The character constellations in opera seria are not complex. After the libretto reform of around 1700, they also became much more formalized, in comparison both to the Dramma per musica of the 17th century, with its mixture of comic and serious characters, and to the Drame classique.2 It is common to have a primary and a secondary couple, whereby the secondo uomo or the seconda donna often act as antagonists. Individual characters appear as fathers, uncles, or specific villains.3 While the female antagonists in Handel’s operas from Medea to Alcina, especially the sorceresses, have already been dealt with on several occasions (including by this author), the male antagonists have thus far been treated mostly in passing.