Characters
| Priam | Bass | |
| Hecuba | Contralto | |
| Cassandra | Mezzo-Soprano | |
| Polyxena | Soprano | |
| Hector's ghost | Bass | |
| Andromache | } | Mutes |
| Astyonax | } | |
| Æneas | Tenor | |
| Ascanius | Soprano | |
| Pantheus | Bass | |
| Chorœbus | Baritone | |
Time—1183 B.C.
Place—The Trojan Plain.
Act I. The Greek camp before Troy. It has been deserted by the Greeks. The people of Troy, rejoicing at what they believe to be the raising of the siege, are bustling about the camp. Many of them, however, are standing amazed about a gigantic wooden horse. There is only one person who does not rejoice, Cassandra, Priam's daughter, whose clairvoyant spirit foresees misfortune. But no one believes her dire prophecies, not even her betrothed, Chorœbus, whom she implores in vain to flee.
Act II. In a grove near the walls of the city the Trojan people, with their princes at their head, are celebrating the return of peace. Andromache, however, sees no happiness for herself, since Hector has fallen. Suddenly Æneas hurries in with the news that the priest Laocoon, who had persisted in seeing in the wooden horse only a stratagem of the Greeks, has been strangled by a serpent. Athena must be propitiated; the horse must be taken into the city, to the sacred Palladium, and there set up for veneration. Of no avail is Cassandra's wailing, when the goddess has so plainly indicated her displeasure.
Act III. Æneas is sleeping in his tent. A distant sound of strife awakens him. Hector's Ghost appears to him. Troy is lost; far away, to Italy, must Æneas go, there to found a new kingdom. The Ghost disappears. The priest, Pantheus, rushes in, bleeding from wounds. He announces that Greeks have come out of the belly of the horse and have opened the gates of the city to the Greek army. Troy is in flames. Æneas goes forth to place himself at the head of his men.
The scene changes to the vestal sanctuary in Priam's palace. To the women gathered in prayer Cassandra announces that Æneas has succeeded in saving the treasure and covering a retreat to Mount Ida. But her Chorœbus has fallen and she desires to live no longer. Shall she become the slave of a Greek? She paints the fate of the captive woman in such lurid colours that they decide to go to death with her. Just as the Greeks rush in, the women stab themselves, and grief overcomes even the hardened warriors.
PART II. “LES TROYENS À CARTHAGE”
The Trojans in Carthage
Opera in five acts. Music by Berlioz. Words by the composer. Produced, Paris, November 4, 1863, when it failed completely. Revived, 1890, in Karlsruhe, under the direction of Felix Mottl. Mottl's performances in Karlsruhe, in 1890, of "La Prise de Troie" and "Les Troyens à Carthage" constituted the first complete production of "Les Troyens."