What is the plot of Ludwig van Beethoven’s opera Fidelio?

Ludwig van Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, is a "rescue" opera inspired by French Revolutionary-era literature. The plot centers on a courageous woman named Leonore who disguises herself as a young man named Fidelio to infiltrate a prison. Her primary objective is to rescue her husband, who is being held in a dungeon for political reasons.12

The work is celebrated for its powerful theme—the triumph of the human spirit over oppression—which has helped secure its enduring place in the operatic repertoire.1