The Twilight of the Gods (Die Gotterdammerung) (Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series)

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Twilight of the Gods “Gotterdammerung” Music drama with a Prologue and Three acts Music composed by Richard Wagner Drama written by Richard Wagner

Twilight of the Gods is the final music drama in the cycle, The Ring of the Nibelung , “Der Ring des Nibelungen.”

Adapted from the Opera Journeys Lecture Series by Burton D. Fisher

Principal Characters in Twilight of the Gods Story Synopsis and Overview Story Narrative with Music Highlights

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Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series Published © Copywritten by Opera Journeys www.operajourneys.com

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Principal Characters in Twilight of the Gods Brünnhilde Soprano Siegfried Tenor Gunther, King of the Gibichungs, Baritone Hagen, his half-brother Bass-baritone Gutrune, Gunther’s sister Soprano Waltraute, a Valkyrie Mezzo-soprano Alberich Baritone Norns: First Norn Alto Second Norn Mezzo-soprano Third Norn Soprano Rhindemaidens: Woglinde Soprano Wellgunde Mezzo-soprano Flosshilde Contralto Gunther’s vassals, women attendants of Gutrune

Synopsis and Overview In a prologue, three Norns, daughters of Erda, weave a rope that represents their mother’s dreams prophesying the destiny of the world. They recall how Wotan became master of the world by drinking from the Well of Wisdom, and then broke a branch from the World Ash-Tree upon which he inscribed Laws that appeased and controlled the struggling forces of the universe. Wotan’s Spear was shattered by the young Siegfried, a signal of the imminent downfall of the old order of unconscionable Gods, but the union of the omniscient Brünnhilde with the heroic Siegfried bears hopes for a world with new values and lofty ideals. Nevertheless, Alberich, together with his son, Hagen, continue their pursuit of the Ring, obsessed to use it inherent power to dominate the world. As day dawns, Brünnhilde and Siegfried emerge from their cave after consummating their sacred love. Brünnhilde sends her hero off for new adventures; before departing on his journey he gives Brünnhilde the golden Ring as a token of his love, and she gives him her heroic steed, Grane.

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Act I: On the banks of the Rhine, the Gibichungs dwell: a scheming aristocratic family that includes King Gunther; his sister, Gutrune; and Hagen, half-brother of Gunther who was sired by Alberich. Hagen is the incarnation of his father’s evil, consumed by his monomania to seize the Ring and master the world. He conjures up an insidious plot to destroy Siegfried by advising Gunther to take Brünnhilde as his bride, and that Gutrune should wed Siegfried. Siegfried arrives at the Gibichung castle and is unwittingly tricked by Hagen into drinking a magic potion that induces amnesia and obliterates his memory: he totally forgets Brünnhilde and becomes smitten with Gutrune. After Gunther and Siegfried vow bloodbrotherhood, the young hero promises to subdue Brünnhilde and deliver her to Gunther as his bride; he will use the magic Tarnhelm to disguises himself as Gunther and penetrate the fires. Siegfried and the anxious Gunther proceed toward Brünnhilde’s rock, while Hagen gloats in anticipation of seizing the Ring from Siegfried after he acquires it from Brünnhilde. Waltraute, Brünnhilde’s Valkyrie sister, pleads with her to surrender the Ring, predicting the fall of the Gods unless it is returned to the Rhinemaidens. She describes Wotan brooding over his shattered Spear; that he silently awaits his downfall, and mourns his beloved Brünnhilde with infinite sadness. Brünnhilde rejects Waltraute’s impassioned plea, refusing to part with the Ring that represents Siegfried’s love. Siegfried, using the Tarnhelm to disguise himself as Gunther, pierces the flames, claims Brünnhilde as his bride, and tears the Ring from her finger. They enter the cave and retire for the night, the Sword Nothung set between them to protect her honor. Act II: Alberich appears before Hagen to remind him that Siegfried now possesses the Ring and must be destroyed. At dawn, Siegfried returns to the Hall of the Gibichungs, transported by the magic of the Tarnhelm, and announces that Gunther and his new bride follow. When Brünnhilde arrives she is bewildered that Siegfried wears the Ring; it was worn the night before by Gunther, the man who seized her for his bride. She learns that Siegfried is to wed Gutrune and becomes

