Act 1

The Goddess Juno descends from Heaven to Earth because she has heard rumours of her husband Jupiter's affair with a beautiful human. Juno is angry and is thinking of various forms of revence (Scene 1). In a forest meadow, she meets a surprised Jupiter, and gets an dhonest answer to her direct question: Ruling the world is aburden that can only be balanced by the pleasure of physical love. Such love takes many forms in Jupiter's mid (Scene 2). An offended Juno is left alone. The desire for revenge turns into self-pity and apathy (Scene 3). We find ourselves in a bedroom, where the satisfied world-ruler in human form is fussing over his human mistress, Semele. Semele constantly doubts Jupiter's sincerity (Scene 4). Jupiter, however, understands her reproaches as seduction, and makes love to Semele again and again (Scene 5). A lonely Semele is visited by her old nurse, Climene, who is actually the Goddess Juno in disguise. Juno flatters Semele and gives her the fateful idea that she should make her lover swear to fulfill her every wish as evidence of his true love. The wish is supposed to be meeting her lover in his true divine form (Scene 6). After the nurse leaves, Jupiter comes but Semele is unapproachable and quiet. At Jupiter's insistence, Semele reveals her distrust of his faithfulness (Scene 7). Jupiter swears on the underworld itself that he will do anything to convince Semele of his feelings. He solemnly swears and Semele equally solemnly utters the fateful wish. Only then does Jupiter realize that, as a burning diety, he will kill his human lover. He is raging to the point where he makes the world shake (Scene 8). Juno comes and catches the lovers together. The quarrel turns into a brawl (Scene 9).

Act 2

Semele is walking in the woods, waiting for her lover and recalling their first meeting by the stream (Scene 10). Jupiter comes and tries to persuade her to absolve him from his oath (Scene 11). However, Semele is insistent: The sincerity of his love means more to her than her own life (Scene 12). A brief quarrel takes place in the heavenly dwelling of the gods, after which Jupiter leaves Juno once and for all. Juno is raging and looking forward to Semele's speedy death, which is to atone for the personal insult (Scene 13). At night, a lonely Semele is waiting for the coming of her lover in his true divine form. Jupiter comes as a burning diety and Semele, blinded by the glare, dies. Jupiter, crazy with grief, cannot bring himself to leave his dead lover (Scene 14). Juno arrives on the scene and mocks her husband's foolishness. His inability to renouce pleasure has killed its source (Scene 15). Nevertheless, Jupiter has lived up to his oath and, as the supreme ruler of the world, he is able to revive Semele. Semele comes back to life, reincarnated as a demigod (Scene 16). Juno submits herself to Jupiter's authority and he rewards her gesture with a pledge of faithfulness (Scene 17).

Tomáš Hanzlík