RUSALKA
The water nymph Rusalka falls in love with a Prince, a man, and although her father, the old water-spirit, warns her of the badness of mankind, she calls the old Sorceress and asks her to be changed in a human being. The sorceress makes of her a beautiful, but mute girl, and advises her: If the prince was not faithful to her, she would be cursed forever. Rusalka is sure that her true love will destroy any magic, but the prince who originally wants to marry her despite his people do not like her at all, leaves her because of another woman, a beautiful foreign Princess. Then his father, the old Water-Spirit, takes Rusalka back to the lake, where nobody wants to speak to her anymore.
The Sorceress comes and asks Rusalka to kill the unfaithful Prince: if she does it, she saves herself. But Rusalka rejects it and becames an evil spirit, a strange dangerous light. The Prince, regretful, looks for her desperately, and when Rusalka appears, he asks her to kiss him, but her kiss kills him.
RUSALKA
Protagonist
Rusalka is an undine, a water nymph character of Slavic mythology. In spite of its tenderness and innocence, she has a stonge character: when she wants to become a woman for the love of the Prince, she keeps her purpose even warned of danger that it implies: She prefers to know the love and suffer, that means: to have a soul instead of being an unconscious part of nature.
At the end her suffering is immense:: by the curse she becomes a "Bludicka" (Evil spirit of slavic mythology which seduces men with its ligth and drowns them) and against her will and kidness she must destroy the Prince, whom she still loves.
The characters
THE SORCERESS JEŽIBABA
JEŽIBABA, a forest witch, wise, powerful, who hates humans and despises Rusalka considering her weak, when she rejects the knife which she should kill the prince with to save herself.
According to the witch, weak is the one who is unable to use violence.
Her words have often mocking and ironic undertone. Despite her wickedness, she doesn't lack greatness.
VODNÍK
(From Czech – voda: water, and the suffix - ník: the one from...)
The old water spirit is an important figure from Czech mythology, he is the father of Rusalka: He represents wisdom, tolerance and paternal love. Without no illusions about humankind, he knows he cannot do anything to prevent Rusalka’s disillusion.
He feels pity of Rusalka, trying to defend her against people and justify her to the supernatural beings.
THE PRINCE
He is the character who changes a lot through the development of the argument: a frivolous, capricious and simple young man, finally realizes that by betraying Rusalka, he lost the most worthful thing in his life, finally regrets and obtains some wisdom: he can’t bear "the noise of the world" anymore.
TABLE FILIPA
Table with chicken legs, very fearful and obedient to its owner the witch. Surely it's a spell of the sorceress. (It’s a character added and invented by us)
FOREIGN PRINCESS
She is beautiful, full of passion, but she also represents the meanness and envy. She flirts with Prince just because she doesn't want to see him with another woman.
THE COOK AND THE FORESTER
They represent the voice of the people, loyalty and attachment to peaceful life: they don’t like that strange elements (Rusalka) disturb them; when they face up to supernatural beings (the Water-spirit and the Witch), they are overwhelmed by terror.
CAT ROHOSKA
The she-cat Rohoska, a faithful helper of the sorceress, but she also likes roaming alone at nights. In the opera is called Mourek.
