Giselle

It is the grape harvest season in the village where Giselle, a beautiful peasant girl with a weak heart, lives with her mother. Hilarion, a young forester in love with Giselle, as is Count Albrecht who has been disguising himself as a peasant named Loys to visit her. The innocent and naive Giselle meets with Albrecht but is interrupted by Hilarion who tells her only he is truly devoted to her. Albrecht orders him to leave and Hilarion is humiliated, vowing his revenge.

In town, the villagers are celebrating the grape harvest, Giselle’s mother, Berthe, concerned for her daughter’s heart condition takes her home to rest where they meet The Duke of Courland and his daughter, the Princess Bathilde. Giselle is fascinated by the princess’ dress and touches the hem. Moved by her innocence, Princess Bathilde gives Giselle her necklace.

Meanwhile, Hilarion has discovered that Loys is actually Count Albrecht and exposes his deception at the grape harvest festival. Albrecht attacks Hilarion as The Duke of Courland and Princess Bathilde appear. Princess Bathilde surprised to see Albrecht in peasant attire informs Giselle that she is engaged to marry Albrecht Albrecht, and Giselle, in shock and confusion at her lover’s betrayal, faints. Giselle wakes but has lost her mind from Albrecht’s betrayal. She temporarily regains herself and falls weeping into her mother’s arms. Summoning the courage to confront Albrecht, whose love she believes to have been false, she is overtaken by grief and dies in front of him.

Deep in the forest in the dead of night Hilarion mourns at Giselle’s grave. At the stroke of midnight, the ghostly visions of the Wilis materialise and Hilarion flees in terror. Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, appears and summons the Wilis to draw Giselle’s spirit from her grave so that she too can become one of them. The Wilis are the spirits of those who have been betrayed by love and died.

To avenge their former selves, the Wilis force any man who crosses their path between midnight and dawn each night into an endless dance of death. The Wilis disperse into the graveyard as Albrecht approaches Giselle’s grave with white lilies. Realising his love was true, Giselle leads him deeper into the forest and away from the Wilis’ as they pursue Hilarion, forcing him into a dance of death.

The Wilis chase Albrecht towards the swamp and Giselle begs Myrtha to spare him, but Myrtha commands him to keep dancing. Though Giselle tries to sustain him, the powerless Albrecht continues to dance, growing weaker and weaker as night draws on. Just as he is about to die, the dawn bell chimes, destroying the Wilis’ power as the ghostly figures disappear into the morning haze. Albrecht has been saved and Giselle returns to her grave, her spirit freed from the Wilis, her love transcending death as Albrecht mourns alone in the dawn light.