals that she has seen the ghost of the girl appearing to rise from the fountain in the middle of the night. Thinking this is a bad omen, Alisa begs Lucia to renounce her love for Edgardo, but Lucia responds that only Edgardo brings her joy (Quando rapito in estasi). Edgardo arrives and tells Lucia that he is leaving for France, but he wants to end the hostility between their families so that he can ask for Lucia’s hand in marriage. Ever fearful, she begs Edgardo to keep their love a secret, which makes him furious. He tells Lucia that he swore an oath to wage war on the Ashtons for killing his father and stealing his inheritance, but his love for Lucia has changed his feelings (Duet: Sulla tomba). They exchange rings as a symbol of their secret love, and Lucia promises Edgardo.

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Act II

Enrico has summoned Lucia to persuade her to marry Arturo.  Normanno tells Enrico that the letters Edgardo has sent to Lucia have been intercepted, and he gives Enrico a forged letter supposedly from Edgardo declaring his love for someone else.  Lucia enters, and her brother scolds her for looking so sad on her wedding day.  She says that he is the cause of her suffering (Duet: Il pallor funesto, orrendo). When she protests that she cannot marry Arturo because she is committed to someone else, Enrico hands her the forged letter.  Lucia is heartbroken, and Enrico again berates her for betraying her family’s honor.  Lucia prays for death while Enrico fumes (Duet: Se tradirmi).  Enrico leaves and Raimondo enters to inform Lucia that he has personally seen to it that all of her letters reached Edgardo, but there has been no response.  He encourages Lucia to resign herself to fate (Ah! cedi, cedi).  Ultimately, she relents.  Raimondo thanks her for the sacrifice she is making for her family (Al ben de’ tuoi).

Guests have assembled for the wedding (Chorus: Per te d’immenso giubilo).  Arturo enters (Per poco fra le tenebre) and asks for Lucia.  Enrico says that she will arrive soon, and tells Arturo not to be discouraged by her sad demeanor, since she is mourning the death of her mother.  Lucia, terribly distraught, is given the marriage contract.  Arturo signs first and Lucia begrudgingly adds her signature.  Suddenly, Edgardo bursts into the room.  Even though he thinks Lucia has been unfaithful, he still loves her.  Enrico is quickly overcome with remorse, Lucia again wishes for death, and all the guests are filled with shock (Sextet: Chi mi frena in tal momento?).  Edgardo sees Lucia’s signature on the marriage contract, explodes with rage, then throws down his sword and demands that his enemies kill him.  The guests drive Edgardo out of the castle (Finale: Esci, fuggi).

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Act III

After midnight, a violent thunderstorm rages.  Edgardo sits in the ruined tower of Wolf’s Crag, and hears someone approaching.  Enrico he has left the wedding celebration to search for his enemy.  He describes how he made his way through the storm to seek revenge (Duet: Qui del padre ancor respira).  The two men threaten each other and decide on a duel to take place at dawn among the Ravenswood tombs.

The wedding festivities are still in progress in the castle (Chorus: D’immenso giubilo).  A distressed Raimondo rushes in and announces that there has been a tragedy (Dalle stanze ove Lucia).  He heard screams from the room where he left Lucia and her husband, and opening the door, found Arturo in a pool of blood with Lucia clutching the dagger that killed him.  Lucia, delirious, then enters the hall.  She imagines she hears Edgardo’s voice as they sit by the fountain.  Hallucinating, she thinks she sees the preparations for their marriage (Mad Scene: Ardon gl’incensi!).  The guests express their sympathy and horror.  In her mind, Lucia relives her wedding to Arturo and swears that she was always faithful to Edgardo.  Still in a state of delirium, she says she will not be happy in heaven until Edgardo can join her there.  She collapses.

Edgardo waits in the Ravenswood cemetery for his duel with Enrico.  Thinking he cannot live any longer without Lucia, he resolves to surrender himself on his enemy’s sword. He imagines the tomb that will soon to be his (Fra poco a me ricovero).  A group arrives from Lammermoor and tells Edgardo that Lucia has been driven out of her mind.  A bell begins to toll as Raimondo arrives.  Edgardo wants to return to Lucia, but Raimondo says that she is dead.  Devasted by this news, Edgardo prays to join Lucia in heaven and stabs himself (Tu che a Dio spiegasti l’ali).