Love, lust, seduction. Lies, betrayal, revenge. Murder most foul. Comeuppance. Shakespeare set ‘em up like bowling pins and had his fictional characters knock them down, one by one, over and over again. And from there to Dallas and Dynasty, from Downtown Abbey to Game of Thrones, these have always been the staples, the tried-and-trues, of dramatic plotlines through the ages (and the pages).

Giuseppe Verdi, the master of mid/late 19^th Century Italian opera, also took them for his tools. In Rigoletto, which St. Petersburg Opera Company is presenting Jan. 24, 26 and 28 at the Palladium, the libidinous and duplicitous Duke of Mantua is playing grab-ass with all the women in his court. It is 16^th Century Italy.