Swan Lake Information Continued
Swan Lake begins at a royal court. Prince Siegfried, heir to the kingdom, must
declare a wife at his birthday ball. Upset that he cannot marry for love, Siegfried escapes into
the forest at night. As he sees a flock of swans flying overhead, he aims his crossbow and
readies himself for their landing by the lakeside. When one comes into view, however, he
stops; before him is a beautiful creature dressed in white feathers, more woman than swan.
Enamoured, the two dance and Siegfried learns that the swan maiden is the princess Odette.
An evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart, captured her and used his magic to turn Odette into a swan by
day and woman by night.
A retinue of other captured swan-maidens attend Odette in the environs of Swan Lake,
which was formed by the tears of her parents when she was kidnapped by Von Rothbart.
Once Siegfried knows her story, he takes great pity on her and falls in love. As he begins to
swear his love to her - an act that will render the sorcerer's spell powerless - Von Rothbart
appears. Siegfried threatens to kill him but Odette intercedes; if Von Rothbart dies before the
spell is broken, it can never be undone.
The Prince returns to the castle to attend the ball. Von Rothbart arrives in disguise with his
own daughter Odile, making her seem identical to Odette in all respects except that she wears
black while Odette wears white. The prince mistakes her for Odette, dances with her, and
proclaims to the court that he intends to make her his wife. Only a moment too late, Siegfried
sees the real Odette and realizes his mistake. The method in which Odette appears varies: in
some versions she arrives at the castle, while in other versions Von Rothbart shows Siegfried
a magical vision of her. At this point versions of Swan Lake diverge. Many different endings
exist, ranging from romantic to tragic.
