Don Giovanni plot summarised please?

Question

Going to my first opera tonight (I'll try anything once!). Could anyone remind me in less than 300 words, the plot of Mozarts Don Giovanni please? Searches I've done are all too wordy & I don't want to digest "War & Peace" before this evening! Thanks

Answer 1

245 Words!

Part I
Don Giovanni attempts to seduce Donna Anna whilst his manservant Pasquariello keeps lonely watch outside. Giovanni is challenged to a duel by Anna's father, the Commendatore; the Commendatore is killed and Anna's fiancé, Duca Ottavio, swears vengeance. In his search for new adventures Giovanni encounters his forsaken love Donna Elvira. Pasquariello delights in telling Elvira every detail of his master's many conquests whilst the Don is busy wooing Donna Ximena. A party of peasants enters: Maturina and Biagio are about to celebrate their wedding. Giovanni relishes the opportunity of yet another conquest, and sees off an angry Biagio. He skilfully manoeuvres his way out of a simultaneous collision with all three women, leaving Maturina and Elvira to fight it out between themselves.

Part II
Ottavio visits the Commendatore's mausoleum, followed by the Don and his servant. To Pasquariello's terror, the statue visibly and audibly accepts an invitation to supper: Giovanni however is unconvinced. Back at Giovanni's house, Elvira arrives and makes an impassioned but unsuccessful final plea for the Don to mend his ways. As the evening progresses Giovanni and Pasquariello share the pleasures of good food and wine, singing the praises of life's delights, the beauties of Venice, and Venetian women in particular. The statue arrives to keep its appointment and drags an unrepentant Giovanni to his death. Ottavio and the women enter, aroused by the noise; Pasquariello and the cook Lanterna describe Giovanni's downfall and the opera ends with final rejoicing.

Answer 2

Don Giovanni Synopsis

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Chases... no, sorry. It starts with sort of a sci fi theme, then wanders through a lot of begetting (suprisingly boring for sex scenes), lots of talk, some smiting, then it seems to lose the plot and staggers to an unconclusive ending. As far as plot goes, it needs a lot of work. Oh wait, there was one chase... Israelis chaased by Egyptians - something about the Israelis having tide tables but the Egyptians not...

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Don Giovanni plot summarised please?
Going to my first opera tonight (I'll try anything once!). Could anyone remind me in less than 300 words, the plot of Mozarts Don Giovanni please? Searches I've done are all too wordy & I don't want to digest "War & Peace" before this evening! Thanks

Answer 6

based on the legend of Don Juan (a fictional womaniser) difficult to summerise:

read the synopsis below, it wont take that long, i tried to make it more brief but its just too complicated to follow without the names.

The garden of the Commendatore. Leporello is keeping watch outside Donna Anna's house. Don Giovanni, Leporello's master, has crept into the house in order to seduce Donna Anna. Donna Anna appears, chasing a masked Giovanni. She wishes to know who he is and cries for help. The Commendatore, Anna's father, appears and challenges Giovanni to a duel as Donna Anna flees for help. Giovanni stabs the Commendatore, killing him, and escapes unrecognised. Anna, upon returning with her fiancé, Don Ottavio, is horrified, and Don Ottavio swears to avenge his betrothed's father.

Change of scene: A public square outside the palace of Don Giovanni. Giovanni and Leporello arrive and hear a woman speaking of having been recently spurned and calling for revenge Giovanni starts to flirt with her but, as she turns to look at him, recognizes her as a recent conquest, Donna Elvira. Upon this realization, he shoves Leporello to the front with an order to tell Elvira the truth and hurries away. Leporello endeavours to console Elvira by unrolling a list of Don Giovanni's amours. He comically rattles off the number of lovers his master has taken and their countries of origin: 640 in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France, 91 in Turkey, and 1,003 in Spain. In a frequently cut recitative, Elvira vows vengeance.

When she has departed, a marriage procession with Masetto and Zerlina enters the scene. Don Giovanni and Leporello arrive soon thereafter. Giovanni immediately sees and is attracted to Zerlina, and he attempts to remove the jealous Masetto by offering to host a wedding celebration at his castle. Masetto, upon realizing that Giovanni means to remain behind with Zerlina, becomes angry Don Giovanni and Zerlina are soon alone. He immediately begins his seductive arts.

Elvira arrives and thwarts the seduction When Ottavio and Anna then arrive, plotting vengeance on the still unknown murderer of Anna's father, they run into Giovanni. Anna, unaware that she is speaking to her attacker, pleads for his help in the matter, which Giovanni promises heartily and asks with great concern what cruel man dared to disturb her peace - obviously, he still sees a chance with Anna. The Don is out of luck again, though - Elvira returns and announces Giovanni's recent betrayal of her. Giovanni answers her reproaches by declaring to Ottavio and Anna that Elvira is insane. With Giovanni's departing oath to help find the Commendatore's murderer, Anna suddenly recognizes Giovanni as her seducer and, thus, said murderer. Ottavio, not convinced, determines to keep an eye on his friend.

Leporello, still half-determined to leave, informs Don Giovanni that all the guests of the peasant wedding are in Giovanni's house, that he distracted Masetto from his jealousy, but that the return of Zerlina post-seduction had spoiled everything. Don Giovanni, however, is extremely cheerful and tells Leporello to organize a party. He hurries to his palace.

