Tosca is considered one of the most powerful dramatic Puccini’s operas.
The main character , the heroine Floria Tosca, is an opera diva in love with Mario Cavaradossi, a painter. Her jealousy is at the center of the story and will be the reason of Cavaradossi’s death.
She suspects that he has an affair with his model who is inspiring his painting of Mary Magdelena.
In the meantime, Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner,takes up refuge in the church where Cavaradossi is painting and asks for his support in hiding him. Cavaradossi accepts.
Meanwhile, Police Chief Baron Scarpia is desperately hunting Angelotti and convinces Tosca that her lover is cheating so he can get her to turn on him, so he can in turn capture Angelotti.
Later that night at the Farnese Palace, Scarpia and his henchmen have taken Cavaradossi into custody to torture him into revealing Angelotti’s hiding place.
Tosca also is at the palace, singing at a gala downstairs but when she sees her lover tortured she does not resist and tells Scarpia where he can find Angelotti only to enrage Cavaradossi.
Scarpia offers to release Cavaradossi if Tosca submits to him. She agrees and Scarpia signs a letter that promises to save Cavaradossi’s life. But as he tries to embrace Tosca, she stabs and kills him.
Tosca visits Cavaradossi and assures him that the executioners will be firing blanks and he will be spared.
But when the guns are fired, the bullets are real and Cavaradossi dies. Realizing she has been tricked by Scarpia, she leaps to her death.
