Four centuries of suicide in opera.

The article presents a study which examines the characterisation of suicide in western opera from 1607 to 2006. The study analyzes the synopses of all the operas listed in the monograph including the completed suicides, non-fatal suicidal acts, and suicidal thoughts to determine the relation of a mental disorder. Results show that suicide has been considered as an option when characters are faced with distressing event or situation.