During the reign of one of the great Pharaohs of Egypt, Amonasro, King of Ethiopia, declared war against the Egyptians, and invaded their country. In spite of their daring, however, the Ethiopians were beaten time after time; for the Egyptian army was then at the height of its glory, and was victorious wherever it went.
After one of his most crushing defeats, Amonasro had to bear yet another bitter blow, for amongst the many captives carried away by the all-conquering Egyptians, was his own fair young daughter, the Princess A?da.
Although unaware of their lovely captive\'s high rank, the conquerors guarded her with special care, because of her dazzling beauty and gentle grace; and upon her arrival in Memphis, the great Pharaoh presented her as a slave to his daughter Amneris. The Princess of Egypt was so pleased with the sweet charms of the girl-captive, that she refused to regard her as merely an ordinary slave, but treated her instead with the familiarity and affection of a sister; and so, for a time, A?da\'s bonds rested but lightly upon her, and except for a natural grief for the sufferings and wrongs of her beloved country, and her own enforced exile, she had little to trouble her. But after a while, when the joy of a great love came into her life, a change took place; and then for the captive maid black storm-clouds of woe quickly gathered around.
Radames, a handsome young officer in the King\'s Guards, owing to his high position, had frequent access into the presence of the Princess and her attendants; and from the very first moment his eyes rested upon the beautiful and gentle A?da a passionate love for her sprang up within his heart, which deepened and strengthened daily. His love was quickly returned by the captive maid; and although at first her conscience blamed her for loving the enemy of her country, she could not long struggle against a passion that would not be subdued, and so resigned her heart unreservedly into the keeping of the handsome young Egyptian.
Their joy, however, though they tried to keep it secret, was not long permitted to remain unclouded; for the noble Radames was also beloved by the Princess Amneris, whose proud and passionate nature could brook no rival in her affections. For long, the fair Amneris had cherished her passion, and had vainly longed to have it requited; but Radames, though he quickly guessed her secret, refused to meet her open advances, for he was too noble to accept favours from one whom he could not love. Yet, in spite of the young officer\'s coldness, Amneris had always hoped to win his affection in the end; but with the advent of A?da, her hopes were quickly dashed to the ground. For although Radames and the beautiful slave at first tried to hide their love, the jealous eyes of the Princess speedily detected it; and then, determined that her passion should not be slighted, she still used all the means in her power to obtain her heart\'s desire.
War was soon again declared between the rival countries, the King of Ethiopia having once more gathered a large army together and already invested Thebes; and the Egyptians having also massed their mighty forces, instructions were given to the priests of Isis to learn the will of the goddess as to who should lead them against the foe. On a certain day, the priests declared that the dread goddess had spoken; and Pharaoh then called together all the officers of his forces that he might announce to them the name of their chosen leader.
The young Radames, who had already proved himself brave and fearless in battle, had great ambition to distinguish himself in the coming campaign in a greater degree; and upon hearing that the goddess had named the champion of Egypt, he was filled with eager anticipation, hardly daring to hope that the chosen one might prove to be himself, yet longing above all things that it might indeed be so, for he now had a greater incentive than ever to win renown, because of the exquisite joy of laying his laurels at the feet of his beloved A?da—and as he wandered early into the vast hall of the royal palace on the day on which the announcement was to be made, his mind was full of this sweet, delirious thought. But his happy reflections were presently interrupted by the entrance of the Princess of Egypt, who, quickly noting his rapt expression, desired him to tell her of his pleasant thoughts; and Radames, on his guard at once, replied that, carried away by his ambition, he had been daring to hope that he might be the leader chosen to head the Egyptian army.
But Amneris was not satisfied with this, and softly asked if his mind were not rather occupied with some fairer attraction to be found in Memphis; and as Radames was vainly endeavouring to frame an answer to this pertinent question, the object of his happy thoughts, the beautiful A?da herself, came into the hall with sad, downcast looks, for she had been weeping for the sufferings of her country.
As the young officer\'s eyes fell upon the fair form of his beloved one, he could not repress an exclamation of delight; and this, coupled with the tender glances unconsciously exchanged between the lovers, confirmed the former suspicions of the Princess, whose heart was straightway filled with a consuming jealousy. The entrance of Pharaoh with his ministers, officers, and guards, together with the priests of Isis, prevented any outburst of passion at that moment; and as soon as the Court was assembled, the great business of the day went forward.
After the King had scornfully reminded the company of the presumption of the Ethiopian monarch in daring to invade their land, and when the warriors had answered his proud call to arms with eager cries of vengeance, the name of the champion chosen by the goddess Isis to lead them to victory was declared; and amidst a sudden hush of breathless expectancy, Pharaoh announced in a clear, ringing voice: "The chosen leader of our host is Radames, the Brave!"
