All the music is lost apart from the extended recitative known as "" ("Ariadne's Lament"). The libretto, which survives complete, was written in eight scenes by Ottavio Rinuccini, who used Ovid's Heroides and other classical sources to relate the story of Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus on the island of Naxos and her subsequent elevation as bride to the god Bacchus.
The sole surviving piece of music is the extensive aria "" ("Ariadne's Lament"). The libretto, which has survived in its entirety, was written by Ottavio Rinuccini over eight scenes, drawing upon Ovid's Heroides and other classical sources to recount Ariadne's sorrow on Naxos and her subsequent elevation as a bride to Bacchus.