Kashchey the Deathless (Russian: Кащей Бессмертный, Kashchey Bessmertnyy) is a 1902 one-act opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, based on Russian fairytales. The plot is centered on Prince Ivan rescuing his fiancée, Tsarevna Beloved Beauty, from the clutches of Kashchey the Deathless.
Tropes featured in the opera:
- Alas, Poor Villain: Kashcheyevna completely breaks down when she pleads with Prince Ivan to stay with her and gets rejected. Even Tsarevna Beloved Beauty, her rival, feels deeply sorry for her.
- Betty and Veronica: The loyal fiancée Beloved Beauty and the fiery seductress Kashcheyevna for Prince Ivan.
- Blow You Away: The Storm-Bogatyr is an Elemental Embodiment of wind, so strong that he is able to carry people.
- Daddy's Little Villain: Kashcheyevna is a textbook example, assisting her father and killing off all the heroes who seek to defeat him – until she meets and falls for Prince Ivan.
- Defiant Captive: Tsarevna Beloved Beauty constantly refuses to obey Kashchey, and when he finally convinces her to sing him a lullaby, she sings a Sugary Malice-laden song with lines such as "Sleep, and may you never wake up!" Later, despite being scared senseless, she stands up to Kashcheyevna and tells her in no uncertain terms she will never leave her fiancé.
- Dirty Old Man: Kashchey is old, as he admits himself, and he kidnaps Beloved Beauty and makes rather squicky advances to her.
- Evil Laugh: Kashchey has his "hehehe"s scripted in the libretto.
- Evil Sounds Deep:
- Inverted completely with the male leads. Kashchey is a squeaky character tenor, while Prince Ivan is a baritone and the helpful Storm-Bogatyr is a bass.
- Played straight with the female leads. Kashchey's daughter is an Alto Villainess. The good tsarevna is a soprano.
- Healing Winds: The Storm-Bogatyr's cold gusts remove the effects of the Love Potion (which doubles as a sleeping potion) given to Prince Ivan by Kashcheyevna.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Really, it should be Kashchey's motto.
- He randomly sends the Storm-Bogatyr to his daughter's realm to check up on her. Since the Storm-Bogatyr is a cold strong wind, his gusts make Prince Ivan snap out of the effects of a Love Potion.
- He puts own death in the tears of his young daughter and sends her to lure and kill young men. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Naturally, once Kashcheyevna falls in love with Prince Ivan and cries with anguish, Kashchey drops dead.
- Ladykiller in Love: Gender-inverted with Kashcheyevna, who has calculatingly seduced many men until meeting Prince Ivan and falling in love for real. Unfortunately for her, a) he is engaged b) she confesses her love after trying to dose him with a love philter.
- Love at First Sight: Kashcheyevna falls in love with Prince Ivan right after meeting him.
- Platonic Kissing: The tsarevna feels deeply sorry for Kashcheyevna and kisses her. This moves Kashcheyevna to tears.
- Redemption Equals Death: After fully getting a Heel–Face Turn, Kashcheyevna quickly turns into a willow. Downplayed, since it’s unclear how much of Kashcheyevna's soul and sentience remains in the tree.
- Sensible Heroes, Skimpy Villains: In the 1987 Soviet opera film, Beloved Beauty is a sensibly-dressed Virgin in a White Dress, while Kashcheyevna is a full-fledged Ms. Fanservice in black.
- Transflormation: Kashcheyevna turns into a willow in the end.
- Unrequited Love Lasts Forever: While Kashcheyevna is turning into a willow, she says she will love forever and weep forever. However, her wording makes it clear that even that state is preferable to her previous wickedness.
- Weather Manipulation: Kashchey is able to summon blizzards.
