The Cloak by Giacomo Puccini. Short summary

5 seconds

The barge captain’s wife fell out of love with him and had a lover. He was a longshoreman and worked for her husband. In the evening they arrange to meet, but things don’t go according to plan and the husband learns of the betrayal.

1 minute

A barge floats on the River Seine. The life of its workers is described in detail in the work. Once Michele, the ship’s captain, fell out of love with his wife Georgette. This happened after their mutual child died when they were babies.

Georgette falls in love with the port longshoreman Luigi, who works for her husband. After the captain goes to bed, the woman tells Luigi that she will signal him when it is okay to board the barge. She will light a candle, after which they can see each other.

Michele returns earlier than usual. His thoughts are occupied with his beloved. He lights a match to smoke. Luigi takes its light as a signal from Georgette. He goes to the barge, where he encounters the captain.

The astonished husband forces the worker to tell him everything. When Michele learns of the affair, he strangles his wife’s lover. Georgette enters and confesses everything. Her husband asks if she wants to be with Luigi under his cloak. When she agrees, he shows her the body of the murdered man and pushes her toward him.