Iolanta

Plot Summary

Princess Iolanta, blind from birth, lives in complete isolation in a hidden garden on the grounds of her fathers, King René’s palace. Throughout her life, her blindness and royal status are kept secret from her. Bertrand, the groundskeeper, and his wife Martha, who is Iolanta’s nursemaid, raise her and try to keep her happy, but Iolanta senses that something is missing from her life, something others experience. The king insists on keeping her blindness a secret not only from her but also from her betrothed, Duke Robert. A Moorish physician, Ibn-Hakia, arrives at the garden with the king and tells him that he can cure Iolanta’s blindness, but to do so, she must first become aware that she is blind, as he believes that “body and soul are one.” The king, fearing that Iolanta’s heart will break if the treatment fails, refuses the proposal.

Robert arrives at the palace with his friend Count Vaudémont and confesses to him that he wants to call off his engagement to Iolanta because he has fallen in love with another woman. As they wander through the palace grounds, they discover the entrance to the secluded garden where Iolanta lives and go in, despite warning signs. They see Iolanta sleeping, and Vaudémont falls in love with her without knowing who she is. Robert, shocked by his friend’s behavior, believes Iolanta is a witch who has bewitched him. He tells Vaudémont to leave, but when Vaudémont refuses, Robert goes to fetch soldiers to rescue him. Iolanta wakes up, and Vaudémont, who asks her for a red rose as a keepsake, realizes she is blind when she hands him a white rose twice. He explains to her what light and color are, and they fall in love. The king discovers them together, and Vaudémont declares his love for Iolanta, blind or not. Ibn-Hakia tells the king that now that Iolanta is aware of her blindness, the treatment can proceed. However, Iolanta herself feels no sense of lack and is unsure whether she wants to undergo the procedure.
Vaudémont admits to the king that he saw the warning signs before entering the garden, and the king threatens him with execution for revealing her blindness. He tells Iolanta that Vaudémont will be executed if the physician fails to cure her. Horrified, Iolanta agrees to the treatment. As Iolanta and the physician leave, the king confesses to Vaudémont that he never intended to carry out the execution, he only said it to motivate Iolanta to undergo the treatment. Meanwhile, Robert returns with the soldiers and confesses to the king that he is in love with another woman, though he is still willing to go through with the arranged marriage. The king cancels the agreement and allows Iolanta to marry Vaudémont. Iolanta and Ibn-Hakia return after the successful treatment, and Iolanta has regained her sight. At first, she is slightly overwhelmed, but she soon rejoices in the gift she has received and in the new world revealed to her.