ACT I
At a party in his palace, the Duke of Mantua boasts of his way with women. He dances with the Countess Ceprano, and his hunchbacked jester, Rigoletto, mocks the countess’s enraged but helpless husband. The courtier Marullo bursts in with the latest gossip: Rigoletto is suspected of keeping a young mistress in his home. The jester, unaware of the courtiers’ talk, continues to taunt Ceprano, who plots with the others to punish the duke. Monterone, an elderly nobleman, forces his way into the crowd to denounce the duke for seducing his daughter and is viciously ridiculed by Rigoletto. Monterone is arrested and curses Rigoletto.

Rigoletto hurries home, disturbed by Monterone’s curse. He encounters Sparafucile, a professional assassin, who offers his services. The jester reflects that his own tongue is as sharp as the murderer’s dagger. Rigoletto enters his house and warmly greets his daughter, Gilda. Afraid for the girl’s safety, he warns her nurse, Giovanna, not to let anyone into the house. When the jester leaves, the duke appears and bribes Giovanna, who lets him into the garden. He declares his love for Gilda, who has secretly admired him at church, and tells her he is a poor student. After he leaves, she tenderly thinks of her newfound love before going to bed. The courtiers gather outside the garden intending to abduct Rigoletto’s “mistress.” Meeting the jester, they quickly change their story and fool him into wearing a blindfold and holding a ladder against his own garden wall; then they carry off Gilda. Rigoletto, rushing into the house, realizes his daughter is gone and collapses as he remembers Monterone’s curse.

第一幕
在豪華的寢宮中，公爵炫耀著自己周旋于不同女人間的本領。他與切普拉諾伯爵夫人跳起舞來，而公爵那醜陋駝背的弄臣利哥萊托則幸災樂禍地嘲笑著憤怒但又無能為力的���普拉諾伯爵。這時，公爵的侍臣馬爾洛帶來了一個新消息：利哥萊托的家裡竟然有一個年輕漂亮的情人。利哥萊托沒有聽到他們的談話，他繼續嘲弄著切普拉諾伯爵，而切普拉諾伯爵則與身邊的幾個貴族商量著要好好教訓一下這個弄臣。突然，阿拉伯大亨蒙特羅內闖了進來，厲聲指責公爵玩弄了他的女兒，利哥萊托則對其加以嘲笑。蒙特羅內怒駡並詛咒利哥萊托必將遭此報應。

利哥萊托被蒙特羅內的詛咒擾得心神不寧。他在回家的路上遇到了刺客斯帕拉夫契列，斯帕拉夫契列說自己可幫助他解決一切仇人。利哥萊托意識到自己的舌頭就像刺客的刀一樣鋒利。 到家後，利哥萊托受到了女兒吉爾達的熱情迎接。考慮到女兒的安全，利哥萊托吩咐保姆喬萬尼不要讓任何人溜進家裡。利哥萊托離開後，公爵出現，賄賂了喬萬尼，溜了進去。他向吉爾達表達了愛慕之情，吉爾達常在教堂裡看見他，也對他芳心暗許，公爵告訴吉爾達自己是一個貧窮的大學生。在公爵離開後，吉爾達在睡覺前溫柔地思念起她的愛人。而此時，公爵的侍臣們正躲在利哥萊托的家門口，準備綁架利哥萊托的「情人」。利哥萊托出現，他們迅速改口稱他們正準備綁架切普拉諾伯爵夫人，希望能夠得到利哥萊托的協助。利哥萊托並不知情，欣然應允，但實際上他們綁走的卻是吉爾達。等到利哥萊托意識到不對勁沖進屋子裡時，哪裡還有吉爾達的身影，這時，利哥萊托想起了蒙特羅內的詛咒，整個人一下子癱倒在地上。


INTERMISSION
中場休息


ACT II
In his palace, the duke is distraught about the abduction of Gilda. When the courtiers return and tell him the story of how they took the girl from Rigoletto’s house and left her in the duke’s chamber, the duke hurries off to the conquest. Rigoletto enters, looking for Gilda. The courtiers are astonished to find out that she is his daughter rather than his mistress but prevent him from storming into the duke’s chamber. The jester violently accuses them of cruelty, then asks for compassion. Gilda appears and runs in shame to her father, who orders the others to leave. Alone with Rigoletto, Gilda tells him of the duke’s courtship, then of her abduction. When Monterone passes by on his way to execution, the jester swears that both he and the old man will be avenged. Gilda begs her father to forgive the duke.

