Rigoletto is a jester in the Duke 's court of Mantua. He suspects back and he 's somewhat ugly, however he 's great at his employment of humiliating the courtiers for the Duke 's amusement. The courtiers, obviously, are not interested. The Duke is a ladies man who feels his life would be insignificant on the off chance that he couldn 't pursue each skirt he sees. Truth is to be told, we learn as the opera starts that he 's as of late been seeing a young woman each Sunday on her approach to church, and he 's pledged to have his way with her. What nobody acknowledges is that the girl is the jester 's beloved daughter, Gilda, and that Gilda has seen the Duke each Sunday and is smitten with him. All of a sudden Count Monterone shows up at court, incensed that the Duke has allured his daughter. Rigoletto criticizes Monterone, the Duke snickers, and Monterone throws a terrible curse on them two. Later, the courtiers find that Rigoletto is furtively living with Gilda, whom they believe to be his fancy woman. While trying to humiliate Rigoletto, they kidnap Gilda and convey her to the Duke 's room, where she is very eager to give him a chance to have his way with her. Rigoletto returns to the court and uncovers to the courtiers ' amusement that Gilda is his daughter. Overcome with the longing for reprisal, Rigoletto contacts a lethal thief named Sparafucile (who simply happens to have a lovely sister named Maddalena), and he contracts with both of them to draw the Duke to