The opera is based on a drama of the same name by the Flemish symbolist Maurice Maeterlinck that tells the tragic, fairytale-like story of a love triangle between the stepbrothers Golaud and Pelléas and the mysterious Mélisande. The plot is sketched in vague terms, with the main emphasis on exploring the depths of the characters’ psyches. The tragedy takes the form not of open conflict but of subliminal mental processes. Debussy’s music remains equally restrained, often approaching silence. Myriad colours shimmer beneath the monochrome surface, however, and Debussy manages to perfectly translate the enigmatic, morbid atmosphere into music. In 1991, Ruth Berghaus, one of the greatest directors of the 20th century, staged Pelléas et Mélisande at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.