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The action begins in 14th century Switzerland. The patriot Guillaume (William) Tell is leading the resistance to the tyranny of the Austrian Gessler. He has the support of old Melcthal, whose son Arnold loves the Austrian princess Mathilde. Tell saves Leuthold, who was pursued by the Austrians, and escapes with him in a boat.
Mathilde and Arnold declare their love, but are interrupted by Tell with news of Melcthal's death. Arnold agrees to join the conspirators, who are by now gathering from all of the Swiss cantons.
Arnold and Mathilde realize they must part, while in the main square of Altdorf, Gessler demands obeisance to his hat. The only one who refuses is Tell, who is condemned to shoot an apple from the top of his son Jemmy's head. He succeeds, but after he reveals that a second arrow was reserved for Gessler in case of failure, he is arrested. Mathilde takes Jemmy into her care, and Tell is removed to the castle of Küssnacht on Lake Lucerne.
At the edge of the lake, Arnold leads his companions to a fight. Jemmy is reunited with his mother Hedwige, after which he lights a beacon as a signal for the start of the uprising. During a storm, Tell's boat is driven ashore, where he shoots Gessler. Victory is theirs, and the people sing praises to their newly-won liberty. First performance: Paris, August 3, 1829
First San Francisco Opera performance: May 30, 1992 |
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