Zerlina follows the jealous Masetto and tries to pacify him. Just as she manages to persuade him of her innocence, the Don's voice startles her and she wishes to flee. Masetto's trust evaporating in an instant, the jealous groom hides and wants to see for himself what Zerlina will do when Giovanni arrives. Zerlina hides from the Don's eyes, in vain, and he continues the seduction before stumbling upon Masetto. Confused but quickly recovering, Giovanni claims Zerlina was very sad that Masetto was away from her and returns her to him temporarily. He then leads both to the bridal chamber, which has been lavishly decorated, and Leporello also invites three masked guests, the disguised Elvira, Ottavio, and Anna, who have come to catch Giovanni red-handed, if possible.

Change of scene: Ball room. Don Giovanni, in the midst of merry dancing, leads Zerlina away, while Leporello engages Masetto's attention. When Zerlina's cry for help is heard, Leporello dashes off to warn his master. Don Giovanni tries to fool the onlookers by dragging his servant into the room with drawn sword and accusing him of seducing Zerlina. Elvira, Ottavio and Anna unmask, claiming that they now know all. The guests do not believe Giovanni and attack him, but he fights his way through the crowd and escapes...

Act II

Outside Elvira's house. Leporello threatens to leave Giovanni, but Giovanni calms him with a peace offering of money. Giovanni, wanting to seduce Elvira's maid, persuades Leporello to exchange cloak and hat with him. Elvira comes to her window. Seeing an opportunity for a game, Giovanni hides, sending Leporello out in the open dressed as Giovanni and sings from his hiding place his promise that he is repentant and desires to return to her. Elvira, convinced, descends to the street. She thinks Leporello (who is wearing Giovanni's clothes) is Giovanni, and Leporello exits with her to occupy her while Giovanni attempts to seduce her maid, accompanying himself on the mandolin.

Before Giovanni can complete his seduction of the maid, Masetto and his friends arrive, searching for Giovanni. Giovanni (dressed as Leporello) convinces the posse that he, too, wants Giovanni dead and joins the hunt. After getting the posse to separate Giovanni "confiscates" all the firearms and beats up an unarmed Masetto, fleeing with laughter. Zerlina arrives and consoles Masetto.

Change of scene: In a dark courtyard, Leporello abandons Elvira. As he tries to escape, Anna and Ottavio arrive, with the latter consoling the former in her grief. Just as Leporello is about to slip through the door, which he has a difficult enough time finding anyway, Zerlina and Masetto open it and, seeing him in his Giovanni regalia, catch him before he can escape. When Anna and Ottavio notice the scene, they move in to surround Leporello, threatening death. Elvira tries to protect the man whom she thinks is Giovanni, claiming that he is her husband and begging for pity. The other four ignore her, and Leporello removes his cloak to reveal his true, un-Giovanni identity. Everyone is so taken aback, Leporello is able to escape in the confusion. With all these circumstances, Ottavio is convinced of Giovanni's guilt and swears vengeance and Elvira is furious at Giovanni for betraying her.

Change of scene: A graveyard with the statue of the Commendatore. Leporello tells Don Giovanni of his near-death experience, and Giovanni taunts him, throwing in a story of his own--one of a near-success with a woman in love with Leporello. Leporello is not amused, and Don Giovanni laughs aloud at his servant's protests. The voice of the statue warns Giovanni that his laughter will not last beyond sunrise. At the request of his master, Leporello reads the inscription upon the statue's base: "Vengeance here awaits my murderer." The servant trembles, but the unabashed Giovanni orders him to invite the statue to dinner, threatening to kill him if he does not. The statue nods its head and answers, "Yes."

Change of scene: Donna Anna's room. Ottavio pressures her to marry him, but Anna thinks it inappropriate so soon after her father's death. He accuses her of being cruel, and she assures him that she loves him, and is faithful.

Change of scene: Don Giovanni's chambers. Giovanni revels in the luxury of a great meal and musical entertainment , while Leporello serves. Elvira appears, saying that she no longer feels resentment for Giovanni, only pity. Giovanni, surprised by her lack of hate, asks what she wants. Elvira's desperate plea that he change his life is met only with one reply: "Brava!" as Giovanni taunts her and ignores her, praising wine and women, the "essence and glory of humankind". Hurt and angered, Elvira gives up and leaves. A moment later, her scream arches over the walls of the palace and she returns, fleeing through another door. Giovanni orders Leporello to see what upset her, and upon peering outside, the servant also cries out and runs back into the room with the news that the statue has appeared as promised. An ominous knock sounds at the door. Leporello, paralyzed by fear, cannot answer, so Giovanni opens the door himself to reveal the statue of the Commendatore. It exhorts the careless villain to repent of his wicked lifestyle, but Giovanni adamantly refuses. The statue sinks into the earth and drags Giovanni with him. Hellfire surrounds Don Giovanni as he is carried below.

Donna Anna, Don Ottavio, Donna Elvira, Zerlina, and Masetto arrive, searching for the villain. They find instead Leporello under the table, shaken from the horror he has witnessed, which he describes to the others. Since the conflict is over, Anna and Ottavio choose to wait until Anna's year of grieving is over before marrying. Elvira will spend the rest of her life in a convent, Zerlina and Masetto will finally go home for dinner, and Leporello will find a new master at a tavern. The concluding chorus delivers the moral of the opera - "So ends he who evil did. The death of a sinner always reflects their life."

This ensemble was sometimes omitted in the past by few conductors claiming that this concluding chorus was never really considered to be part of the opera. This approach did not survive, and today's conductors almost always perform the complete opera as composed by Mozart.