Synopsis of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen
Das Rheingold
Scene i (at the bottom of the Rhine): The Nibelung, Alberich,
steals the gold guarded by the Rhinemaidens, with the intention
of fashioning a ring which will give him limitless power.
Scene ii (an open space on a mountain height, near the Rhine):
Wotan, leader of the Gods, has built his fortress, Valhalla, by
offering Freia, the goddess of love, as payment for the work of
the giants, the brothers Fasolt and Fafner. Without Freia and
her golden apples, the gods will age and die. With the help of
Loge, the god of fire, Wotan will go after the gold stolen by
Alberich, to be provided as a ransom for Freia.
Scene iii (the subterranean caverns of Nibelheim): Wotan and Loge
succeed in tricking Alberich and transport him along with the
gold and ring to their mountain height.
Scene iv (as sc. ii): Fasolt and Fafner are satisfied with the
gold in exchange for Freia, but not before Alberich curses the
ring. Erda, the earth goddess, appears and warns Wotan that possession
of the ring will have fateful consequences, even the end of the
gods themselves. He gives up the ring to the giants, and the
curse is in evidence as Fafner immediately kills his brother.
To the lament of the Rhinemaidens over the loss of their gold,
the gods enter Valhalla.
Die Walküre
Act I (inside Hunding's dwelling): Siegmund arrives exhausted
in the dwelling of Hunding, where he meets Sieglinde, Hunding's
wife. Prior to the action, Siegmund has run afoul of Hunding's
clan, and when this is discovered, Hunding informs him that, though
he may enjoy the shelter of his home tonight, tomorrow they must
fight to the death. Siegmund is without any weapon, but when
left alone, he recalls that his father told him a sword would
be available to him in time of need. Sieglinde returns, having
given Hunding a sleeping potion. She recalls that at her wedding,
a stranger appeared and plunged a sword into the tree that is
in the middle of their dwelling (the leitmotiv of "Valhalla"
tells us that the stranger was Wotan). They soon realize they
are twins of the Volsung clan, separated in early childhood, and
Siegmund embraces her, not only as sister but as wife, and, having
extracted the sword from the tree, they both escape from the dwelling.
Act II (a wild rocky mountain ridge): Wotan is confronted by his
wife, Fricka, the goddess of love, over the offense of a brother
taking his sister as wife. We learn the twins are Wotan's children
by a mortal woman, part of his plan to create a hero free of his
influence who can regain the ring. But, as Fricka points out,
Siegmund is not truly free, and further, for his offense he must
die. Wotan agrees, and orders his favorite daughter (by Erda),
the valkyrie Brünnhilde, to carry out this task. Siegmund
eventually arrives with the exhausted Sieglinde, but at the last
moment Brünnhilde decides to defend him against Hunding.
Wotan appears, shatters Siegmund's sword, despatches Hunding,
and goes after Brünnhilde for disobeying him.
Act III (on the summit of a rocky mountain): Brünnhilde leaves
Sieglinde with her sister valkyries, after informing her that
she is pregnant with the greatest of heros (to be Siegfried).
Facing Wotan alone, she defends herself, explaining she was only
following Wotan's heart. His punishment is that she will now
be like any mortal woman, but he will protect her with a circle
of magic fire that can be passed by only the mightiest of heros.
With that he puts her into a magic sleep to await that moment.
Siegfried
Act I (a cave in the rocks in the forest): Siegfried is now a
strapping young man, having been brought up by Mime, Alberich's
brother, who is well aware that this hero may one day regain the
ring, and he wants to be there when he does. As Siegfried leaves,
Wotan enters (now disguised as the Wanderer), and through a game
of riddles, informs Mime that Siegmund's shattered sword (needed
for the task of regaining the ring) can only be forged by one
who knows no fear. When Siegfried returns, that is exactly what
he does.
Act II (deep in the forest): Fafner has since turned himself into
a dragon, the better to guard the gold and the ring, and the cave
is kept watch over by Alberich. Siegfried and Mime arrive, and,
with the refashioned sword, Siegfried kills the dragon and takes
the ring and the Tarnhelm (a helmet that enables the wearer to
assume any disguise). In the process he gets some of the dragon's
blood on his hand, which allows him, not only to understand the
forest animals, but to understand Mime's secret thoughts. Once
he learns that it was always Mime's intention to kill him, Siegfried
despatches Mime with his sword. A forest bird leads Siegfried
onward to Brünnhilde on the top of the mountain.
Act III (sc. i, the foot of a rocky mountain): During a scene
with Erda, we learn that Wotan no longer fears the end of the
gods, but desires it, and will leave his inheritance to the Volsungs.
When Siegfried arrives, the Wanderer tries to block his way to
the mountain, and Siegfried shatters Wotan's spear, the source
of his authority by virtue of the contracts engraved on it. With
this act, Wotan's authority is also shattered. (sc. ii, on the
peak of Brünnhilde's rock): Siegfried cuts through the magic
fire, awakens Brünnhilde, and the two sing an ecstatic love
duet.
Götterdämmerung
Prologue (as at the end of Siegfried): The Norns predict the future,
followed by Brünnhilde sending Siegfried off for deeds of
glory, but not before he has given her the ring as a pledge.
Act I (sc. i, the hall of the Gibichungs): Hagen (whose father
is Alberich) advises his half-brother Günther that his sister,
Gutrune should marry. Toward this end he maliciously suggests
Siegfried, and Gutrune prepares a love potion for this purpose.
Under the influence of the potion, Siegfried also offers to bring
back Brünnhilde to marry Günther. (sc. ii, Brünnhilde's
rock): Waltraute, one of her sister valkyries, arrives to tell
her that Wotan has cut down the World Ash Tree, piled up the logs,
and is now waiting with the other gods to die. As she leaves,
Siegfried arrives, disguised by the Tarnhelm to appear as Günther.
He also takes back the ring.
Act II (on the shore in front of the Gibichung hall): Alberich
appears to Hagen to urge him to acquire the ring. Meanwhile all
have assembled for the double wedding, and Brünnhilde, realizing
she has been betrayed, wants vengeance. She tells Hagen that
she gave Siegfried protection everywhere but his back (because
he would never turn to run away in battle), and that is where
he should strike.
Act III (sc. i, wild woodland and rocky valley by the bank of
the Rhine): The Rhinemaidens advise Siegfried to return the ring,
but he refuses. He meets up with Hagen, who gives him a potion
that enables him to remember all that Gutrune's potion made him
forget. With his mind clear, and an understanding of what he
has done to Brünnhilde, Hagen stabs him in the back. (sc.
ii, the hall of the Gibichungs): Everything is sorted out, but
as Hagen goes to retrieve the ring, Günther stands in his
way and is murdered by him. As he is about to grab the ring,
Siegfried's dead hand suddenly raises up, to the horror of everyone.
Brünnhilde then realizes what she must do: a funeral pyre
is prepared, she lights it and jumps into it on her horse. As
a result, the Rhine overflows, the Rhinemaidens receive the ring
back, Hagen drowns trying to retrieve it, and Valhalla is set
aflame, bringing about the end of the gods.