January 14, 2021

Quiz: Which opera character am I?

Can you guess the names of these opera characters based solely on the statements below? Scroll over the image to see if you are correct and challenge your friends to beat your score!

  • I found my beloved's body.
  • Poisoned water killed me.
  • The 14th century's a tough time to be a politician.
  • My daughter disappeared.
  • My father-in-law (well, sort of) and I have a complicated relationship.

The character is Simon Boccanegra from Simon Boccanegra.

  • Can anybody find me somebody to love?
  • Invoking Satan — not a great idea, it turns out.
  • I liked roaming the seas. Once.
  • People think I look ghostly. Is that a compliment these days?
  • I found somebody to love. She threw herself into the sea.

The character is The Dutchman from Wagner's The Flying Dutchman.

  • I lived for art.
  • I wish I hadn't been jealous.
  • I can give the kiss of death.
  • What an actor my lover is, just like me in the theater.
  • I flung myself over a parapet.

The character is Floria Tosca from Puccini's Tosca.

  • I believe that I'm Adonis.
  • A shadow can be extremely enticing.
  • My wife's growing a bit of a moustache.
  • Leaving my true love landed me in bedlam.
  • I live by my wits and trust my luck.

The character is Tom Rakewell from Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress.

  • My services are greatly in demand.
  • My story was told by two great composers.
  • My wits and wiles are sharper than my razor.
  • I was almost forced to marry my own mother.
  • I'm smarter than my boss.

The character is Figaro from Rossini's The Barber of Seville and Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.

  • Don't tell my sisters, but I'm dad's favorite.
  • I'm not afraid to do what's necessary, even when it's hard.
  • My man is cute, but not very bright.
  • Sleeping Beauty has nothing on me.
  • I go out in a blaze of glory.

The character is Brunnhilde from Wagner's RING cycle.

  • I'm what you'd call a "struggling artist."
  • A knock on the door changed my life.
  • I believe it's easiest to just ignore difficult situations.
  • I reunite with my love too late.
  • I get by with a little help from my friends.

The character is Rodolfo from Puccini's La Boheme.

Header image: Lyric's 2016/17 production of Bizet's Carmen (Photo: Lyric Opera of Chicago)

Photo credits: Karen Almond, Michael Brosilow, Dan Rest, Todd Rosenberg, Cory Weaver