More than one hundred operas are based on Hugoâ s works and among them are Donizettiâ s Lucrezia Borgia ( 1833 ) , Verdiâ s Rigoletto ( 1851 ) and Ernani ( 1844 ) , and Ponchielliâ s La Gioconda ( 1876 ) . More than one hundred operas are based on Hugo 's works and among them are Donizetti 's Lucrezia Borgia ( 1833 ) , Verdi 's Rigoletto ( 1851 ) and Ernani ( 1844 ) , and Ponchielli 's La Gioconda ( 1876 ) .