The Magic Flute (1984)

The realm of the Queen of the Night; later, the gardens and halls of the Temple of the Sun.

The setting:
When he died, the King of the Sun entrusted the mighty Shield of the Sun to Sarastro, his high priest and greatest friend, to hold in trust for the new rulers of the land. Since the power of the Sun is the power of life, the Queen of the Night, the late King’s consort, wants it for herself. For her own safety, Sarastro has taken the Queen’s daughter, Pamina, away from her dangerous mother, who is scheming to get her back.

Scene i
The Queen has chosen prince Tamino as the knight who must rescue her daughter from Sarastro; with her Three Ladies she has lured him into her kingdom, where no light has been seen since the death of the King. Tamino is pursued by a monster, falls unconscious, and awakes
to find he has been saved; Papageno, the Queen’s birdcatcher, claims to be his rescuer, but the three ladies reappear and establish the truth, silencing Papageno with a padlock. They show Tamino the portrait of Pamina, and he falls in love immediately; seduced by the Queen’s starry brilliance, he and Papageno set out to find her. For protection Tamino is given a magic flute, carved by the King of the Sun, and Papageno a set of magic bells. The ladies tell the pair that three boys will appear to guide them.

Scene ii
All is not as it seems in the gardens of Sarastro.
Pamina is troubled by the separation from her mother (Sarastro has not yet revealed his reasons) and is also suffering the attentions of Monostatos, a deceitful Moor in Sarastro’s service. Tamino and Papageno have gone in different directions to find her; Papageno comes upon her as she is being harassed by Monostatos, frightens the Moor away, and they escape.

Scene iii
Meanwhile, led by the three boys, Tamino arrives at the Temple of the Sun. He is turned back at the gates of Nature and Reason, and is disconcerted to have all his prejudices against Sarastro contradicted by the Spokesman for the temple. His flute calms the wild animals in the forest and his own fears as well, but the darkness of night still lies heavy on his soul and he begins to despair. Monostatos and his slaves rush upon Pamina and Papageno, but the magic bells save them from capture. Sarastro returns from the hunt at dawn and metes out justice to all. Pamina and Tamino meet for the first time, rapturously, only to be separated as Tamino is led with Papageno into the Temple to begin his trials. He is now fully convinced that what Sarastro and his brotherhood have to offer- the Truth and the Light- contain the essence of life.

Within, without, beneath, and beyond the Temple of the Sun.

Scene i
Sarastro is troubled by his decisions to submit Tamino’s love and steadfastness to the ordeals of initiation and to choose Pamina as the young prince’s bride; he appeals to the brotherhood for their support.

Scene ii
The Trial of Earth takes place deep underground in the vaults of the Temple. Tamino and Papageno begin their trials together, for the small and the great must suffer and be rewarded in equal measure. The first trial requires silence in the face of adversity; Tamino triumphs, and Papageno scrapes by, even though the three ladies appear to tempt and threaten them.

Scene iii
Pamina lies asleep and Monostatos decides to tempt her virtue, but is thwarted by the appearance of the Queen, who now reveals her true intentions to Pamina: unless Sarastro is killed, and the powerful Shield of the Sun returned to the Queen, Pamina will never see her mother again. Monostatos tries to capitalize on this discovery, but he is banished by Sarastro, who has witnessed the whole event. He tries to make Pamina see that love, not hatred and revenge, will triumph in the end.

Scene iv
Tamino and Papageno face the Trial of Air, a trial of the spirit. A magical feast appears, and the starving birdcatcher falls upon it; Tamino abstains, only to find that he must also reject the troubled Pamina when she appeals to him for love and comfort. This is a trial for Pamina, too, for she must also prove herself worthy of her destiny. Tamino is led away while Papageno, by now quite tipsy, finds he is more hungry for love than for food and drink. An old woman appears to claim him as her husband; he gives in to her only after threats and blackmail. The old bird then reveals herself as the beautiful Papagena, who has been promised to him as a reward if he proves worthy. The priests angrily dismiss her, and Papageno gives futile chase. Sarastro and the Priests prepare Tamino and Pamina for their final trials; they both believe that these will mean irrevocable separation.

Scene v
Pamina, despairing, tries to kill herself, but the three boys prevent her and- later- Papageno. They reveal that she is to be allowed to join Tamino in his most dangerous trial.

Scene vi
Two armed men prepare Tamino for his ordeal by Fire and Water. Pamina appears and they are reunited; she explains to him the function of the magic flute as a talisman against danger. Protected by the flute’s music, and more by their own strength of love and purpose, they survive the trials and are welcomed by the brotherhood as man and wife.

Scene vii
Meanwhile, Papageno has quite failed to find his bride, and since the ladies in the audience are unable to help him out, he prepares to hang himself. It is quite clear that love has given him, too, a kind of strength of purpose, and the boys reunite him with Papagena.

Scene viii
Aided by her attendants and the treacherous Moor, the Queen decides to invade the Temple of the Sun to wrest the shield and its power from Sarastro by force. She has not, however, counted on the victory achieved by Tamino and her daughter; with their love and self-sacrifice the sun once again blazes forth upon the earth, night is vanquished, and with it the fears that have threatened mankind. Tamino and Pamina are hailed, and Sarastro abdicates his power to the new order.