ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

Le grazie vendicate is a libretto to a componimento drammatico in an act of Pietro Metastasio. The work was first performed in the setting of Antonio Caldara on the 28th. August 1735 to celebrate the birthday of Empress Elisabeth in the private rooms of the Favorita Imperial Residence in Vienna. The performers were the young Archduchesses Maria Theresia and Maria Anna as well as their educator Karoline Countess Fuchs.

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The following content is based on the translation by Wilhelm Heinse.

A lovely laurel grove, flowed through waters of the Akidalía spring in Bootia.

The three Graces Eufrosine, Aglaja and Talía are to decorate the love goddess Venus in the early morning as usual. Eufrosine is upset about this and suggests letting Venus break up alone this time. Aglaja and Talía are initially reserved and do not want to disturb the usual course of things. Eufrosine is also tired of the mocking of Venus’ son Amor. She wants revenge on the two of them. When Aglaja asked what crime Amor had aroused her anger, Eufrosine answered that Amor had been surprised by a storm yesterday and had fled to Cyprus for the castle where she had stayed with Venus. Because he drowned from wetness, she had dried him off, warmed and comforted him. In return, he fired an arrow at her heart, which she could barely avoid. Instead of punishing him, Venus even praised him. Aglaja is outraged and tells her own experience. She had once retired in the forest when Cupid slipped, tied her hands and feet with roses and tied them to a laurel tree. When she woke up and couldn’t free herself, he mocked her. Only after a long time she was freed from Hebe. But she could not be angry for long, because he was only a spoiled child. Now Talía tells one of the many pranks that her Cupid played. She was fishing on the beach while Amor played nearby. He called her under the pretext of being stung by a bee. To relieve his pain, she collected Diptam leaves, which Cupid had prepared with his arrows, so that she stung her fingers. Then he laughed at her. When she ran after him to punish him, she caught herself in a snare that he had hidden among the flowers. Talía also longs for revenge, but does not know what they could do, since the gods and men also have to endure his pranks. Eufrosine says that the goal of her revenge should not be Cupid himself, but his mother, who was to blame for his mistakes and also offended her. The Graces' real task is to bring harmony, peace and friendship to people - but Venus forces them to serve her and her son, while the people of Earth are tormented by furies