A wave of overwhelming joy swept through the heart of Radames at this glad fulfilment of his dearest wish; and as he breathed a prayer of gratitude to the goddess who had thus favoured him, a thunder of applause burst from the assembled company, for though but young in years, the chosen warrior was honoured and beloved by all.
The Princess Amneris then came forward, and placed the royal standard of Egypt in the hands of Radames, bidding him in a voice that trembled with emotion to bear it ever into the paths of victory and renown; for she was filled with exaltation that the man she loved was chosen for this honour, and already looked ahead to the time when he should return, covered with glory, a hero for whom even the hand of a Princess of Egypt would not be too great a reward.
But A?da was filled with despair, being torn by conflicting feelings; and when all the resplendent company had departed to the Temple of Vulcan to witness the investiture and dedication of Radames to his heaven-chosen office, she remained behind, that none might witness her sorrow.
"How dare I wish victory to my beloved one, when that means defeat and bondage for my native land?" she murmured, in anguish. "Shall I desire my own royal father, my brothers, and my people to be destroyed? Yet, if they are victorious, my lover will be dishonoured and ruined! Alas, why am I so tormented! Unhappy maid that I am, to love the enemy of my country!"
Overcome by these torturing thoughts, poor A?da crept away to her own chamber, where her tears might flow unhindered; for she dared not trust herself where curious eyes might witness her emotion.
Meanwhile, the dedication service was taking place in the Temple of Vulcan; and here, amidst great pomp and the performance of many strange and mysterious rites, Radames was solemnly invested by Ramphis, the High Priest, with the sacred arms pertaining to his position as leader of the Egyptian army. When the investiture was over, the priests and assembled warriors broke into a sacred song of dedication and encouragement; and as Radames went forth from the Temple, he was filled with enthusiasm for the great cause he had embraced and eager anticipation of success.
Nor were these anticipations vain; for the Egyptian forces again carried all before them, and defeated the Ethiopians on every side.
Thus it came about that, after driving the enemies of his country away from the land, the young Radames returned to Memphis a victorious hero, covered with glory and honour, and followed by a long train of captives to make his triumph complete.
Amongst these captives, though unknown to all, was Amonasro, King of Ethiopia, himself, who having gone into the field disguised as an ordinary officer, had escaped recognition; and though his proud spirit revolted against the degradation of being thus taken prisoner, he yet went to Memphis with the hope that he might there meet with his lost daughter, and also learn something of his enemies\' plans.
On the day on which Radames was to make his triumphal entry into the city, great preparations were made to receive him with all the pomp and magnificence usually associated with such a pageant; and within the royal palace, the Princess of Egypt commanded her slaves to sing the praises of her hero, that the weary waiting-time might pass the quicker. For Amneris was filled with joyous expectation; for she felt that the victor\'s reward would certainly be her own hand in marriage, and thus her dearest hopes be realised. She therefore listened to the laudatory songs of her slaves with unrestrained joy; but upon the entry of A?da, her brow grew dark, for the beautiful slave\'s presence at that moment revived the jealous feelings which had remained dormant during the absence of Radames.
In order to prove whether A?da\'s love was still the same, Amneris, in the course of conversation, announced that Radames had been killed in battle, and her frown grew deeper still when A?da, full of grief at this terrible news, broke forth into a tearful lament. As a further proof, however, she added immediately: "Nay, I did but wish to fright thee! Calm thyself, for the brave Radames lives yet!"
Upon hearing this, A?da, her face transfigured with joy, sank upon her knees, and uttered a prayer of gratitude that her beloved one had been saved; and then, Amneris, unable to restrain her jealous anger any longer, sprang forward with blazing eyes, crying with haughty fury: "What, thou, a slave, to dare to aspire to one whom the daughter of Pharaoh deigns to love! Know, rash maiden, that the Princess of Egypt will brook no rival!"
Then, unheeding A?da\'s gentle plea for mercy, the passionate Princess bade her prepare to meet her doom, since she was determined to humble her to the dust for her presumption; but at that moment, hearing sounds which told her that the festival was about to commence, her mood suddenly changed to expectancy again, and she went to join her father upon the throne which had been set up at the city gates, through which the triumphal procession had to pass, bidding A?da attend her.
Radames was received with great kindness and favour by Pharaoh, who showered praises and thanks upon him for the mighty deeds he had performed; and as the young conqueror knelt, overcome, at the foot of the throne, the Princess Amneris with her own hands placed the crown of victory upon his brow with gentle tenderness.
The King now desired to see the prisoners who had been taken in battle; and as the captives one by one passed the throne, A?da uttered a cry of surprise and grief, and, running into the arms of Amonasro, who was one of them, greeted him tenderly as her father. Amonasro, however, whispered to her not to disclose his true identity; and so when the company gathered round, on hearing that he was the beautiful slave-girl\'s father, the disguised king related a feasible story as to his capture, descr............