Act
1: A square in Seville. On the right a
cigarette factory, on the left a guard house, with a bridge at the back.
Moralès
and the soldiers loiter before the guard house commenting on passers-by
("Sur la place, chacun passe"). Micaëla appears seeking Don José,
a corporal, but is told by Moralès that he is not yet on duty, so why
does she not stay and wait with them? She runs away saying that she will
return later. Zuniga and José arrive with the new guard, imitated by a
crowd of street-children ("Avec la garde montante").
The
factory bell rings and the cigarette girls emerge from the factory,
greeted by young men who have gathered to flirt with them ("La cloche
a sonné"). The girls enter smoking cigarettes, and finally Carmen
appears, and all the men ask her when she will love them ("Quand je
vous aimerai?"). She replies in the famous Habanera ("L'amour
est un oiseau rebelle"): "Love is a rebellious bird that no one
can tame ... He has never known law. If you don't love me I love you, if I
love you watch yourself!" When they plead for her to choose a lover
from among them, ("Carmen! sur tes pas, nous nous pressons tous!")
she tears a bunch of cassia from her bodice and throws it at Don José,
who has been ignoring her, before going back into the factory with the
others. José is annoyed by her insolence.
Micaëla
returns and gives him a letter —and a kiss— from his mother ("Parle-moi
de ma mère!"). José longingly thinks of his home, and reading the
letter sees that his mother wants him to return and get married. Micaëla
is embarrassed and leaves, but Don José declares that he will marry her.
As
soon as she leaves, screams are heard from the factory and the women run
out, singing chaotically ("Au secours! Au secours!"). Don José
and Zuniga find that Carmen has been fighting with another woman, and
slashed her face with a knife. Zuniga asks Carmen if she has anything to
say, but she replies impudently with a song ("Tra la la").
Zuniga instructs José to guard her while he writes out the warrant for
prison. The women go back into the factory and the soldiers to the
guardhouse. To escape, Carmen seduces José with a seguidilla ("Près
des remparts de Séville") about an evening date with her next lover
who is "only a corporal"; José relents and unties her hands.
Zuniga returns, and Carmen allows herself to be led away but turns, pushes
José to the ground, and laughing cigarette girls surround Zuniga as she
escapes.
Act
2: Evening at Lillas Pastia's inn,
tables scattered around; officers and Gypsies relaxing after dinner
A
month has passed. Carmen and her friends Frasquita and Mercédès sing and
dance ("Les tringles des sistres tintaient"). Lillas Pastia is
trying to get rid of the officers, so Zuniga invites Carmen and her
friends to come with him to the theatre, but she can only think of José,
who was demoted and has been in jail since letting her escape, and was
released the day before.
The
sound of a procession hailing Escamillo passes by outside, and the
toreador is invited in ("Vivat, vivat le Toréro"). Escamillo
sings the Toreador song ("Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre"),
and flirts with Carmen, but Carmen tells him that for the time being he
need not dream of being hers.
When
everyone except Carmen, Frasquita and Mercédès have left, the smugglers
Dancaïre and Remendado arrive and tell the girls of their plans to
dispose of the contraband they have smuggled via Gibraltar (Quintet:
"Nous avons en tête une affaire"). Carmen refuses to accompany
them, saying to their amazement that she is in love.
As
José's voice is heard ("Halte là!"), Dancaïre tells Carmen
she must try to get Don José to join them. Alone together, José returns
a gold coin Carmen had sent him in jail and she orders fruit and wine to
be brought.
Carmen
vexes him with stories of her dancing for the officers but then dances
with castanets for him alone ("Je vais danser en votre honneur ...
Lalala"). During her song the sound of bugles is heard calling the
soldiers back to barracks.
Carmen's
temper flares when José says he must leave, but he makes her listen by
producing the flower she threw at him, which he kept while he was in
prison and is proof of his love (the "Flower Song"—"La
fleur que tu m'avais jetée"). Carmen is unmoved and asks him to join
her gypsy life if he really loves her ("Non, tu ne m'aimes
pas").
Her
picture of a life of freedom tempts him but he finally refuses saying he
will never be a deserter. He begins to leave when Zuniga enters hoping to
find Carmen. Don José draws his sword on his superior officer, but before
they can fight the smugglers burst in and disarm both of them. Zuniga is
made a prisoner ("Bel officier") and José has no alternative
but to flee with Carmen ("Suis-nous à travers la campagne").
Act
3: A wild and deserted rocky place at
night
The
smugglers along with Carmen and José are travelling with the contraband
("Écoute, écoute, compagnons"), but Carmen has grown tired of
José, and does not conceal this, taunting him to return to his village.
Carmen,
Frasquita and Mercédès read the cards ("Mêlons! Coupons!"):
Frasquita and Mercédès foresee love and romance, wealth and luxury; but
Carmen's cards foretell death for both her and José ("En vain pour
éviter les réponses amères"). The smugglers ask the girls to come
and charm the customs officers ("Quant au douanier, c'est notre
affaire") and everyone goes off, leaving the jealous José to guard
the goods.
Micaëla
arrives with a guide seeking José. She sends the guide away and vows to
take Don José away from Carmen ("Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante").
She sees José firing a gun, and hides in the rocks. It was Escamillo whom
José had fired at, but when he arrives José welcomes him, until he says
he is infatuated with Carmen and tells José the story of her affair with
a soldier, not realising José is that soldier.
José
challenges Escamillo to a knife-fight, but Escamillo fights defensively,
infuriating José. They start again and José finds himself at the mercy
of Escamillo who releases him, saying his trade is killing bulls, not men.
The third time they fight Escamillo's knife breaks, but he is saved by the
return of the smugglers and Carmen ("Holà, holà José").
Escamillo leaves, but invites Carmen and the smugglers to his next
bullfight in Seville.
Remendado
finds Micaëla hiding, and she tells José that his mother wishes to see
him. Carmen mocks him and at first he refuses to go ("Non, je ne
partirai pas!"), until Micaëla tells him that his mother is dying.
Vowing that he will return to Carmen, he goes.
As
he is leaving, Escamillo is heard singing in the distance. Carmen rushes
to the sound of his voice, but José bars her way.
Act
4: A square in front of the arena at
Seville: the day of a bull-fight; bustling activity
It
is the day of the contest to which Escamillo invited the smugglers. The
square is full of people, with merchants and Gypsies selling their wares
("À deux cuartos!"). Zuniga, Frasquita and Mercédès are among
the crowd and the girls tell Zuniga that Carmen is now with Escamillo.
The
crowd and children sing and cheer on the procession as the cuadrilla
arrive ("Les voici! voici la quadrille"). Carmen and Escamillo
are greeted by the crowds and express their love, Carmen adding that she
had never loved one so much ("Si tu m'aimes, Carmen").
After
Escamillo has gone into the fight, Frasquita warns Carmen that José is in
the crowd ("Carmen! Prends garde!"), but Carmen scorns their
fears. Before she can enter the arena she is confronted by the desperate
José ("C'est toi? C'est moi!").
He
begs her to return his love and start a new life with him far away. She
calmly replies that she loves him no longer and will not give way—free
she was born and free she will die.
Cheers
are heard from the bull-ring and Carmen tries to enter, but José bars her
way. He asks her one last time to come back, but she scornfully throws
back the ring that he gave to her ("Cette bague, autrefois").
He
stabs her ("Eh bien, damnée") as Escamillo is acclaimed in the
arena, to the strains of the chorus of the 'Toreador Song', she dies. Don
José kneels in despair beside her. The spectators flock out of the arena
and find José ("Ah! Carmen! ma Carmen adorée!"), confessing
his guilt over her dead body.
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