The Coronation of Poppea (Plot)

The Coronation of Poppea was composed by Claudio Monteverdi at the end of his career, first performed in 1642. The libretto was composed by Giovanni Busenello.  The source of plot came from an episode in Roman history. The principal characters are Nero, the Emperor of Rome, Poppea, Nero’s mistress, Ottavia, the wife of Nero, Seneca, the philosopher and advisor to Nero, and the Chorus of Consuls and Tribunes.

The Roman emperor Nero plans to depose his wife Ottavia so that he can marry his mistress, Poppea, and have her crowned empress. His philosopher, Seneca opposes to this and is put to death. The opera has psychological drama, focusing on the main characters and their emotional reactions to the situations in which they find themselves.