the story of the opera is quite strange and unbelievable. it has often been criticized for not being logical. the story consists of lots of little scenes which make the story jump about. the language of the libretto is very deliberately old-fashioned. czech people who have worked with this opera have often felt that this formal language has made it hard for audiences to understand. some people have felt that when the opera is sung in other languages it is sometimes better because the language sounds more real.