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infuriated that he has betrayed her; in revenge she swears that he ravaged her. Siegfried, still drugged by Hagen’s potion, cannot remember the past and denies her accusation, swearing that he has been loyal to Gunther. Hagen, the heartless manipulator, offers to avenge Brünnhilde’s humiliation by slaying Siegfried. Brünnhilde, consumed by revenge, reveals that the hero’s back is vulnerable, the only part of his body unprotected by her wisdom. As the double wedding procession forms, Gunther, believing that Siegfried betrayed him, joins Hagen and Brünnhilde in the conspiracy to kill Siegfried. Act III: Siegfried, lost from the hunting party, finds the Rhinemaidens, who advise him that the Ring he wears is accursed and he should return it to the Rhine; although they predict his doom he refuses to surrender the Ring. Hagen serves Siegfried an antidote to the potion that causes his memory to return. The hero relates his past adventures, and when he speaks of his beloved Brünnhilde, Hagen stabs him in the back; a traitor to his blood-brother, Gunther. Wotan’s ravens, “Reason” and “Memory,” witness the hero’s murder and bear the news to Wotan. As Siegfried dies, he calls to Brünnhilde. Siegfried’s body is borne to the Hall of the Gibichungs. Gutrune accuses Gunther of murder, but Hagen proudly claims the honor of slaying the traitor, and then kills Gunther after they quarrel over the Ring. When Hagen tries to seize the Ring from the dead Siegfried’s finger, the hero’s arm rises threateningly. Brünnhilde arrives after having learned of the Gibichung’s treachery from the Rhinemaidens. She orders a funeral pyre for Siegfried, removes the Ring from Siegfried’s finger, torches the pyre, and rides Grane into the flames to die with her beloved Siegfried. The Rhine rises and the Rhinemaidens take the Ring from Brünnhilde’s ashes. Hagen tries to seize the Ring from them but is drawn into the depths of the waters. The world has been purified and redeemed from the Curse of the Ring by the waters of the Rhine and the blazing fires that have destroyed Valhalla. The cataclysmic end of the Gods suggests that a new world order will arise; a world of noble conscience and lofty human values.

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Story Narrative with Music Highlights Prologue: Brünnhilde’s rock It is night and fire gleams in the valley below. While Siegfried and Brünnhilde sleep in their cave, three veiled Norns, daughters of Erda, weave their mother’s dreams into a rope that prophesying the destiny of the world. They unwind the mysterious golden rope, fasten one end to a branch of a tree, and the other to a projecting rock. As they weave, they consider the treachery of the Gods, ultimately predicting their imminent downfall. The first Norn relates how long ago Wotan came to the holy Well of Wisdom at the foot of the great World Ash-Tree: he drank from the Well, left an eye as tribute, and transgressed nature by breaking a branch from the tree from which he fashioned a mighty Spear. Afterwards, the wound afflicted the tree, it became leafless, and the water disappeared from the Well. The second Norn relates that Wotan engraved Laws on his Spear-shaft to rule the world. But after a bold hero shattered his Spear, he summoned Valhalla’s heroes to hew the World Ash-Tree and break off its branches. The third Norn relates how the Giants built the great fortress of Valhalla for Wotan and his hallowed heroes. The mighty hall has been surrounded by the fractured branches of the World Ash-Tree: when they are ignited Valhalla will be destroyed in flames and the world will descend into darkness. Fall of the Gods

The first Norn, noting the fire glowing in the valley, recalls that when Loge ran free he ravenously fed fires but Wotan subdued him. Loge tried to free himself by gnawing at the inscribed Laws on his Spear-shaft; the God pierced his breast with the splinters of his broken shaft, and then hurled him into the pile of the WorldAsh-Tree’s branches that encircled Valhalla. The dark night confounds the Norns’ vision and they complain that they cannot feel the strands of their rope, which has been broken by the jagged rock; they

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blame their misfortune on Alberich’s Curse on the Ring and terrified, bind their bodies with the remaining strands of the broken rope: it is an omen signifying the end of their wisdom. The disappear into the earth after predicting the end of the Gods, the consequence of unconscionable evil first by Alberich, and then by Wotan: the future destiny of the world remains a mystery. As the sun rises, Siegfried emerges from the cave in full armor, now transformed from youthful adolescence into a man of heroic stature. The mature Siegfried

Brünnhilde transformed by love

Heroic Love

Brünnhilde sends Siegfried forth into the world to perform fresh deeds of glory and win new fame. The former Valkyrie has become transformed by love, and has conveyed all the wisdom she learned from the Gods’ to her beloved hero. She implores him that wherever he travels, or whatever deeds he achieves, he must not to forsake his loving Brünnhilde, the woman who has sacrificed her heart and soul to him. Siegfried vows to honor their sworn oaths: to prove his love he gives her the Ring; she presents him with Grane, the steed that can no longer fly through the air but will endure even fire for its new master. The lovers exalt in the glorious union, embrace in a last farewell, and then Siegfried leads Grane down the mountain to venture forth into the world.

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Freedom

Brünnhilde remains on her rock gazing fondly and gesturing rapturously at Siegfried as he departs on his Rhine Journey.

Act I – Scene 1: The Hall of the Gibichungs. The great hall of the Gibichung’s castle stands on a height above the Rhine. Gunther, the King of this fierce and warlike tribe, sits on his throne with his sister, Gutrune, at his side. Before him is his cunning halfbrother, Hagen, the son of Alberich. Hagen

Gunther, who is indecisive and cowardly, asks Hagen how the Gibichung name is regarded on the Rhine? Hagen hails his renowned reputation and admits his envy, but affirms that their mother, Queen Grimhilde, indeed foretold his glory. Gunther resents his halfbrother for his superior wisdom, but he is blind to his self-serving motivations; Hagen is obsessed by his secret vow to regain the Ring for his Nibelung father, Alberich. Hagen regrets that both Gunther and Gutrune are unwed. He deliberately conceals his knowledge of Siegfried’s union with Brünnhilde and incites Gunther to wed the noble Brünnhilde.who dwells on a fireencircled rock. Although Gunther could not penetrate the fierce fires, Siegfried, the brave Volsung hero, could achieve it for him; he earned enduring fame by slaying the Dragon that guarded the Nibelung Gold. After Gunther inquires about the Nibelung Hoard, Hagen informs him that, “The man who could wield its might could make himself lord of the world: Siegfried has won it.”

