ABSTRACT
In mapping out the sexual territory of opera, there is a vast amount of space to cover. The opera house creates a protected space for the enactment of sexual perversion. Opera, unlike many other social organs, need not hide illicit sexuality; it is fueled by the energy of perversion. The rules that govern “proper” sexual behavior cease to function in the world of opera. Behind its conventional exterior of social respectability, opera depicts a realm where incest is a virtue, where adultery becomes attractive, and where unbridled lust motivates the action. There is an important difference, though, between the sexual stimulation that the opera performance offers its audience through musical orgasms and the perverse sexual acts depicted on the stage. The next most prominent group of sexual perverts in opera are the nymphomaniacs, the characters driven entirely by their insatiable desire for sex.
