Synopsis

Act I: The Sherwood Forest in late afternoon. Richard, a farmer in charge of the royal forest of Sherwood, is distraught and confused (Je ne sais à quoi me résoudre). His gamekeepers meet him to receive instructions. In bad temper, Richard questions them about the whereabouts of the King and his hunting party. Wishing to see the King, Richard remarks that the King is hunting very late, that the wind is picking up and that a storm could well be coming over from Mansfield. Betsy, Richard’s young sister, interrupts him, but he abruptly cuts her short, inciting her to leave in tears. Richard instructs his men to be watchful, because poachers are likely to take advantage of the King’s hunting party to poach his game during the night. The men are to arrest any poachers that they find and bring them to Richard. Rustaut, one of the gamekeepers, asks Richard why he is in such bad temper. Richard confides to Rustaut that Lord Lurewel has abducted his beloved Jenny and may have seduced her. Rustaut advises him not to fall in love, which only brings worries and cares, and that a good bottle of wine is much worthier than a mistress (Ami, laisse là la tendresse). Richard dismisses him and waivers between his love for Jenny and his perplexity at her apparent faithlessness (D’elle même et sans effort). Betsy returns with news of Jenny, but Richard abruptly dismisses her again; she cries while Richard asks forgiveness for his bad temper (Non, non, vous ne m’avez jamais traitée ainsi). Jenny enters and recounts how Lord Lurewel captured her and her entire herd of sheep, tried in vain to seduce her by offering her his riches, then locked her up in a room of his castle, from which she escaped by using the curtains to make a rope with which to slide out of the window (Le Milord m’offre des richesses). Richard is relieved that Jenny has remained faithful. Jenny gently reproaches him for his lack of trust, while assuring him that she has told the truth (Ce que je dis est la vérité). They sing a duo (Ah! Richard. Ah! Mon cher ami) that expresses their happiness to be together again, but are interrupted by the approaching storm. They hear the horns of the King’s hunting party. Betsy urges them to take shelter before the storm bursts on them. The entre’acte depicts the passing of the storm. A gunshot is heard.

Act II: The Sherwood Forest at night. The two gamekeepers, Rustaut and Charlot, wrestle with each other in the dark, each one believing that he has caught the poacher who fired the shotgun (Tu résistes, tu te défends?). Realizing their error, they leave in search of the poacher. The King staggers in, separated from his hunting party. His horse having died under him, he is lost and on foot. He sings an ariette (Dans les combats), reflecting how combats inspire him to courage, while the darkness, profound silence and vastness of the forest bring worry to his heart. Richard, having heard the king, questions him. The King pretends to be one of his followers who has strayed from the King’s hunting party and has lost his way. Richard offers him hospitality for the night, leading him to his farmhouse. Lord Lurewel and a courtier enter the stage. They have also lost the King’s hunting party. They heard a voice which they thought might be the king’s (Ah, ciel! Ah, si c’était le roi!). Reassured that they are alone, Lurewel tells his courtier how he captured Jenny (Un fin chasseur qui suit). The gamekeepers spot Lurewel and the courtier, whom they believe to be poachers. They surprise and arrest them (Avance suis moi). The entre’acte depicts the hunt.

Act III: In Richard’s farmhouse. Richard’s mother and Jenny are spinning and sewing; Betsy is arranging a flower bouquet; all three sing songs, while waiting for Richard’s return (Lorsque j’ai mon tablier blanc). Richard enters with the King, whom he presents as a member of the King’s retinue who has lost his way and is seeking hospitality for the night. Richard introduces Jenny to the King and tells him the grief Lord Lurewel has caused them. The King promises that justice will be served. Richard asks his mother to prepare a meal for their guest. The mother, excited to have the honor of a visit from such a nobleman, fusses around him as she brings out the food (Monsieur, monsieur). While The King and Richard eat their meal in the adjoining room, Jenny and Betsy rejoice over the King’s promise to help them. The mother cautions them that quick promises are often as quickly forgotten (Ah! Ma tante). Richard asks his Mother and Betsy to keep company with the King, while Richard goes to the cellar to fetch wine. Jenny refuses to follow him there, staying behind. Betsy returns and tells Jenny that she gave the bouquet of flowers that she had assembled to the King and pinned it on his suit. In return, the King gave her gold coins. She thanked him with a kiss, for which she received a slap on the face as a rebuke from her mother, but the King spoke in her defense to her mother (Il regardait mon bouquet). Betsy gives the gold to Jenny so that she can buy herself a new herd of sheep as her dowry. Richard returns from the cellar. Jenny tries unsuccessfully to engage in a conversation with him before he goes to the King (Un instant/Il m’attend). The King enters and has a conversation with Richard, who tells him that kings have a difficult time knowing the truth, because they are surrounded by courtiers who often have a different agenda. The King is surprised by Richard’s wisdom. Jenny invites the King to attend her wedding to Richard. He gladly accepts. Jenny sings a song about the pleasure of life in the country (Que le soleil dans la plaine). Richard expresses the same feelings in another song (Ce n’est qu’ici, ce n’est qu’au village). Jenny and Richard invite the King to sing a song as well. He agrees, singing an ariette from an opera in which a governor tells a prince that he can reach the highest degree of happiness by dispensing from his hands all that his people expect from him (Le Bonheur est de le répandre). Betsy announces that the gamekeepers are coming in with thieves whom they have arrested. Richard is surprised to see Lurewel, who berates him for the behavior of his gamekeepers. Richard is about to tell Lurewel about Jenny, when Lurewel interrupts him to assert emphatically that Jenny will not leave his castle until such time as he chooses and berates Richard for wanting to marry her. The King stands up from his chair; the Courtier, seeing him, exclaims, “Ah! Here is the King.” All express their surprise in a septet (Le Roi, le Roi). The King confronts Lord Lurewel, who admits his wrongdoing. The King banishes him from his presence and, turning to Richard, gives him his sword as a sign of ennoblement. The King declares that he will attend the wedding and take care of Jenny’s dowry. All sing their happiness (Que du ciel la bonté suprême).

--Nizam Peter Kettaneh