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Hagen announces that the adventuring Siegfried voyages down the Rhine,and his arrival at the Gibichung hall is imminent. He proposes that Siegfried would be indebted to Gunther if he promised him Gutrune’s hand in marriage; in gratitude, the hero would bring him Brünnhilde. Enticement

Gutrune expresses her insecurity and wonders what charm she could possess for such a noble hero. But Hagen dismisses her doubts, assuring her that very shortly her desired hero will become smitten with love for her; however, after one taste of Hagen’s magic potion the hero’s memory will fade and he will think only of Gutrune. Gutrune sighs, yearns to meet Siegfried, and then departs. Magic Deceit

Gunther praises his mother for bearing a son with Hagen’s extraordinary wisdom. As Gunther and his half-brother plot to entrap Siegfried, a loud distant horn call resounds, and knowingly, Hagen announces that the hero who roams the earth in quest of great deeds will shortly arrive at Gibichung’s hall. Hagen views the Rhine and sees a man and horse in a boat that seems to be effortlessly moving upstream. He calls out to the hero, guides his boat to a mooring, and feigning sincere cordiality, welcomes him to the hall of the son of Gibich. Gunther announces that he is the Gibichung King: Siegfried, in the tradition of the ancient rituals, offers him his choice of combat or friendship; “Let him fight me or be my friend!” Immediately, Gunther warmly welcomes Siegfried as his friend. Somewhat bewildered, Siegfried looks fixedly at Hagen and inquires how he knew his name; the sinister Hagen replies that he recognized him by his strength.

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With unabashed courtesy, Gunther offers Siegfried the freedom of the Gibichung’s hall. Siegfried tries to reciprocate by offering his Sword but Hagen, invoking a rumor, slyly suggests that he offer the Nibelung Hoard as an alternative. Candidly, Siegfried reveals that he despised the treasure and left it under the protection of the dead Dragon, but he seized the Tarnhelm, although he knows nothing of its worth. Immediately, Hagen informs him that this ingenious Nibelung invention can transform him at will or enable him fly to far off lands. Curiously inquiring, Hagen asks if he took anything else from the Hoard, prompting Siegfried to reveal that he seized the golden Ring, but gave it to a noble woman. Hagen mutters resentfully, “Brünnhilde!” Gutrune returns, a woman possessing no evil, but merely a gentle creature caught unwittingly in Hagen’s web of evil purposes. Gutrune

Hagen signals Gutrune to offer Siegfried the drinking-horn containing the magic potion; as Siegfried drinks he salutes Brünnhilde. Suddenly, he becomes the victim of the magic potion, forgets Brünnhilde, compliments Gutrune, and then expresses his passionate love for her. Overwhelmed, Gutrune bows humbly, and feeling unworthy of so great a hero, falteringly leaves the hall while Siegfried looks upon her as if bewitched. Siegfried asks Gunther if he has a wife? The King replies that he yearns for Brünnhilde but he is unable to win her because he cannot penetrate her fireencircled rock. Although Siegfried seems to be struggling with vague thoughts and trying to capture things forgotten, the mention of Brünnhilde fails to arouse his memory. But he becomes aroused by the mention of fire and offers to win Brünnhilde for Gunther, requesting that his reward be the hand of Gutrune. Hagen unveils his insidious intrigue and tells Siegfried to invoke the magic of the Tarnhelm and pierce the flames in the disguise of Gunther; after he seizes Brünnhilde he will spend the night in her cave but she must remain inviolate. The next day he will

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lead her to the real Gunther and disappear, and the Valkyrie will never know that she has been deceived. To seal the bargain, Siegfried and Gunther swear an oath of blood- brotherhood. Hagen fills a drinkinghorn with wine, and Siegfried and Gunther each slash an arm and let their blood flow into the horn: “Glad and free I swear fidelity to my friend. Let our bond of bloodbrotherhood bloom! If a brother breaks the bond, or becomes a false friend, the drops that we have drunk today, shall flow in streams, until the traitor atones!” Oath of Blood-brotherhood

Siegfried holds out the horn to Hagen, who, instead of draining it, cuts it in two with his sword. Hagen roguishly explains that he took no part in the oath because his impure and ignoble blood would poison the draught. Siegfried affixes his armor and summons the Gibichung King to follow him to his boat, leaving Hagen to guard the hall during their absence. Gutrune, learning that they have gone in quest of Brünnhilde, erupts into an innocently joyful cry of victory, “Siegfried! Mine!” As the shadows of evening begin to fall, Hagen somberly begins his waiting vigil. He gloats that Siegfried will return with the glorious bride, but he will also return with Hagen’s cherished prize: the Ring; with its power he take vengeance against the world he hates, and the world he plans to enslave under Nibelung power.

