Worlds of Rigoletto Verdi's Development of the Title Role in Rigoletto

The purpose of this treatise will be to explore Verdi's development of the title role of his opera Rigoletto. The historical timeline will be followed from Verdi's first documented interest in Victor Hugo's Le roi s'amuse as a libretto to the critical reaction of the first performances of Rigoletto. The main body of this paper will focus on musical examples that demonstrate how the composer delineated the dual nature of Rigoletto's character: the deformed, bitter, court jester and the impassioned, loving father. Every aspect of Verdi's compositional technique—melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, articulation, orchestration, and form—will be explored to discover how he gave full range to Rigoletto's emotional expression and the dramatic development of his character.