Certain operas are considered classics, and have titles you'll probably recognize, even if you don’t know much about opera. These operas are still very popular and are staged often. The music is also heard frequently in TV shows, in cartoons, and even in the form of elevator music. The following pages contain plot summaries of some of those great operas. If you plan to attend a show, read the summary before you go. You'll enjoy the performance a lot more if you know what's happening on stage. Reading the summary will also help you to identify with the characters in the opera. Their stories express many of the same desires, angers, and hopes that you experience in your own life.