Act I – Scene 2: Brünnhilde’s rock It is early evening. On the rocky height, Brünnhilde sits peacefully before her cave, overcome by happy memories as she thoughtfully contemplates and admiringly caresses Siegfried’s Ring. Suddenly, amid the rumbling of thunder, she hears for the first time since Wotan laid her in slumber, the wild cries of a Valkyrie galloping through the air. It is

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her sister, Waltraute, whom she greets joyously, hoping that she brings news that Wotan has forgiven her; nevertheless, Brünnhilde is not sorrowful, for her punishment has brought her the love of the noblest of heroes. Waltraute arrives in agitation and anxiety. She has sought Brünnhilde of her own free will, a rebellious act for which she has risked her father ’s punishment.Waltraute relates in detail what has brought her to see her sister. Since Wotan lost Brünnhilde he no longer assigns his Valkyries to the battlefield and has roamed restlessly through the world disguised as the Wanderer. But at last he returned to Valhalla, and in his hand he bore the splinters of his Spear that were shattered by the young hero’s Sword. In despair, he sent warriors to hew the World-Ash-Tree and ordered them to place its branches around Valhalla. Then he called all the Gods and heroes to a council: they surrounded him and witnessed him tortured and terrified while he sat silently on his throne, still holding the fragments of the Spear in his hand. Then he sent forth his raven messengers, Reason and Memory, promising to forget his grief and fate when they return with good news. His only thoughts were about Brünnhilde, and he sadly recalled his farewell to her and the last kiss he pressed on her lips. He then sighed despairingly, hoping that Brünnhilde would restore the Ring to the Rhinemaidens so that the Gods and the world would be released from the burden of Alberich’s Curse. When Waltraute heard his profound wish, she hastened to her sister to implore her to put an end to the Gods’ grief: Wotan’s power has been crushed and he is resigned to the Gods’ downfall, but only Brünnhilde can redeem him by casting the Ring into the Rhine and freeing if of its Curse. Brünnhilde erupts adamantly and replies, “Never!” She advises her sister that the Ring was Siegfried’s pledge of love that she prizes more than the survival of the Gods; she will not renounce Siegfried’s love even if Valhalla crumbles in ruins. Brünnhilde is unyielding, intransigent, and orders Waltraute to return to the holy council of Gods and inform them that she has vowed that while she lives, she will love Siegfried; Valhalla’s splendors and pride will fall before they will take love from her.

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Waltraute cries out in defeat: “Woe’s me! Woe to you, sister! Woe to Valhalla!” As Waltraute rushes off in despair, Brünnhilde seats herself before the cave and contemplates the golden Ring affectionately. Evening has fallen, and in the valley Brünnhilde sees fires flaring up furiously to the very height of the mountain. She hears Siegfried’s familiar horn call and springs up joyously to greet him. Suddenly a strange warrior becomes visible: the flames leap out fiercely at him but recede as he slowly advances. The warrior is not Siegfried but an utter stranger who has penetrated the blazing fire; his face is concealed by the Tarnhelm and only his eyes are visible. Brünnhilde recoils in terror before the sinister apparition, shrieking frantically that she has been betrayed. After a long silence, the stranger – Siegfried transformed by the Tarnhelm into Gunther – announces that the fire could not frighten him, and he has come to take Brünnhilde as his bride, by force if necessary. Terrified, Brünnhilde tries to unravel the mystery and questions the stranger’s identity: he replies, “I am a Gibichung. Gunther is my name, and you must follow me.” Brünnhilde erupts savagely, convinced that she is witnessing another manifestation of Wotan’s punishment. In a frenzy of despair she holds out the Ring threateningly to protect herself, but the stranger advances fearlessly, struggles with her, and then seizes the Ring from her finger. Shattered, she sinks pathetically into his arms. The stranger announces that she is now Gunther’s bride, and with an imperious gesture, bids her show him her cave. Hopelessly weakened and despairing, Brünnhilde obeys. The stranger lingers on the threshold of the cave and raises the Tarnhelm momentarily; it is Siegfried. He draws his Sword, and in his natural voice swears a solemn oath to safeguard the woman’s honor for Gunther. “Now, Nothung, you shall witness that my wooing was pure; that if I fail to keep my promise to my brother, bar me from Gunther’s bride.” Then, lowering the Tarnhelm, Siegfried follows Brünnhilde into the cave, the unwitting betrayer of his own bride.

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ACT II – In front of the Gibichung castle It is night. Hagen remains somberly on the steps of the Gibichung Hall vigilantly awaiting the return of Siegfried and Gunther. The arch-villain will remain unceasing in his attempt to entangle Siegfried, Brünnhilde, Gunther, and Gutrune in his inescapable net of evil. Hagen is apparently asleep; his arm surrounds his spear, and his shield rests by his side. As the moon suddenly pierces through the clouds Alberich is seen crouching before Hagen. He asks his son softly if he sleeping, sadly commenting that for him rest and sleep have long been forsaken. Hagen’s eyes are open but he is motionless: he speaks as if in a reverie and asks what message his Nibelung father brings? Alberich asks his son if he is as bold as the mother who bore him? Hagen replies that his mother gave him a brave heart, but complains that he has become dissipated; he is pale, wan, prematurely old, unhappy, and joyless. Eagerly, Alberich advises Hagen to hate those who are happy, for then he will appreciate his father’s sorrow and anguish. He advises Hagen to be crafty, strong and bold, for their enemies are now more vulnerable, wounded in their hearts by their own hatred. He no longer fears the ruthless Wotan because the God awaits his downfall, horror-stricken by his defeat by his own Volsung hero. He admonished Hagen that the Nibelungs must be united in their rage and hatred, and relentless in dooming the despicable Gods. Murder

