himself as an Etruscan and steals into the enemy camp, determined to assassinate King Porsena. When the King appears on a platform with other dignitaries to make a speech to his troops, Muzio does not recognise the King and kills the wrong person. Porsena has him arrested and interrogates him. Muzio proudly proclaims that he is as ready to die as he was to kill and bodily pain means nothing to him. To demonstrate this, he thrusts his right hand into the fire on a sacrificial altar and holds it there, earning the last name "Scevola" (left-handed) for himself and his descendants. Porsena is so impressed with the young man's courage that he releases him without penalty. Clelia is not content to leave all the fighting to the men but leads troops into battle herself. Porsena takes her captive and is smitten by her beauty and fighting spirit. Act 3 Porsena offers to sign a truce with Rome if his lovely captive Clelia will be his new queen. She hesitates but rejects him and manages to escape his camp, fling herself into the Tiber, and swim across the river to safety. Tarquinio is defeated in battle by Oratio. Porsena is at first furious at Clelia's escape, but when he finally learns the truth about what a villain Tarquinio is, he decides to sign a truce with Rome. At the Capitol, Porsena recognises that Muzio and Clelia truly love each other and renounces her so they may marry. His daughter Irene will marry the man of her heart also, the hero Oratio, whom Porsena names as his heir. All celebrate the fortunate outcome of events. Context and analysis The German-born Handel, after spending some of his early career composing operas and other pieces in Italy, settled in London, where in 1711 he had brought Italian opera for the first time with his opera Rinaldo. A tremendous success, Rinaldo created a craze in London for Italian opera seria, a form focused overwhelmingly on solo arias for the star virtuoso singers. In 1719, Handel was appointed music director of an organisation called the Royal Academy of Music (unconnected with the present day London conservatoire), a company under royal charter to produce Italian operas in London. Handel was not only to compose operas for the company but hire the star singers, supervise the orchestra and musicians, and adapt operas from Italy for London performance.