The Barber of Seville

The Barber of Seville Summary | Act 1, Part 1 Summary

It is nighttime in Seville, Spain. Count Almaviva, an attractive young aristocrat, paces the street as he waits for Rosine, the woman he loves, to appear at her window. He is disguised as a priest in a cloak and turned down hat, afraid he will be recognized by either the woman's over-protective guardian or one of his friends from the royal court. He is willing to run the risk, though, in the hope of winning Rosine's affection. He feels confused about his situation: on the one hand, he is leaving behind the various, easily obtained pleasures of the court, but he is also tired of the constant pursuit of those pleasures. He longs to be loved for who he is, rather than for his position or his money. Suddenly he hides, someone is coming.

Figaro, a roguish barber and part-time poet, comes in with a guitar hung over his shoulder and a pencil and paper in his hand. Composing a song, he goes through several different sets of lyrics before settling on the one that says what he feels in his heart. As he finishes singing his new composition, the barber notices the "priest," realizing he looks familiar. At the same time, the Count recognizes Figaro. Figaro was once in the Count's service, and they quickly fall back into their old teasing ways of speaking to each other.

The Count asks what Figaro is doing in Seville, since the Count got Figaro a job in the government. When Figaro starts to tell him and calls the Count "my lord," the Count tells Figaro to call him "Lindor" in order to conceal his identity. Figaro tells the Count about the job situation: he was apprenticed to a horse doctor, but when his superior found out that he was also writing poetry, love letters and contributing to the local newspaper, he was fired.

As Figaro continues his story, the Count keeps an eye on Rosine's window. Figaro tells of his move to Madrid and attempt at writing for the theatre, but even though audiences enjoyed his writing, the critics condemned him. When he realized that the critics were more interested in their own political in-fighting and were never going to welcome him, Figaro left Madrid and cheerfully wandered through Spain, "welcomed in one place and jailed in the next," facing good fortune and bad, acting as barber for anyone who needed him, and finally ending up in Seville. He concludes by just as cheerfully offering his services to the Count in any capacity. The Count asks what taught him to be so positive. Figaro responds by saying he forced himself to laugh out of being afraid that he would cry. He then asks the Count why he keeps looking at the window. The Count quickly pulls Figaro out of sight as Rosine and her guardian, Bartholo, appear.