Literary Crtiticism

8/11/2019 Literary Crtiticism

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Williamson D. Turner

1302.1

4/1/13

The Phantom of the Opera: Love and War in the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera is an intriguing story to say the least. It would be an

injustice to leave it out of the English IV canon because it possesses all three of the criteria for a

good work which are story, plot and character. The story in itself is a simple one of love and

rejection which makes it relatable to the majority of the general population. The plot isnt

necessarily hard to follow, but there are subplots within the story that add unique perspective on

some the things going on in the main plot. The foremost characters are rather well developed, as

the majority of them either grow or deteriorate as the story progresses, which is more interesting

than characters with no change at all. Perhaps the most important part of this work is the fact that

it is told through music. Music allows the brain to think more creatively by stimulating the neural

processors that create feelings. And instead of playing music behind the story, the music is the

story. When an audience can think more creatively, a work becomes more meaningful (Mohana).

In The Phantom of the Opera, a young girl named Christine Daae is fancied by both a

young opera house patron named Raoul and by a Phantom who haunts the opera house, At first

the phantom is patient and teaches Christine to sing angelically, but when she decides to no

longer accept his control and runs off with Raoul, The Phantom becomes angry and begins to kill

and cause destruction until he gets Christine back. At the end, we find out that the Phantom is not

a ghost, but haunts the opera in search of someone to love him in spite of his deformities. The

Phantom of the Opera is widely beloved tale of love against the world, whose story,

characters, and plot line make people ask the question of what love can really overcome.

Ive personally found this musical to be a wonderful experience and over more than two decades,

millions of people have witnessed the astounding Broadway spectacle. Based on how long this


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show has been running and how much money its grossed--Since 1986, its made $2.7 billion--I

cant be the only one who feels that way(Ehren).

The story of The Phantom of the Opera, constitutes a large piece of this works

quality as it lays down a framework for the plot and characters from to extend. Throughout

the entire ordeal, there is always a chance and a probability that Christine will fall into the

phantoms control or that the phantom will kill her, Raoul, or anyone else who might be in his

way. This acts as a perpetual suspense mechanism to keep things moving in an interesting

direction. Allowing this story to unfold in this pattern creates a variety of possibilities for each

character to act and react upon, thus allowing audiences to be more imaginative and have a more

suspenseful experience. For example, when the Phantom eavesdrops on Christine and Raoul, he

easily could have killed one or both of them, but he chooses to spare them.

The plot isnt necessarily straight forward all of the time, but its certainly

interesting. Everything that occurs in this musical has a cause, but not necessarily an immediate

cause. The Phantom is entirely motivated by a lifetime of rejection to with which he has not fully

reconciled. His entire agenda is based around a personal vendetta against the world and trying to

get his music into the world. Its the Phantoms need for revenger that drives the both the main

plot and the subplots. For example, Andre and Firmin running the Opera Populaire, is a subplot.

They run into a slew of issues in their administration: And most of those issues are caused by the

Phantom and his agenda. Likewise, the difficulties of the main characters (Christine and Raoul)

in both their relationship and their respective careers are a direct result of the Phantoms

meddling.

Most important to the work--The Phantom of the Opera--are its characters. This

story uses a combination of round and flat characters to tell an intriguing story of love and loss.


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The main characters are all round as they each grow or deteriorate throughout the musical. The

flat characters make for excellent comic relief and support acting.

The Phantom character starts out as a bit of a mystery. The only people who really know

who or what he is are Madame Giry and Mr. Buquet. In the beginning, he only manifests himself

in random acts of rage, and through the beautiful singing of his protg Christine Daae. Once he

is established as an ominous presence, it is revealed to both Christine and the audience that the

phantom is not a ghost but an artist who haunts the Opera Populaire so that his music can be

heard. When he introduces himself to Christine, we begin to see the man behind the mask.

However, we also see his disfiguring and how it has made him an outcast who longs for beauty.

As the story progresses, he becomes more and more attached to Christine. When Christine falls

in love with Raoul, Its drives the phantom to a breaking point at which he will kill to prove his

dominance. His anger and jealousy eventually drive him into carelessness and he is caught as a

result. He escapes the trap temporarily and attempts to make Christine his bride. In his lair it

becomes extremely clear that his disfigurement and dreadful life have turned him into a broken

shell of a man. But I spite of this, Christines compassion is enough to bring out the bit of

humanity he still retains. Although the Phantom ends up almost as violent and selfish as

when the story begins, he comes full circle over the course of the show, which makes him a

round character.

Christine is the daughter of a famous violinist. She is also a shy and quiet dancer at the

Opera Populaire. She is under the tutelage of Phantom and holds him in awe and wonder before

she meets him. Her feelings become complicated as her old flame Raoul comes back into her

life. As the story progresses, she becomes torn between her love for Raoul, and her servitude to

the phantom who both adores and threatens her. Eventually, the crimes of the phantom


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strengthen her resolve to have him brought to justice. But at the close of the show, she displays

her compassion and love for the Phantom when she witnesses the Phantoms pain and

understands that thatpain and suffering that the phantom endured made him what he is. Its this

last display of compassion that make the musical say that love is the only thing worth worrying

about.Seeing Christine transition from a nave little girl, to a scared to death slave, to a

woman with a resolve strengthened by love and loss makes her a round character.

Raoul is the new patron of the Opera Populaire. He introduces himself as a former suitor

to Christine. He is a simple and well-mannered man, but the ordeal between Christine and the

Phantom changes him from a lover to a protector. But when the phantoms tactics become more

violent, a good man goes to war. Raoul becomes so consumed with saving Christine from the

phantom that he nearly gets himself killed. His actions out of love reinforce this musicals idea

that love is a powerful tool. Watching Raoul be driven from willing suitor, to stalwart

protector, to determined hunter all in the name of love, make him a round character.

The Phantom of the Operaalso uses character foils to add elements for the leads to

play off of.Madame Giry is initially portrayed as a strict and strong-minded dancing mentor

with a staff. It is later revealed that shes actually a servant of the phantom and that she knows

the truth of his past. She doesnt serve the phantom for money or power, but out of fear. Andre is

one of the two new managers at the Opera Populaire. He is characterized by being arrogant,

worrisome, and dangerously stupid. Firmin is the other new manager at the Opera Populaire. He

is characterized by being arrogant, exceptionally annoying, and dangerously stupid. Carlotta is a

typical diva stereotype and Piangi is a run of the mill slave to the diva. Each of these foils

exemplifies a different thing the main characters have to guard against. Madame Giry Represents

fear, Andre & Firmin represent stupidity. Carlotta and Piangi represent the typical diva lifestyle.


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Each of these foils represents a different ideal that the phantom interacts with. Carlotta and

Piangi embody the worst sides of entitlement. Firmin and Andre represent the Phantoms battle

against corporate greed at his expense. And Madame Giry represents the public fear of the

Phantom, which he was never able to overcome but only circumvent.

Of all three pieces, character is certainly the most important part of The Phantom of the

Opera. Its through these characters that the story is told and the plot unfolds.

Works Cited

Ehren, Christine,Broadway PhantomFacts and Figures, Playbill.com. Web. Tues, April 1,

2014.

Mohana, Malini,Music & How it Impacts Your Brain, Emotions, Psychcentral.com. Web. Sun,

April 13, 2014.

The Phantom of the Opera. Dir. Nick Morris and Laurence Connor. Perf. Ramin Karimloo,

Sierra Bogess, and Hadley Fraser. Universal Pictures, DVD. 2011.


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