Alberich reminds Hagen that the fearless Siegfried now possesses the Ring and unaware of its worth and might, has given it to a woman as a token of his love; if it she returns the Ring to the Rhinemaidens all of their efforts will have been in vain. Alberich was weak and could not slay the Dragon, but he begot Hagen and bred him with passions of hatred and vengeance to help him destroy the Gods and recover the treasure. Alberich pleads with his son: “Win the Ring for me, and ruin Wotan and the Volsungs! Swear it to me, Hagen, my son!” Hagen replies, “Fear not! “The Gold

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will be ours! Siegfried shall be murdered.” As Alberich departs, he gradually fades into the shadows, but out of the darkness he repeats his appeal, “Swear to me, Hagen, my son! Be true to me! Be true!” Hagen replies, “To myself I swear, be silent and have no care!” Alberich disappears completely. Hagen, still without moving, keeps his eyes fixed towards the Rhine. As dawn approaches, Siegfried emerges from the Rhine’s bank: he is now in his own form, removes the Tarnhelm from his head and affixes it to his side. Cheerfully, he greets Hagen to announce that he has won the bride for Gunther, and both turn to view Gunther and Brünnhilde approaching in their boat. Siegfried calls jovially to Gutrune, the prize for which he braved the fires, and she joins him to enthusiastically praise the hero who passed through the flames unscathed. He tells her that his adventure succeeded just as Hagen predicted: in his Tarnhelm disguise the Valkyrie thought she had yielded to Gunther, they slept the night, and he assures her that his Sword separated them to protect the woman’s honor; in the morning he delivered the bride to the waiting Gunther. Gutrune hails the hero, “Siegfried! Mightiest of men! I faint in fear of you!” Now that Siegfried’s task has been fulfilled, Gutrune proclaims joyously, “Let us prepare for our wedding!” Hagen observes the Rhine and sees the boat bearing Gunther and Brünnhilde. Gutrune urges them to give the bride a joyous greeting, and pray that she may join the Gibichungs in happiness and bliss. Hagen blows raucously on his horn to call the Gibichung vassals to assemble and welcome the arrival of their ruler and his new Valkyrie wife. He orders sacrifices to be prepared to celebrate the royal wedding: the slaughtering of great steers on Wotan’s altar, a boar for Froh, a lusty goat for Donner, and sheep for Fricka so that she may bless the marriage. The vassals fill their horns with mead and wine and praise Hagen, their bridal herald. The boat bearing Gunther and Brünnhilde gradually reaches the shore: Hagen takes Brünnhilde ceremoniously by the hand and presents her to the vassals, who, clashing their weapons against their shields, hail Gunther and his new queen.

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Brünnhilde’s eyes remain fixed to the ground while Gunther presents her as his wife, the crowning glory of the Gibichung name. She does not speak or raise her eyes as the wedding procession of Siegfried and Gutrune approaches. But Gunther greets them and proclaims, “Two blessed pairs are here united: Brünnhilde and Gunther, Gutrune and Siegfried.” Brünnhilde hears Siegfried’s name and begins to tremble uncontrollably. In astonishment, she beholds her hero in the embrace of Gutrune and exclaims incredulously, “Siegfried here? Gutrune?” Siegfried tells her, “Gunther’s gentle sister was won by me as you were won by him.” Brünnhilde staggers and then sinks toward the ground. Siegfried, who is nearest to her, supports her in his arms; she looks up at him and mutters feebly, “Siegfried knows me not!” Suddenly the reality of deceit begins to dawn on Brünnhilde when she sees the golden Ring on Siegfried’s finger. She erupts violently, exclaiming that last night Gunther tore the Ring from her hand, but questions how it was transported from Gunther to Siegfried?” Hagen recognizes a critical opportunity in his intrigue and bids the vassals heed her vengeful words. Siegfried quietly contemplates the Ring and assures her that it did not come to him from Gunther, and Gunther disclaims any knowledge of the Ring; in the ensuing silence, all remain perplexed and bewildered. Suddenly Brünnhilde realizes that she has been deceived and explodes into a passionate outburst in which she denounces Siegfried as a “treacherous thief” who stole the Ring from her. Then she points accusingly at Siegfried and proclaims,,“Not Gunther, but Siegfried is my husband. He possessed me in the bonds of love! Where shall I look for vengeance.” All turn inquiringly to Siegfried who denies that any woman gave him the Ring, and swears that he won the Ring by slaying the Dragon at Neidhöle. The devious Hagen intercedes, claiming that if the Ring indeed belongs to Brünnhilde, and it is the Ring that Gunther wrested from her, then by right it belongs to Gunther: he accuses Siegfried of treachery, acquiring the Ring through cunning. All erupt into frenzied cries of “Betrayed! Shamefully betrayed. Deceit, vile beyond all vengeance!” Brünnhilde invokes the Gods in supplication:

