Demimonde whom Captain Rawdon Crawley lusts after in his younger days. Becky Sharp is perceived as a demimondaine before she is presented at court, and then becomes one when she travels through Europe after her husband abandons her. Possibly the most famous portrayal of the demimonde, albeit from before the word was coined, is in Verdi's opera "La traviata" (1853). The opera, in turn, was inspired by Alexandre Dumas the younger's "La Dame aux Camélias;" Marguerite Gautier, the heroine of the book and subsequent play, was based on Marie Duplessis, 1840s Paris courtesan and mistress to a number of prominent men,
La descente d'Orphée aux enfers La descente d'Orphée aux enfers La descente d'Orphée aux enfers (English: "The Descent of Orpheus to the Underworld") is a chamber opera in two acts by the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. It was probably composed in early 1686 and probably was performed either in the private apartment of the Dauphin that spring, or at Fontainebleau in the autumn. Charpentier himself sung the title role and was joined by the musicians of Mademoiselle de Guise and the members of the Dauphin's little ensemble. This was Charpentier's last appearance with the Guise ensemble. The libretto, whose author is unknown, is based on