As the opera is Older Than Radio and most twists in Donizetti's plots are now widely known, all spoilers on this page are unmarked.
L'elisir d'amore (
The Love Potion), a 1832
opera by Gaetano Donizetti, with a libretto by Felice Romani, is one of the most popular comedies of the genre. It tells the story of poor peasant Nemorino, hopelessly in love with the beautiful landowner Adina, who teases him but doesn't reciprocate. With the arrival of pompous Sgt. Belcore who hastes to propose to Adina immediately, Nemorino frantically searches for a way to woo her before she can make up her mind. When
Snake Oil Salesman "Doctor" Dulcamara arrives into town, Nemorino hastes to see if he sells the fabled
love potion of Queen Isolde, about whom Adina read the peasants a story. Sensing the opportunity to make a quick buck, Dulcamara insists he's the elixir's main supplier, and sells Nemorino a bottle of cheap wine...
L'elisir d'amore contains examples of:
- Dogged Nice Guy: Nemorino is so desperately in love with Adina, he's perfectly willing to try and change her mind via a magic potion, thus basically forcing her to love him, even when she gently lets him down for what apparently isn't the first time. Since it's a comedy, it doesn't make him villainous.
- Ethical Slut: Adina, to a point - we don't hear about her sexual exploits, but she mentions she has a new lover every day, basically. However, she tells Nemorino plainly and kindly she's not interested at the start and encourages him to seek another love.
- Foreshadowing: In an early duet, Adina mentions that rather than wasting time pursuing her, Nemorino should go to town and see his gravely ill uncle. Guess who dies the next day and leaves Nemorino filthy rich?
- Gossipy Hens: Gianetta and the other village girls, who provide exposition about Nemorino's newly-gained wealth.
- Happy Ending: Adina and Nemorino get together, Sgt. Belcore is content with finding other women in the world, and everyone happily waves off Dr. Dulcamara for his magical elixir of love.
- "I Want" Song: Nemorino's Quanto e bella, the song of how he wants Adina's love. It describes Adina as beautiful, studious, constantly reading, and Nemorino having no chance with her.
- Idiot Ball: For reasons of exposition, Gianetta needs to tell the entire female population of the village that Nemorino is now rich. Had she not done so, the girls wouldn't have mobbed him, and she might have had a chance.
- Idiot Hero: Nemorino immediately believes that the elixir of love does exist and allows Dulcamara to sell him a bottle of wine as said elixir.
- Irrelevant Act Opener: At the start of the wedding feast, Dr. Dulcamara asks Adina to sing a duet with him about a poor gondola girl who rejects the affections of a rich senator. This has no relevance to the plot, and doesn't even parallel Adina and Nemorino since neither knows about his newfound wealth until after they've declared their love for each other.
- Jealous Romantic Witness: Adina flirts with Belcore in front of her longtime admirer Nemorino, who is so tormented by it he decides to snare Adina with the eponymous elixir.
- Karma Houdini: Dr. Dulcamara makes it look like everything that happens is a result of the elixir and gets to go away happily without being exposed for his fraud, despite him knowing full well that the penniless, desperate man he defrauded had to resort to joining the army and being sent off to war to pay him.
- Love Potion: The title of the play (literally "The Elixir of Love") - though it isn't actually a working love potion, the events of the plot just conspire to make it look like it.
- Love Triangle: Nemorino and Sgt. Belcore are both in love with Adina. Adina herself doesn't want to be tied to anyone.
- Magic Feather: Nemorino's confidence in the elixir working (despite it not actually being magic) lets him end up with Adina, though all the other suitors are a result of conveniently inheriting a lot of money.
- Meaningful Name: Nemorino - 'little no one' and Sgt. Belcore - 'good heart'.
- Not with Them for the Money: Adina has a Love Epiphany and gets together with Nemorino, well before either of them learn of his huge inheritance from his uncle.
- Overly Narrow Superlative: Dulcamara's sales pitch includes a mention of a man in his seventies who took Dulcamara's medicine and subsequently had ten... grandchildren.
- Pep Talk Duet: Adina's part in Per guarir da tal pazzia, where she encourages Nemorino to give up on the silliness of faithful love.
- Pair the Spares: A number of productions show Gianetta and Sgt. Belcore showing interest in each other in the finale.
- Quack Doctor: Dr. Dulcamara claims to sell an all-curing medicine just for three lire. When Nemorino asks him if he also sells "Queen Isolde's love potion", Dulcamara, after a moment of confusion, quickly says yes and gives Nemorino a bottle of Bordeaux wine, claiming that it's the love elixir.
- Romantic False Lead: Sgt. Belcore. Notably, only Nemorino really considers him as such - Adina clearly isn't interested.
- Snake Oil Salesman: Dr Dulcamara, to the core, selling potions that he claims can heal anything and selling Nemorino wine as the eponymous elixir.
- Tenor Boy: Nemorino, a romantic but extremely naive village lad.
- Tsundere: Adina might be an early, operatic version of this. Her merciless teasing of the hapless Nemorino is finally revealed to be a cover for the affection she feels for him. Adina even goes so far as to accept another man's marriage proposal just to annoy the poor boy. She doesn't admit her true feelings, even to herself, until she sees him surrounded by female admirers.
- Unrequited Love Switcheroo: Nemorino spends most of the play chasing after Adina, who refuses her, and wanting to use the elixir to get her. By the end of the play, Adina thinks she doesn't have a chance with Nemorino because of all his new suitors and consults the doctor for help in getting him.
