18. "Per me giunto è il dì supremo"

For me the final day has come

My final day has come,
We shall meet no more,
God will unite us in Heaven,
He rewards his followers.

I see tears in your eyes,
why weep now, why?
No, take heart , take heart,
My last breath will be joyful
for I die for you.

Don Carlo by Giuseppe Verdi explores the conflicts between love, friendship, idealism, and duty in a complex and sometimes bewildering story.
Don Carlo, the Spanish crown prince, and Elizabeth of Valois , daughter of the King of France, fall in love, only to be torn apart by international politics when Carlo’s father, King Philip II, decides to marry Elizabeth himself. Carlo’s friend, Rodrigo, plays a dangerous game, balancing his political aims with the trust of his monarch. And when the beautiful Princess Eboli discovers her love for Don Carlo is not returned, her revenge terribly backfires.
Rodrigo visits Carlo in prison to tell him he has taken upon himself the blame for the Flemish rebellion. He is now a marked man, so Carlo must take up the cause of liberty for Flanders. Rodrigo is shot by agents of the Inquisition. As he dies declares he is happy to have sacrificed his life for a man who will become Spain’s saviour.
The opera ends with Carlo being accused by his father and the Grand Inquisitor of being the Queen's lover and they demand his death. As he fights to defend himself, a figure emerges from the tomb of Charles V and drags Carlo into the tomb and closes the entrance.

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