Nabucco

Plot summary

Part One – Jerusalem

“Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.”
(Jeremiah 34:2)

The Temple courtyard. The Israelites mourn their fate and pray for help against Nabuchodonosor (Nebuchadnezzar), king of Babylon, who has attacked them and destroyed Jerusalem. Zechariah, the high priest, appears, dragging with him Peninnah, Nabuchodonosor’s daughter, and announces that Peninnah is the hostage God has given them to prevent Nabuchodonosor from destroying the city and the temple. He entrusts Peninnah to Ishmael, nephew of the king of Judah, Zedekiah. Zechariah and the people pray and set out for a final battle against the Babylonian conquerors, while Ishmael and Peninnah are left alone. The two fell in love while Ishmael was imprisoned in Babylon, and Peninnah helped him escape and followed him to Jerusalem. Now, when she is in trouble, Ishmael tries to repay her and save her. Abigail, Nabuchodonosor’s eldest daughter, bursts into the scene, leading a company of Babylonian soldiers disguised as Jewish soldiers. She promises Ishmael to save him and his people if he returns her love, but he refuses.
The Israelites rush back into the temple in panic, and Nabucco follows them. Zechariah threatens Nabucco not to enter the temple, lest he defile the holy place, but Nabucco mocks Zechariah and his God. Zechariah threatens Penana with a dagger, but Ishmael intervenes, snatches the dagger from his hands, and saves Penana’s life. When Zechariah and the other Jews curse Ishmael, Nabucco orders the temple to be plundered and destroyed.

Part Two – The Infidel

“Behold, the storm of the Lord is gone forth, a storm that dwells on the head of the wicked, it will fall”
(Jeremiah 30:23)

First picture
King Nabucco’s palace in Babylon. Nabucco appoints Penna as his successor, while he continues his wars. Abigail discovers a document revealing that she is not the king’s true daughter, but the daughter of slaves adopted by him. She is shocked by the revelation and swears revenge on Nabucco, Penna, and the entire kingdom. Baal’s high priest arrives with news that Penna wants to free the Israelites. Due to Penna’s betrayal, he offers the Babylonian crown to Abigail and spreads a rumor that Nebuchadnezzar has been killed in battle.

Second picture
Elsewhere in the palace, Zechariah prays for inspiration to convince the Babylonians to abandon their idols. Ishmael enters and the Levites accuse him of treason, but Zechariah’s sister, Anna, begs them to forgive him because he actually saved the daughter of Israel, Penana, who had converted. An officer rushes to warn Penana of the approaching danger, but before she can escape, Abigail enters with the high priest of Baal, priests, and Babylonians, demanding the royal crown from Penana. She is about to crown herself when, to their surprise, Nabucco appears. He snatches the crown from Abigail and declares himself, in a fit of madness, not only king but also god. Zechariah warns him of divine vengeance, but he in response orders the Jewish exiles to be killed. Penana declares that she will go with them to their deaths. An enraged Nabucco repeats his declaration when lightning strikes him and knocks the crown off his head. Abigail takes the crown and declares herself Queen of Babylon.

Part Three – The Prophecy

“And Babylon shall be a den of jackals, a dwelling place of jackals, and it shall hiss from where there is no inhabitant.”
(Jeremiah 51:37)

First picture
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Abigail sits on the Babylonian throne. The Babylonian priest urges her to sign the death warrant for Penena. Nabucco enters, dressed in rags, in the midst of a fit of madness. Abigail tells him that she has been guarding the throne for him during his illness. She signs him an order to kill the exiled Jews, but does not mention to him the fact that Penena will be executed along with the Jews. When Nabucco asks how Penena is, Abigail replies that he has just signed his daughter’s death warrant. Nabucco reminds Abigail that she is nothing more than an adopted slave, and in response to these words, she tears up the only document that confirms her lowly origins. Nabucco pleads in vain for Penena’s life. The king becomes a prisoner held captive by his adopted daughter, who is now the ruler of the kingdom.

Second picture
On the banks of the Euphrates River. The Israelites rest after forced labor, and their thoughts wander with longing for their homeland and its landscapes. Zechariah prophesies the fall of the Babylonian Empire.

Part Four – The Shattered Idol

“They said: Babylon was captured, her enemies were defeated, her enemies were defeated, her enemies were defeated.”
(Jeremiah 5:2)

First picture
Nabucco’s room in the palace. From the window of his room, where he has been imprisoned by Abigail, Nabucco watches Panna and the Israelites being led to their execution. In his despair, he prays to the God of the Jews, asks for forgiveness, and promises that if his request is granted, he will himself return the exiles to Zion, rebuild the destroyed Temple, and even believe in the God of the Jews. His request is granted: his mind and strength return to him, and Abdullah, his loyal officer, frees him and returns his imperial sword. Nabucco sets out at the head of his battalion to save his daughter and the Jews from death and punish the rebels.

Second picture
The palace courtyard. The exiles and Panna are led to the altar of Baal, where they will be executed. Zechariah tries to comfort Panna by telling her that in heaven she will be saved from her torment. From outside, the cry “Long live Nabucco.” Nabucco enters with his sword drawn in his hand, ordering the smashing of the statue of Baal. Abigail, who has poisoned herself, asks for the forgiveness of her adoptive father, her sister, the Jewish people, and dies. Nabucco calls on the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple, declaring that from now on he is an instrument of service in the hands of the God of the Jews. The audience expresses gratitude for the miracle that has befallen them, and praises their God.