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“Teach me a vengeance that is too severe to be spoken! Stir me to wrath that may never be stilled! Break Brünnhilde’s heart into pieces, so that this traitor may taste a bitter death!” Gunther tries in vain to calm Brünnhilde, and implores Siegfried to defend himself against her accusations; the unwitting Siegfried swears that her tale is false. He reminds Gunther that he swore bloodbrotherhood with him and vows that he remained true to his bond; his Sword, Nothung, had lain between himself and Gunther’s wife. Brünnhilde explodes furiously and swears that Siegfried lies, vowing that on the bridal night the Sword remained in its sheath while its owner forced her to love him. Everyone becomes agitated by Brünnhilde’s explosive revelation: Gunther immediately accuses Siegfried of betraying him; Gutrune implores Siegfried to swear that Brünnhilde speaks falsehoods; and the vassals demand that Siegfried uphold his word with an oath. Siegfried agrees and the vassals surround him while Hagen raises his spear on which he is to make his solemn oath. Siegfried lays two fingers of his right hand on the spear-point, and solemnly swears that he spoke the truth: “Brünnhilde’s story is false,” and he further vows that if he betrayed his brother, Gunther, may this very spear strike him dead. Siegfried’s Oath

In a crazed and furious outburst, the humiliated Brünnhilde seizes Siegfried’s spear and swears her own oath: “Shining steel! Hallowed weapon! May you bring Siegfried to his death, for he has broken all his vows!” Siegfried urges Gunther to restrain this wild woman who is possessed by evil demons, and then orders the celebrants to join the wedding feast; he places his arm around Gutrune and leads her into the hall. Only Brünnhilde, Hagen, and Gunther remain. Confused and bewildered, Brünnhilde, speaking more to herself than to the others, somberly seeks the meaning of these mysterious acts, but her wisdom fails her and she feels only sorrow and shame. Hagen

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prods Brünnhilde, “Let me avenge you! If Siegfried has profaned his oaths, he must die!” At first, Brünnhilde laughs at Hagen, knowing well that one glance from the strongest of heroes would destroy him. Nevertheless, Brünnhilde accedes to Hagen’s villainy and agrees to participate in a conspiracy to destroy Siegfried. As the impatient conspirators plot Siegfried’s death, Brünnhilde grieves that she provided Siegfried with all of her knowledge of battle, but suddenly recalls that there is one place where he is vulnerable; she never placed a protective spell on his back because she knew he would never turn on a foe. The gruesome Hagen seizes his opportunity: “And there my sword will strike!” Hagen goads Gunther to rouse himself to action, but the cowardly Gunther implores his stronger and more cunning brother to act for him. Brünnhilde taunts Gunther as weak because he shrinks from the thought of killing Siegfried with whom he swore bloodbrotherhood. But the devious Hagen sways Gunther’s resolve by hinting that when Siegfried falls, he will possess the Ring, and with it, power beyond his dreams. Gunther has become duped by Hagen and finally agrees to Siegfried’s murder, nevertheless loathing the thought that he must face Gutrune with her husband’s blood on his hands. At the mention of Gutrune’s name Brünnhilde once again erupts into a furious outburst of vengeance: “From depths of despair it dawns on me now: Gutrune is the spell that won my hero from my side. Woe be to her!” The cynical Hagen admonishes Gunther that if Siegfried’s death will grieve their sister, she should not be told of their plot: when they return from the hunt tomorrow Gutrune will be told that the hero was slain by a boar. All agree: “So shall it be.” The trio of conspirators invoke their oath: Brünnhilde and Gunther call upon Wotan as their “oath-witness and ward of vows” to consecrate their vengeance against the traitor; Hagen proclaims, “So let him die, this fair hero; the Hoard and the Ring shall be mine. Alberich, my father, fallen prince! Warder of darkness! Nibelung lord! Soon you shall summon the Nibelungs again to bow down before you, the Ring’s master and theirs!” Siegfried and the vassals summon the wedding

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guests with their horns. The innocent Gutrune beckons Brünnhilde to join them. At first Brünnhilde stares at her blankly, and then recoils, but at a sign from Hagen, Gunther seizes her, and the procession proceeds to its consummation.

Act III – Scene 1: A woods near the Rhine The Gibichungs are hunting. Siegfried’s horn calls resound and are echoed by horns from the Gibichungs. The swimming Rhinemaidens, Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Flosshilde, rise to the surface of the water; they are sad and mourn their lost Gold. Rhinemaidens

They hear the horns resonating and wonder if they are announcing the hero who will restore the Gold to the Rhine. Siegfried appears, accidentally separated from the Gibichung game-hunters while chasing a prey. The Rhinemaidens greet him, and then tease and prod him to explain his misadventure. Siegfried answers genially, suggesting that they had lured him away from the prey that he was pursuing. They ask him what he will give them if they yield him his quarry? He replies that he will grant them anything, and immediately, they request the golden Ring that gleams on his finger. But he refuses, explaining that he won the Ring by slaying a dreadful Dragon, and would not part with his possession for a paltry bear-skin, adding spiritedly that if he lost his possessions he fears a scolding from his wife. The Rhinemaidens tease him about his stinginess and fear of his wife but he tells them they can deride him to their hearts content: he shall keep the Ring. They continue to cajole him as a man so fair, strong, and suitable for love, and then disappear in the waters. Their jeers have wounded Siegfried and he calls for them to return, holding the Ring aloft and offering it to them. But when they reappear they solemnly forecast disaster: “Beware! A Curse hangs upon the treasure.

