La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus) is an opera by the composer Christoph Willibald Gluck.
Note: In typical opera seria fashion, all arias sung in La Clemenza di Tito are followed by the same character's immediate stage exit.Scene 1: A room in Vitellia's apartment overlooking the river Tiber Vitellia, the daughter of deposed Emperor Vitellius, covets the throne of Titus, the son of recently deceased Emperor Vespasian who deposed Vitellia's father.
Annius announces the Senate's decision to declare Titus a god and build a temple in his name.
Publius presents tributes from the envoys to be used for the project, but Titus requests that the funds instead be redirected to the recent victims of Mount Vesuvius.
Alone with his friends, Titus explains his imperative to quickly take a native Roman as his wife and announces his intention to marry Servilia, to the horror of Annius.
Scene 3: A pleasant room in the imperial palace on Palatine Hill Publius is telling Titus about citizens who have been heard speaking ill of previous emperors but steps away to give Titus privacy when Servilia enters.
Vitellia, bitter about being passed over yet again, storms into the room to confront Titus, but finds Servilia alone.
In revenge, Servilia decides not to reveal that Titus's hand is once again free and departs, leaving Vitellia to stew in her delusion.
Vitellia continues to goad Sextus to kill the only rival for her hand, as she may yet marry Titus if he lives.
Scene 1: Porticos Sextus, wearing a red ribbon tied to the right shoulder of his cloak to mark himself amongst the conspirators, prepares to take action but falters in shame.
Publius tells Servilia to return to her quarters, for Titus has already assigned guards to protect both her and Vitellia.
Sextus tells Annius to protect Titus from further attacks but insists he must flee Rome.
Scene 2: A terrestrial gallery adorned with statues, opening onto gardens Servilia informs Titus that one of the conspirators came to her and asked her to beg for mercy on his behalf.
Annius enters, now exonerated, followed by Publius with the verdict: Sextus has confessed and the Senate has condemned all conspirators to the lions.
Alone, Titus decides to hear Sextus speak before signing the death sentence, hoping to learn of some exonerating circumstance like Annius before.
Titus attempts to learn the motive for his betrayal, but Sextus will only confirm that he is guilty and deserves to die.
He calls back Publius and announces that he has decided Sextus's fate and is ready to go to the arena.
Vitellia arrives and is told by Publius that Sextus has been sentenced to death and Titus has already left for the arena.
Before Publius leaves for the arena himself, Vitellia attempts to ascertain what Sextus has revealed to Titus.
Alone, Vitellia recognizes that she cannot live with herself if she does not attempt to save Sextus and decides to go confess her crimes before Titus.
Acknowledging her hopes of marriage to be over, she compares her situation to that of a boatman who must occasionally throw goods overboard to weather a storm (Vitellia: "Getta il nocchier talora").
The condemned accomplices to the conspiracy can already be seen in the arena, awaiting the wild beasts The Roman public is assembled to hear Titus's pronouncement.