About the work
Tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts by Jean-Baptiste Lully after a libretto by Philippe Quinault, first performed on 11 January 1675 before the court of Louis XIV at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. It was the composer and librettist's third joint opera and drew its plot from ancient tales of Theseus found in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Plot
King Ægée of Athens wants to marry his ward, princess Æglé, but Médée, the sorceress betrothed to him, secretly loves the young warrior Thésée – who in turn loves Æglé, unaware that he is Ægée's long-lost son. Médée tries to separate the lovers through sorcery and even persuades Ægée to have his supposed rival poisoned. At the last moment Ægée recognises Thésée as his son, gives him Æglé in marriage, and the goddess Minerve thwarts Médée's revenge.
Cultural significance
The prologue alludes to Louis XIV's personal command of the campaign in Alsace against the Elector of Brandenburg, mirroring the uncertain military situation of those weeks. Thésée became one of Lully's greatest successes, remaining in the Parisian repertoire for over a century and receiving at least 30 revivals across Europe.