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Unless you cast it into the Rhine, you will be slain, here and today!” But their threats fail to frighten Siegfried. The Rhinemaidens continue to urge Siegfried to return the Ring to the Rhine and purge it of its Curse, warning him that there is no escape from the Curse that the Norns have woven into their rope of destiny. Boldly, Siegfried proclaims that he never learned fear and will cut their rope with his omnipotent Sword; he would cede the Ring for love but not under the threat of his life. The Rhinemaidens despair over the mad young man who prides strength and wisdom but is blind to destiny: he refuses to surrender the Ring that will bring him death, swore oaths that he did not heed, and in his ignorance, spurned the glorious gift of Brünnhilde; he should go to her now for today she will inherit his treasure and fulfill its destiny. As the Rhinemaidens swim away, Siegfried contemplates them, joking that had he not wed Gutrune he would have sought love from one of them. In the distance, Siegfried hears the Gibichung horn calls, joins the hunters, and is hailed by Hagen, Gunther, and the vassals. Hagen orders rest and food: their game is piled in a heap, wine-skins and drinking-horns are filled, and all relax and talk of adventure. Hagen asks Siegfried how he fared with his hunting since they had lost sight of him. Laughingly, Siegfried relates his poor luck: he failed to kill any game but met three young water-fowl who sung to him from the Rhine, warning him that he would be slain today. Gunther trembles and stares gloomily at the sinister Hagen. Siegfried announces that he is thirsty, and Hagen hands him a filled drinking-horn. Hagen asks him if it is true that he understands the songs of birds, and Siegfried replies that a long time ago he listened and understood their chatter. Siegfried offers a drinking-horn to Gunther, who looks at it thoughtfully and gloomily, prompting Siegfried to express tenderness for his unhappy bloodbrother. He pours Gunther’s draught into his own and asks Hagen if perhaps the King grieves over Brünnhilde’s insolent behavior. Hagen seizes an opportunity to advance his intrigue and urges Siegfried to enliven Gunther by relating tales of his wondrous adventures.

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Siegfried proceeds to describe his youth: he was raised by the parasitic Mime; he forged Nothung and slew the Dragon; the Dragon’s blood enabled him to understand the songs of the birds; and after he killed the treacherous Mime he took the Tarnhelm and Ring from the Dragon’s cave. Siegfried pauses and Hagen refills his horn into which he adds an herb, telling him that the spiced draught will revive his memories of the past. Siegfried looks thoughtfully into the horn, drinks slowly, and becomes stimulated to resume his story. He relates how a woodbird sung to him about the bride awaiting him on the fire-encircled mountain; he climbed the rock, conquered the fire, and found the sleeping Brünnhilde, whom he awakened with a kiss and then took for his bride. Siegfried’s revelation that Brünnhilde is his wife causes Gunther to abruptly rise in astonishment, while the vassals remain mute and in horror. Wotan’s two raven messengers, Reason and Memory, suddenly emerge from a bush, circle above Siegfried, and then disappear toward the Rhine. Hagen asks if Siegfried can read the ravens’ runes? Siegfried springs to his feet and gazes after them with his back to Hagen. Hagen seizes the opportunity and plunges his spear into Siegfried’s back, and then shouts: “They have decreed your death!” With a belated gesture, Gunther strikes Hagen’s arm. Siegfried swings his shield aloft to assault his murderer, but his strength fails him, the shield drops behind him, and he crashes upon it. Gunther and the vassals become horrified and ask Hagen why he slew Siegfried. Hagen replies, “Vengeance for a false oath!”, and then turns and slowly disappears. Gunther and the vassals stand before the fallen hero, grief-stricken, sympathetic, and emotional. Siegfried is raised to a sitting position by two of the vassals and opens his eyes. His memory has returned and he hails his beloved: “Brünnhilde, holiest bride!”, recalling the ecstatic moment of her awakening on her rock. But as Siegfried’s mind begins to darken, he sinks back, and then expires. Gunther commands the sorrowstricken vassals to raise Siegfried’s body and carry it in a solemn procession over the rocky heights to the Hall of the Gibichungs.

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The moon breaks through the clouds and for a moment illuminates the mourners; as the cortege passes out of sight there is complete darkness. Funeral music

In the Hall of the Gibichungs, Gutrune emerges from her chamber, unable to sleep, and dreaming that she heard the neighing of Siegfried’s horse and Brünnhilde’s laughter. She believes she hears Siegfried’s horn, and then becomes terrified thinking that she saw Brünnhilde silently walking toward the Rhine; she goes to an inner room and calls to Brünnhilde, but it is empty. She sighs, longs for Siegfried’s presence, sees the glow of torches in the distance, hears Hagen’s rasping voice, and stands petrified with fear. Hagen bids that all awaken for he brings home a fine prize. He greets Gutrune boisterously: “Up, Gutrune, to greet your Siegfried! The mighty has come home again.” Gutrune says that she did not hear Siegfried’s horn, and the savage Hagen tells her: “His bloodless mouth will blow it no more; he will no longer hunt or fight, nor woo engaging women to love him.” Gibichungs and vassals arrive in confusion and agitation, followed by Gunther, and a procession bearing Siegfried’s bier that they place in the center of the hall. Hagen gloats to Gutrune, “Your lover has been slain by the energy of a wild boar.” Shrieking in agony, Gutrune falls on the body while Gunther tries to comfort her. When she recovers she repulses her brother ferociously, accusing him of treacherously murdering her husband. But Gunther replies, “Not I, but Hagen. He was the accursed boar who dealt the hero his death.” Hagen steps forward defiantly: “Yes, I slew Siegfried! The traitor swore falsely on my spear, and as my prize, I claim his Ring!” Hagen and Gunther quarrel: Gunther claims the Ring but Hagen becomes more assertive: “The Nibelung dowry for the Nibelung’s son.” Hagen assaults Gunther with a savage fury. They fight desperately, and then Hagen strikes him dead with his sword. Hagen then turns to the fallen Siegfried, grasps his hand to seize the Ring, but recoils in horror

