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During the ball at the castle of Mantua, the Duke flirts with one of the guests, Countess Ceprano, while the deformed court jester Rigoletto mocks her husband. The nobleman Marullo believes that Rigoletto has a mistress and tells this to the other courtiers. What they don’t know is that this woman is actually his daughter, named Gilda. Rigoletto gives the Duke of Mantua instructions on how to seduce Countess Ceprano without being disturbed by her husband. Count Monterone cruelly disrupts the party by storming in and accusing the Duke of dishonoring his daughter. Old Monterone swears revenge and places a curse on the court jester for mocking him. Rigoletto is shocked and orders his daughter to stay at home.
The Duke visits Gilda in an unguarded moment. She is immediately charmed by the young man. Ceprano, Marullo and some courtiers kidnap Gilda and take her to the castle of Mantua. Rigoletto is desperate and begs to release his daughter. He then calls in the assassin Sparafucile to kill the Duke. Maddalena, Sparafucile’s sister, is now also captivated by the Duke’s amorous advances and begs her brother to kill the first passer-by to spare the Duke. Gilda heard the conversation and wants to sacrifice herself for the sake of her loved one. She knocks on the door, behind which Sparafucile is hiding armed with a knife. The door opens and Gilda is stabbed. Rigoletto then receives a bag with a body. He is about to throw the bag containing the body of the supposedly dead Duke into the river when he suddenly hears the Duke singing his favorite song. Rigoletto opens the bag and is shocked to discover his dying daughter. She still begs her father for forgiveness. The curse of Monterone has been fulfilled.
