ACT I
In pursuit of a beautiful white doe, a prince finds himself drawn to a
lake in the forest. Hot and tired after the fruitless hunt, he cannot
resist the water’s cool embrace. As the moon rises he returns to his
castle, and the wood nymphs that inhabit the forest are free to play.
Their favourite pastime is teasing Vodnik, the water sprite, as he
surfaces sleepily from the depths of the pool, ever hopeful of
grabbing a nymph and pulling her into the water for his
entertainment. The wood nymphs delight in their youth and agility
and easily escape Vodnik, who is bound by his great weight and the
weeds of the water.
One of Vodnik’s daughters, Rusalka, is anxious to speak to her father.
She has fallen in love with the mortal who melts into her arms at the
end of every hunt. Vodnik warns her that no good can come of such
yearning. But Rusalka is convinced that if he saw her as a woman, he
would fall in love with her. She must at all costs have a woman’s
body and soul. With dreadful misgiving he tells her that only Jezibaba
and her unearthly powers can help.
The moon’s beams catch the surface of the lake, and Rusalka
implores the moon to seek out her beloved Prince and light his path
to her arms. She calls Jezibaba, who releases the wretched water
nymph from the lake so that she can hear her troubles. Jezibaba
relishes the chance to meddle, but warns Rusalka that human love is
fickle. Can she be sure her love will be requited? If she can, then in
return for Rusalka’s beautiful voice, Jezibaba will grant her the soul
and body of a woman. Should the object of her love betray her,
Rusalka will be cast out by both humanity on earth and her sisters of
the lake. She will be condemned to lure souls lost in the forest to a
watery grave. Her lover too will be damned. Rusalka is in no doubt
that her love will save them both from such a fate. So the potion is
prepared. The spell is drastic and the forest is torn apart, but
Rusalka’s resolve is steadfast. She drinks the potion and falls into a
deep sleep.
The Prince returns in pursuit of the doe that continues to elude him.
Why can’t he keep away from this place? Left alone with his thoughts,
he is struck by the sight of a beautiful young woman. Her eyes are
full of longing and she opens her arms to the prince. He has never
been so captivated, so overwhelmed by a prize. He takes her in his
arms, urging her to love him always. Rusalka closes her ears to the
anguished cries of her father and sisters.
ACT II
The castle is a frenzy of activity as guests arrive from all over the
world and staff prepare for the wedding feast. The Gamekeeper is
exhausted after hours of trapping and hunting and baffled by the
commotion. His niece, the Kitchen Girl, explains that the once
spirited Prince is determined to marry the strange girl he brought
back from a hunting trip. She can’t even speak, and rumour has it
that she’s some kind of sorceress who has put a spell on the prince.
Confused by the Prince’s persistent desires, Rusalka retreats to the
kitchen. The Prince however, is in hot pursuit. He is desperate to
possess her, but every time he tries to embrace Rusalka she trembles.
He mistakes her ignorance for frigidity.
A Foreign Princess has been watching them. She has always loved
the Prince and assumed he felt the same. Seeing him besotted by
another is more than she can tolerate. She chastizes him for
neglecting his guests. The Prince is embarrassed and determined to
make amends for his oversight. Graciously he offers the Princess his
arm but Rusalka clings to him, her eyes begging him not to forsake
her. The Prince is irritated by yet more silent trembling and insists she
make herself presentable for the ball.
Caught in the dance, Rusalka stumbles and causes havoc. The Prince
is clearly more comfortable with the Princess, whose charm and ease
beguile him. Despairing of the Prince’s apparent change of heart,
Rusalka staggers outside and finds her father waiting and watching.
She pours out the fury of her broken heart. To her own kind she can
speak. She’ll never understand passion, only pain. Her father must
save her.
The Prince seems to have forgotten his bride. The warmth and
beauty of his new love have freed him from the spell of his icy bride.
He cannot resist the Princess and he kisses her passionately. Rusalka
tears herself from her father and throws herself at the Prince. He
recoils in horror and the heartbroken Rusalka is dragged away by
Vodnik, who curses the Prince: he’ll never escape Rusalka. Struck by
the curse, he turns to the Princess in terror but she scorns his
whimsical heart and casts him aside.
ACT III
Rusalka cannot come to terms with her unhappy fate. She must live
without end in cold isolation at the bottom of the lake. If only she
could die. She begs Jezibaba for help once more. What did Rusalka
want? To return to her sisters and live as before, without a care in the
world? She could on one condition: she must spill the blood of the
man she loved. Jezibaba hands Rusalka a dagger and tells her to kill
the Prince. Rusalka is horrified and throws the knife into the lake. She
would rather suffer for ever than harm the Prince. Jezibaba is
disdainful. Why would she protect a predator? Like all humans, he
has blood on his hands.
Rusalka’s sisters warn her to stay away from them. Her only friends
will be the humans she lures: lost in the dead of night, they will be
drawn to her luminescence and drown. Resigned to an eternity of
grief, Rusalka takes her place at the bottom of the lake and awaits her
first victim.
The Prince has become dangerously ill since Rusalka’s departure.
The Gamekeeper and his niece are convinced that the demon girl put
a spell on the Prince then abandoned him on their wedding night.
They must brave the evils of the forest and ask Jezibaba to help them.Overhearing their odious accusations, Vodnik is unable to contain his rage and swears to avenge all humanity.
As the moon rises over the forest, some wood nymphs, ignorant of the lake’s sorrow, emerge to play and tease their old sidekick, the water goblin. Full of regret, he surfaces and announces there will be no more frolicking in and around the lake. Mankind has defiled their world.
The Prince has been searching day and night for Rusalka. At last he recognizes the lake and calls her, begging her to forgive him. He cannot live without her. Rusalka rises from the lake and tells him that it is too late. He betrayed her. If she kissed him now, he would die. The Prince urges her to hold him close and to kiss him. He longs to be released from this life, this pain. Rusalka cannot resist him and they kiss with the passion they had always longed for. As the Prince dies peacefully in Rusalka’s arms, she understands that he loved her and she forgives him, hoping this will free him from damnation.