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when the dead hero’s arm raises itself threateningly against him. Gutrune and the vassals retreat in terror. Brünnhilde solemnly appears at the threshold of the hall, strides slowly, and sternly bids them cease their anguish: she announces that the betrayed Brünnhilde has returned for her due vengeance; but she has become enlightened and urges everyone to join her to lament the death of the noblest of heroes. Gutrune cries out to her passionately: “Brünnhilde! Black with envy! You have brought misfortune and ruin to all of us. Your tongue goaded the men against Siegfried: woe the day when you came here!” Brünnhilde tells Gutrune that she was not Siegfried’s true wife, but only a trivial love: “He had sworn his vows to me before he ever saw you.” The gentle Gutrune who unwittingly helped to weave Hagen’s diabolical net, immediately transforms from love to hate and curses the dead Siegfried: “Ah, sorrow! I see the truth now! Brünnhilde was his true love whom he forgot through the draught!” Grieving and shamed, Gutrune turns away from Siegfried and mourns over Gunther’s body. Hagen stands defiantly apart from the others while leaning on his spear and shield, all the while remaining sunk in somber reflection. Brünnhilde gazes at Siegfried’s body and turns to sorrow as memories overcome her. Unfortunately, she learned about Hagen’s treachery too late, but proclaims Siegfried innocent of all broken oaths. She commands the vassals to pile up mighty logs for the hero’s funeral pyre and bring Grane to reunite with his master. Brünnhilde becomes transfigured as she passionately invokes her solemn tribute to the great hero whom she exalts as glorious sunshine: he committed treachery yet he was true, and he deceived his wife, but the Sword lay between them. Yet, how did the truest of men become a traitor? Brünnhilde answers her own question and blames the Gods, denouncing Wotan for bringing misery upon Siegfried and Brünnhilde: “Turn your eyes on my grief and distress, and on your own eternal guilt!” Siegfried represented the holy purpose that pounded in Wotan’s heart: through the hero’s great deeds the God hoped to escape the Curse that was consuming him, but unwittingly the hero performed the God’s

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innermost Will by enlightening Brünnhilde to profound love and wisdom. The ravens rustle about and Brünnhilde drives them off to Valhalla to bring Wotan the news he awaits but fears; with great pity in her heart she murmurs: “Rest thou, rest thou, o God!” Brünnhilde orders Siegfried’s body raised on the pyre. She seizes the accursed Ring from his finger and gazes at it meditatively. Then she solemnly addresses the Rhinemaidens: “I give you now what you have desired: you can win from my ashes all that you have wept for! The fire that burns me with Siegfried, will cleanse the Ring of its Curse! The flood will wash the Curse away, and the ever-gleaming Gold that you unfortunately lost, will be kept pure!” Brünnhilde places the Ring on her finger, turns to the pyre, and takes a torch from one of the men. She addresses the ravens again: “Fly home ravens, and tell Wotan what you have heard here on the Rhine. But go first to Brünnhilde’s rock where Loge flames, and bid him hasten to Valhalla, for the end of the Gods draws near. So I cast my torch and kindle Valhalla’s glittering towers!” Brünnhilde hurls the torch into the pyre and it erupts into bright flames. She turns to Grane, unbridles him, and lovingly asks if he knows where they are traveling? She points to the fire where Siegfried lies; her master and her lord. Brünnhilde is overcome with rapture as she feels the flames in her breast: “Oh but to embrace him, fall into his arms, the maddening emotion to once more be his! Heiajaho! Grane! Let us greet our hero! Siegfried! Siegfried! See! Greet your wife!” Brünnhilde mounts her steed and rides her charger into the burning pyre. Suddenly the fires die down, leaving only a cloud of smoke drifting off slowly into the horizon. The Rhine swells vigorously and the three Rhinemaidens arise and seize the Ring from the ashes. Hagen becomes filled with terror and plunges madly into the Rhine in pursuit of the Ring: Woglinde and Wellgunde seize Hagen and drag him to his watery doom, but as they swim away joyously Flosshilde holds the recovered Ring exultantly aloft. A red glow breaks through the clouds while the Rhine waters calm and gradually fall. The interior of Valhalla comes into view: Wotan sits gravely and silently among the Gods and heroes while holding his shattered

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Spear in his hand; with resignation, all of them await the end that had been foretold. The flames from Siegfried’s funeral pyre then devour Valhalla. Redemption by Love

The Ring reposes once more in the innocent depths of the Rhine, cleansed of its Curse. Flood and fire have redeemed and purified the world from the Curse of evil.

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