Amneris, however, was filled with rage on hearing the cruel sentence passed upon the man she still loved; and when the priests issued forth from the Hall of Judgment, she passionately commanded them to revoke their judgment. But Ramphis, the High Priest, whose might and sacred power could not be encroached upon even by a Princess of Egypt, sternly replied, "The traitor's doom has gone forth, and none can alter it!"
Then, heedless of the wailing curses that followed him, the relentless Priest passed on, and the despairing Princess was left alone with her sorrow and remorse.
Meanwhile, Radames was conducted to the Temple of Vulcan, and ushered into the subterranean vault in which he was to be buried alive; and as the stone that covered the opening was gradually lowered, the priests broke into the sacred hymn of death.
Radames stood resigned and unafraid upon the bottom step of the crypt; but just as the stone was falling into its socket, he heard a soft sigh behind him, and, turning, beheld, ere the last ray of light faded, the trembling form of his beloved Aïda!
Filled with amazement and horror that one so young and lovely should thus be entombed with him, Radames pressed and beat frantically upon the roof of the vault; but the stone had now fallen into its place, and he was powerless to dislodge it. As he sank despairing upon the step, Aïda groped her way through the darkness to his side; and in a sweet, exultant voice, bade him gently to be comforted, since, having foreseen his doom, she had of her own free will crept unobserved by the priests into the vault, preferring to die with him, rather than to live on alone.
Filled with gratitude at this wonderful proof of love and devotion. Radames passionately embraced the triumphant Aïda, and thus clasped in each other's arms, the lovers calmly awaited their end, rejoicing that though in life they had been forced asunder, yet in death they were not divided!
OTHELLO
A handsome Moor, named Othello, a man of noble nature and high intellect, had risen by his own ability and prowess to the envied position of a general in the Venetian Army; and because of his honourable reputation and excellent skill in relating stories of the battles and adventures he had engaged in, he was a welcome guest in many of the great houses of Venice.
But Othello himself cared only to visit at the house of a certain Venetian gentleman named Brabantio, who had a fair daughter named Desdemona; for the beauty, gentleness, and virtue of this lady had completely enslaved the heart of the handsome Moor, who grew to love her with all the strength of his passionate nature. And as the fair Desdemona listened to the glowing tales of peril, adventure, and victory related by the dusky visitor, she hung upon his words with eager interest, weeping for his woes and rejoicing at his escapes; and at last she grew to love him so dearly that all her thoughts became bound up in him.