ACT I

Tamino endeavors to escape from a huge snake. He falls unconscious. Heeding his cries, the black garbed Ladies-in-Waiting of the Queen of the Night appear and kill the snake. The ladies sing of their joy in foiling the snake and of the good looks of the man they have rescued. They hesitantly leave him. He awakes to see a man covered in feathers dancing towards him. It is Papageno, the Queen’s bird catcher. Papageno tells the stunned Tamino that he is in the realm of the Queen of the Night. Upon seeing the dead snake, he boasts of his defeat of the snake. Upon utterance of the lie, the three ladies reappear and punish him by putting a padlock on his mouth. They show Tamino a miniature of a maiden, Pamina the Queen of the Night’s daughter, whose beauty fills Tamino’s heart with love. They tell him she is a prisoner of Sarastro. No sooner does Tamino vow to free the beauty than the Queen herself materializes from the clouds. She reinforces his determination with her depiction of her desolation now that she has lost her daughter. She promises Pamina to Tamino when he sets her free. The ladies reappear and remove the padlock from Papageno’s mouth and give him a set of chimes. To Tamino they give a golden flute. These instruments will enable them to escape the perils of their journey. They will also be accompanied by three Genii. The scene changes, a richly furnished apartment in Sarastro’s palace is disclosed. A brutal Moor, Monostatos is pursing Pamina with unwelcome advances. The bird catcher appears, Monostatos takes flight. Papageno recognizes Pamina. He advises her not to fear. She will soon be rescued by someone who has fallen in love with her. He laments that nothing like this ever happens to him. Pamina assures him that he will one day be loved.

The finale takes place in a grove. On three sides stand Temples which are dedicated to Wisdom, Reason, and Nature. This is where the three Genii have led Tamino. They leave him there with the advice to be