Synopsis of L'Orfeo

In class we watched a large portion of a filmed performance of the Opera L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi (1567 - 1643).  I very much enjoyed the performance of the piece, and was too engaged by the video to take any notes during class.
The cast list here is not from my memory or notes, but found online at wikipedia:

La musica (Music)	soprano	Prologue
Orfeo (Orpheus)	tenor	Act 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Euridice (Eurydice)	soprano	Act 1, 4
La messaggera (The Messenger)	soprano	Act 2
Speranza (Hope)	soprano	Act 3
Caronte (Charon)	bass	Act 3
Proserpina (Proserpine)	soprano	Act 4
Plutone (Pluto)	bass	Act 4
Apollo	tenor	Act 5
Ninfa (Nymph)	soprano	Act 1
Eco (Echo)	tenor	Act 5
Ninfe e pastori (Nymphs and shepherds)	soprano, alto, tenor, bass	Act 1, 2, 5
Spiriti infernali (Infernal spirits)	tenor, bass	Act 3, 4

The opera is divided into 5 acts but begins first with a prologue.  The prologue is sung by La musica and serves to introduce the power of music and then bridges that to the main character Orfeo.  The staging was interesting for this part, as it involved La musica dressed kind of like a queen, and a man dressed like a king who did no singing but only made gestures toward La musica, and I think put some kind of crown on her head at one point.  The two of them then sit on opposite sides of the stage and watch the rest of Act I play out in front of them.   
Act I begins with shepherds and nymphs who are constantly joking, teasing, doing acrobats, and basically "hamming" up everything to the extreme.  The scene is the wedding day of Orfeo and Eurydice  who stand across from each other with a rope connecting them (or was it a Rapunzel-like braid of hair?) .  The chorus joins in at various points throughout the scene.  The chorus was made up of men in a balcony on stage right and women in a balcony on stage left all dressed up in fancy gowns and black suits.  They also appear to be observers of all that is taking place in the opera and often react to the things they are seeing below.  The happy couple leaves and the nymphs and shepherds sing one more song.
ACT II has Orfeo come back by himself and speak all about how happy he is now with Eurydice compared to his former life without her.  I remember the staging throughout this act involved a lute player actually coming on stage and being part of the show at various times.  Some of the camera angles and shots that were included in the final edit were a little bit awkward to me.  For example,  close-ups of Orfeo and Eurydice's faces while they were professing their love.  Act II ends in a bitter turn of events.  A friend of Eurydice's (La messagera) enters and gives the terrible news that Eurydice has been bitten by a snake and died.  The chorus mourns, the messenger mourns, and Orfeo is stricken with grief.  He declares his intention to descend to the underworld in an attempt to convince it's ruler to bring Eurydice back to life and failing that he will remain in the underworld as well. 
Act III is all about Orfeo arriving to the gates of Hades, confronting the ferryman Caronte, and eventually lulling him to sleep through the use of his lyre.  Once the ferryman is asleep, Orfeo steals the boat and crosses the river Styx.  I cannot say anything about it from memory, except that we watched a 30 second clip of Orfeo confronting the ferryman (Caronte) and was very impressed by the makeup and costume.  He truly looked like something not of this world. 
Act IV once again displays the power of Orfeo's music, as Proserpina, queen of Hades is affected by Orfeo's singing.  She petitions her husband king Plutone, for the release of Eurydice.  Plutone agrees on the condition that as he leads his wife out of Hades, Orfeo must not look back at her.  He does okay for awhile, but then begins to doubt whether she is still following.  We all know what happens next.  He looks back, Eurydice fades and is pulled back to the underworld and Orfeo is blocked from following.   
Act V begins with a long lament by Orfeo, now back home in the fields.  He resolves never to be hit by Cupid's arrow again (not to fall in love again) and the opera seems like it is going to end on this sad tone.  Suddenly, Apollo descends from the heavens, invites Orfeo to leave the world and join him in the heavens where he will see Eurydice's countenance in the stars.  Thus, the opera takes the sudden turn from sorrow to happiness, or at least a happier ending.