Peter Grimes

Peter Grimes is an opera written in English by Benjamin Britten, and is widely thought to be one of the greatest operas written in the twentieth century. It is based on 'The Borough', a poem by George Crabbe. It was Britten's first opera to recieve widespread critical acclaim.

Plot Synopsis

The opera is set in an English coastal village in around 1830. It opens with the fisherman Peter Grimes being questioned over the death of his apprentice. The coroner forbids Peter Grimes from ever keeping an apprentice again. However, Grimes is in desperate need of help to fish, and his friend the apothecary Ned Keene finds him a new apprentice from the workhouse - but nobody will volunteer to fetch the boy. Eventually Ellen Orford (a schoolmistress) offers. Grimes finds himself ostracised from the village, and his friends try to convince him to leave. Through a tragic accident, Grimes' new apprentice falls down a cliff and is killed - the villagers gossip that Grimes has murdered his two apprentices. Meanwhile, a friend suggests to Grimes he should commit suicide by sinking his boat. The next day, the villagers begin a search for Grimes, but soon grow tired. The opera ends with the coastguard reporting a sinking ship, but it is too far out to be saved.