第二幕
在寢宮裡，公爵為吉爾達的失蹤心神不寧。這時，侍臣們回來，告訴他他們從利哥萊托的住處帶回了一個年輕漂亮的姑娘並已將她放在了公爵的房間裡，公爵聽罷，喜出望外，立即沖進房間。就在這時，利哥萊托來了，他在尋找吉爾達。侍臣們驚訝地發現他們昨晚綁回來的姑娘竟然是利哥萊托的女兒，而不是他的情人，但他們仍拼命阻止利哥萊托沖進公爵的內室。利哥萊托瘋狂地斥責著他們的喪盡天良，最後口氣漸漸又變成了哀求。突然，吉爾達沖了出來，滿臉羞愧地撲到父親的懷裡，利哥萊托呵斥周圍的人滾開。當客廳裡只剩下這對父女時，吉爾達告訴父親公爵對她求愛、綁架以及引誘的整個過程。 蒙特羅內被公爵的侍從押著，走過客廳，利哥萊托發誓他與這位老人一定要報仇雪恨。吉爾達祈求父親原諒公爵。


ACT III
Rigoletto and Gilda arrive at an inn on the outskirts of Mantua where Sparafucile and his sister Maddalena live. Inside, the duke laughs at the fickleness of women. Gilda and Rigoletto watch through the window as the duke amuses himself with Maddalena. The jester sends Gilda off to Verona disguised as a boy and pays Sparafucile to murder the duke. Gilda returns to overhear Maddalena urge her brother to spare the handsome stranger and kill the hunchback instead. Sparafucile refuses to murder Rigoletto but agrees to kill the next stranger who comes to the inn so that he will be able to produce a dead body. Gilda decides to sacrifice herself for the duke. She knocks at the door and is stabbed. Rigoletto returns to claim the body, which he assumes is the duke’s. As he gloats over the sack Sparafucile has given him, he hears his supposed victim singing in the distance. Frantically tearing open the sack, he finds his daughter, who dies asking his forgiveness. Horrified, Rigoletto remembers Monterone’s curse.

第三幕
利哥萊托與吉爾達來到郊外一所破敗的小旅館裡，斯帕拉夫契列和他的妹妹瑪達蓮娜正居住在這裡。旅館內，公爵正與女人打情罵俏。吉爾達和利哥萊托透過窗戶看見公爵正與瑪達蓮娜調笑。利哥萊托讓吉爾達扮作男子離開鎮上，他雇下斯帕拉夫契列讓他殺了公爵。吉爾達折返後聽見瑪達蓮娜勸說哥哥放過與她調笑的英俊男子，殺了那個駝背。斯帕拉夫契列拒絕殺害自己的雇主，但同意殺死下一個來到旅館的人，這樣他們便可以用這具屍體來假冒公爵。吉爾達決定為公爵犧牲。她敲開門，進入旅館，正好撞在斯帕拉夫契列的劍上。利哥萊托回來，斯帕拉夫契列將蒙著臉，用大衣裹著的屍體交給他。利哥萊托以為這是公爵，幸災樂禍地對著屍體嘲笑，就在這時，他從遠處聽見了公爵的歌聲。利哥萊托瘋狂地扯開包裹著屍體的大衣，他看到了奄奄一息的女兒，吉爾達用微弱的聲音請求父親原諒。這時，利哥萊托驚恐地想起了蒙特羅內的詛咒。