The Secret Teachings of Opera | Love and Adultery in La Bohème (Act II)

Act II builds on the suspense and burgeoning relationship between Rodolfo and Mimi, newfound neighbors and bohemian lovers in the Latin quarter of Paris. Their spark of divine love is juxtaposed with the contrasting passion and suffering of Marcello and Musetta, the latter whose adulterous liaison serves as the locus of lustful competition, jealousy, and spite. Such destructive tendencies are representative of our collective humanity's consequent obsession with carnal desire and adultery, symbolized in Revelations as the scarlet whore who entices the multitudes with false prophecy and blind promises that lead to intense affliction. See how spiritual initiates like Puccini warned against following blind passion and the ways to recognize salvation within oneself: the path of chastity or sexual purity within the perfect matrimony.