La guirlande

It takes the form of an acte de ballet (a one-act opera with many dance movements).

The story occurs in Arcadia, an idealized area of Greece that was a popular setting in the pastoral literature of the time.

[3] Zélide and her lover Myrtil have magic garlands which will stay fresh and green forever as long as they are faithful to each other.

Regretting his action, Myrtil places his garland on the altar of Cupid in the hope that the god will rejuvenate it and save his chances with Zélide.

Many of the dances were borrowed from an earlier opera by Rameau, Le temple de la gloire (1745), which had been a failure.