The Magic Flute Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  Libretto: In German by
Emanual Schikaneder First Performed: Theater aud Der Wieden,
Vienna, 1791  Traditional Setting: Ancient Time  Tamino, a
prince in a strange, deserted land, is being chased by a huge
serpent and narrowly escapes death. He falls unconscious and is
saved at the last moment by the three Ladies-in-Waiting of the
Queen of the Night, who appear and kill the creature. Tamino
awakes to see a man dancing towards him: Papageno, the Queen's
bird catcher. Papageno tells the disoriented Tamino that he is
in the realm of the Queen of the Night, and boasts that he has
killed the dead serpent. This lie prompts the three ladies to
reappear and punish Papageno by putting a padlock on his mouth.
The Queen of the Night also appears, and shows Tamino a portrait
of her daughter, Pamina, whose beauty fills Tamino's heart with
love. The Queen tells Tamino that Pamina is a prisoner of
Sarastro, and promises Pamina to Tamino when he sets her free.
The ladies reappear and r