Act I
Scene 1: The Aragonese mountain fortress
In the Aragonese mountain fortress, the thieves are joyfully singing and drinking wine. At that moment, the chief, Elnani, arrives. He was supposed to be a great nobleman of Aragon, but because his father was killed after losing a battle with Don Carlo, the king of Castile, he was forced to become the leader of the bandits. Due to his lover, Lady Elvira. Will be forced to marry her guardian Silva tomorrow, Elnani is unable to get over his love, and thus feels bitter and sings the aria "An Unhappy Man", "Like dewdrops on faded petals". The mountain thieves, well aware of his state of mind, suggested that she should be taken from him, and he sang a happy rendition of 'My beloved one'.
Scene 2: Silva's public house in Miss Elvira's room
Everyone is busy with Elvira and Silva's wedding, but Elvira is still in love with Ernani, and this is when her heart is in turmoil, and she sings the aria, "Ernani, run away together!"
At this point, despite the celebratory gifts from the maids of honor, she is not pleased and sends them away. Suddenly, King Don Carlo appeared before Elvira alone. Elvira was surprised to see the king trespassing in a woman's boudoir in the middle of the night. The king, on the other hand, tenderly told her that he wished her to be his lover and go with him to the palace. Elvira refused decisively, but the king tried to take her away by force. She cries out for help, when Elnani rushes out through the secret door and snatches Elvira away, and King Don Carlo recognizes the mountain bandit whom he had once deprived of his property and title. Enemies meet and a great fight ensues, with Hernani relentlessly grappling with the king and the two of them, and it turns into a heated trio. When Silva, the groom-to-be, arrives, he is shocked and saddened to see two seductresses in Elvira's room, and sings the aria "I am the unfortunate man"
Silva tells the two men to go outside and fight with their swords. The king's guards appear and stand in front of Don Carlo in salute, and it is only then that everyone realizes that he is the king and is surprised, and Silva immediately shows him his disrespect. The king said that he would stay in this castle this night, and asked him to let the man go free, so that Ernani might escape without difficulty.
Act II: Silva's Public House
The wedding and wedding feast of Silva and Elvira are being celebrated in the public house. A pilgrim suddenly appears, and Silva welcomes the guest politely, as is his custom. In those days, people were convinced that treating pilgrim monks with generosity would bring happiness to the family.
When Elvira appeared, Silva introduced the bride to the guest. At this point the man suddenly removes his pilgrim garments and offers to offer this head of the bounty as a gift to celebrate the day's wedding, whereupon Elnani reveals himself. His appearance surprised everyone, but Silva calmly said that all the guests were brothers. Orders are given that the castle be closely defended by his men in order to protect Ernani, and then retreats.
After only Elnani and Elvira remain, he chides Elvira for her infidelity. Elvira, however, takes out a short sword from her body and tells her lover that she is preparing to commit suicide on the altar; at this point, Elnani's misunderstanding of her is finally resolved, and the two of them embrace each other tightly. Silva, who happens to be returning at this moment, witnesses them embracing affectionately, and is enraged by the betrayal of his bride. But a sudden announcement is made of the king's visit, and Silva has no choice but to suspend his vengeance and tell Ernani to hide in the Secret Door.
Then the king appeared and said that Ernani was hiding in the castle and ordered Silva to give him up, but Silva did not agree. The king then ordered his men to search all over the city, but nothing was found. The king then asked Elvira to be a hostage and took her away by force.
Silva then proceeded to release Elnani from the Secret Door and then forced him to duel with himself. Upon realizing what had just happened, Ernani gave Silva his hornpipe, swearing that he would die as promised if he heard the sound of this hornpipe, and pleading with his opponent to extend his life until he had completed his revenge on the king. Silva, by virtue of the affection between the knights, accepts his petition, and so the two swear together * * * to take vengeance on King Don Carlo. The duet between Ernani and Elvira in this act: 'Ah! Death is honestly a blessing! , King's baritone solo: "Follow Me! The hunter's horn and the male chorus, "Haste to the Horse," are all important tunes in this act.
Act III: The Graveyard of Charlemagne
At this point, the King, sensing that the rebels will gather here to plot, arrives first. He then sings the aria "O days of my youth" at his ancestor's tomb and hides in the temple. Then, the rebels really began to gather and chose the man who would directly assassinate the king. As a result of the drawing of lots, Ernani became the assassin. Although Silva said that he was willing to give back the hornpipe of destiny if the right was conceded to him; Elnani, however, said that it was to avenge his father's death, and therefore had to be done himself, and insisted that he would not be allowed to do it. The group of rebels then sang the majestic Chorus of Conspiracy
Suddenly three cannon were heard, and the king appeared. Then all the gates were opened and the courtiers swarmed in. The Captain of the Guard announced that in the Electoral Council, King Don Carlo had been elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The rebels were eliminated in one fell swoop, and the masterminds had to be summarily executed.
Hearing this, Ernani threw himself at the king's feet, stating that now that the king had been honored as emperor, he prayed for mercy on all. The king, recalling the benevolence of the great emperor, forgave the rebels and promised to marry Elvira to Ernani. Thus all present, except Silva, whose reputation is damaged and who swears more firmly to revenge, praise the new Emperor Carlo V in chorus with one voice. The main music of the act includes Don Carlo's solemn soliloquy at the Emperor's gravesite, the chorus of assassins, "Let the Lion Roar," and the agitated finale, "Ah! Noble Don Carlo".
Act IV Elnani's Palace
By this time the wedding feast is in full swing. Ernani and Elvira extricate themselves from the ballroom and go out onto the balcony together to celebrate the fact that two people can finally tie the knot. At that moment, the sound of a hornpipe was heard in the distance. Elnani's face immediately turns blue, and he tells Elvira that he is suffering from an old injury and wants her to go to her room to get medicine. At that moment Silva, who wears a false mask, comes, shows the hornpipe, and asks for his life.
Elnani says that, having been brought up in misfortune and vagrancy since his childhood, he has not been able to obtain the happiness of a love affair, and begs the other to give him a respite for a night. But Silva is adamant and takes out a dagger and poison, leaving him to choose either. Elnani still desperately begged him for mercy, but it turned out to be only in vain. In the end Elnani had to practice his vow and took the dagger and stabbed it into his chest. At this point, Elvira sees that Ernani is about to die and prepares to follow him, but Ernani stops him by begging Elvira: "Continue to love me and live for me" and then dies. The music before the end of the play is the lovers' farewell song "Waiting in Pain" sung by Ernani and "Don't Die! My Husband". The curtain falls.
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