Figaro’s Feelings

It’s the day of Figaro’s marriage to Susanna! A whirlwind of mistaken identities, disguises, and general pandemonium only heightens the excitement of the event. This chaos leads to an explosion of emotions from all involved: jealousy, rage, joy, fear, shame, longing, happiness, greed—the full gamut of feelings is on display as the characters in the opera’s Seville manor prepare for the upcoming wedding (or try to stop it from happening in the first place).

In this activity, students will explore Le Nozze di Figaro by examining several key arias from the work in tandem with psychologist Robert Plutchik’s “Wheel of Emotions” to decipher how each character is feeling—and how Mozart’s score and Da Ponte’s libretto further convey that sentiment. Students will also be able to draw connections between Mozart’s depiction of the characters in the opera and their own emotional experiences.

STEP 1. REVIEW

At first glance, the popular and well-known music from Le Nozze di Figaro is elegant and moving, abounding in simple, singable melodies. Spend a little more time with the opera, however, and you’ll discover that Mozart’s score is as emotionally complex as it is lovely. Each character in Le Nozze di Figaro has a distinct guiding motive, which can often be deduced from the vocal and instrumental lines. Every character has something to gain and something to hide: Susanna tries to avoid the Count’s advances as her wedding night approaches; the randy adolescent Cherubino confesses his love for the Countess; Marcellina searches for her lost child while trying to force Figaro to marry her (big mistake!); and the Countess works alongside Figaro and Susanna to catch her unfaithful husband in the act—just to name a few.

Since the opera’s plot can be quite complicated, review the synopsis and the “Who’s Who in Le Nozze di Figaro” breakdown included with this guide before delving into the activity. For younger students, the illustrated synopsis (metopera.org/figaro-illustrated) might be a better and more succinct overview of the story. You can either have students read and review the synopsis in pairs or small groups or read it aloud as a class. Write down key plot points and conflicts on the board or a piece of chart paper, if necessary.

Before moving on, remind students that in an opera, characters’ emotions can be suggested in several ways: through the text; through the singing, or vocal line; or through the instrumental accompaniment, or orchestral line. Sometimes, all three happen at once! And they might not even convey the same thing: By using instrumental underscoring as a view into the hearts of his characters, Mozart intentionally gives the audience a window into their true feelings—even if the characters are unaware of those feelings themselves. (The composer even uses specific instruments to communicate certain emotional characteristics. The bassoon, for example, can represent a character telling a joke or a character having a joke played on them.)

STEP 2. EXPLORE

Next, introduce Robert Plutchik’s “Wheel of Emotions” as a key to understanding the depth of meaning each Figaro character experiences. This model provides a simple way to make sense of feelings. It comprises eight primary emotions: joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, and anticipation. Radiating toward the outer edges are less intense variants of these core emotions while the core contains the most intense form. When you feel annoyance, for example, it’s a milder form of rage, whereas ecstasy is the severe version of joy. The wheel also presents the bipolarity of the eight primary emotions: joy versus sadness, anger versus fear, trust versus disgust, and surprise versus anticipation.

Distribute the handout included with this guide and prompt students to consider the following questions:

• Which two emotions mix to make love? What about aggressiveness?
• Which emotions on the wheel do you think are positive? Which are negative?
• Can you think of a time your emotions intensified? What happened?
• Do you agree with Plutchik’s organization of the “Wheel of Emotions?” Why or why not?

STEP 3. LISTEN

Next, harness this knowledge of Plutchik’s “Wheel of Emotions” to examine key dramatic moments in Le Nozze di Figaro. You can divide the class into small groups or pairs or ask students to work individually. Each student, pair, or group should select an aria from the list below.

Figaro, Act I: “Se vuol ballare” (Track 1 or MOoD clip 7)
Cherubino, Act I: “Non so più” (Track 2 or MOoD clip 11)
Countess, Act II: “Porgi, amor” (Track 3 or MOoD clip 16)
Count, Act III: “Hai già vinta la causa” (Track 4 or MOoD clip 31)
Barbarina, Act IV: “L’ho perduta” (Track 5 or MOoD clip 41)

Distribute the “Text and Translations” handout included with this guide. Have students listen to their chosen aria while reading along with the text. Ask them to focus on the words the character is singing, as well as the vocal line of the aria. Then, they should select one core feeling from Plutchik’s “Wheel of Emotions” that best expresses the emotion conveyed by the text and vocal line.

Next, students will listen to the aria again. This time, they should focus on the instrumental line. Consider:

• What do you hear?
• What kinds of instruments are present?
• How would you describe the instrumental line?

Have them select one or two nonprimary feelings (that is, further away from the center) from the “Wheel of Emotions” to represent the instrumental line. Remind students that the emotion(s) they select for the instrumental line might be entirely different from the emotion they selected for the vocal line.

Now, students should listen to their aria for a third and final time, focusing on the piece as a whole. Ask them to focus on the interplay between the voice and the orchestra.

• Are they expressing the same emotions or mood?
• Does the orchestra ever overpower or steal the show from the voice? How does that affect the emotional content of the piece?

Taking both the vocal and instrumental lines into consideration, students should select one more emotion from the wheel to summarize the emotional content of the aria.

STEP 4. SHARE

To conclude the activity, have students share their responses with the class. If you had multiple students or groups work on the same aria, have them share with each other and then present the similarities and differences between their respective “Wheels of Emotions” to the broader group. Before students share their reflections with the class, it might be helpful to listen to each aria together at least once while having students follow along with the included texts and translations. That way, when students see the opera, they will already know at least one aria in each act!

If there are disagreements as to where any aria—or aspect of an aria, like the text or vocal line—belongs on the “Wheel of Emotions,” put it up to a vote! Have students make teams and set up a formal debate where each side must provide evidence for why their placement is correct.