Verdi: Rigoletto (1982) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language

1982 · 128 mins · Italian

Directed by

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle

Starring

Luciano Pavarotti, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Edita Gruberova, Victoria Vergara, Ingvar Wixell, Fedora Barbieri

Rigoletto, the hunch‑backed jester of the Duke of Mantua’s court, delights the Duke by mocking the courtiers, though the nobles find no amusement. The libertine Duke pursues every woman he spots, fixating on a young lady he sees each Sunday on her way to church. Unbeknownst to him, the girl is Rigoletto’s beloved daughter Gilda, who secretly loves the Duke. When Count Monterone arrives, enraged that the Duke has seduced his own daughter, Rigoletto derides him and the Duke laughs, prompting Monterone to lay a terrible curse on both men. The courtiers later discover Rigoletto’s hidden relationship with Gilda, setting the stage for tragedy.