Describe- The Phantom of the Opera begins with the Opera Populaire's manager, Lefevre, leaving. His successors, Andre and Firmin, take over the opera and bring with them their new patron, Raoul. To celebrate their new managers, the opera throws a gala, at which the leading diva refuses to perform due to the mysterious Opera Ghost who seems determined to have the screeching diva leave. Without a diva, Andre and Firmin are fixed on finding a new leading lady, so they invoke the talents of a young, chorus-singer named Christine. She has been taking lessons from a mysterious tutor who turns out to be the Opera Ghost or, The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom, who turns out to be a physically disfigured musical genius, falls in love with Christine. Raoul, Christine's old childhood sweetheart, who recognizes her at her excellent gala performance, wants to bring Christine back into his life. When the Phantom learns of Christines acceptance to Raouls marriage proposal, he is heartbroken. His despair quickly turns into a jealous rage and he is willing to do anything to have her as his bride. In an attempt to catch the Phantom, it is decided to perform the opera written by the man himself with Christine as the lead. The plan to use Christine as bait quickly goes wrong when the phantom kidnaps Christine during the performance and takes her down to his hideaway far below the Opera Populaire. Raoul fallows him and Christine down to the Phantoms lair but, ends up being trapped. Ultimately, the Phantom gives Christine the fallowing ultimatum; go with him and be his bride or have Raoul murdered right in front of her. She then explains to the Phantom, in a last effort of sanity, that he is not alone and then kisses him. The Phantom then realizes, due to the fact that he loves her, he must let her go with Raoul to be happy. Before leaving, Christine gives the Phantom back the engagement ring he had given her in an act of remorse. After Raoul and her leave, the Phantom smashes all of his mirrors revealing a secret path behind one and disappears down it to escape the advancing mob. We then return to the present time where an older gentleman, who we now know is Raoul, is in a graveyard where he visits Christines grave and leaves a monkey musical box. While doing, he sees a rose with the engagement ring tied to it on her grave stone.
Analyze- The Phantom of the Opera portrays a typical love story in which the woman (Christine) is torn between the love of two men, both whom she cares deeply for. Both the Phantom and Raoul share a history with Christine. Raoul is her childhood love while, the Phantom has been her passionate musical tutor. This further complicates the situation because both men have very well established feelings for her. However, fallowing her heart she chooses her childhood soul mate, Raoul. Because the Phantom has been shunned and harassed his whole life due to his facial deformity, Christines choice to deny him hits him very hard. This turns out to be the final step to push the Phantom over the edge. Blinded by his jealous rage, he goes to the extreme and kidnaps Christine in an attempt to force her to be with him. However, his love for her eventually overcomes this rage when he realizes that she will never be happy with him. Despite his desire to be with her, he learns that all he wants for her is to be happy. So, out of love, he releases Christine to Raoul. The Phantom then flees knowing that he eventually did the right thing.
Interpret- I believe that one of the purposes of the opera is to show that love comes in all forms, even to those who do not end up with the girl in the end. Though the Phantom does not end up with Christine, his love for her ultimately leads her to live a happy life. This in turn gives the Phantom true satisfaction because; all he ever wanted is what was best for her. Also the opera shows there is good in everyone, despite people’s individual flaws. At the end of the opera, Christine explains to the Phantom that he is not alone. She is sympathetic to the man that has just kidnapped her and threatened to kill her lover. This is because she sees through these evil acts to the good inside, the good that exists within everyone. The Phantom has been shunned his whole life due to his facial deformity. This has caused him major psychological problems. By truly understanding this, Christine can comprehend the miserable life the Phantom has had. She knows that he is truly a good person; it is society that is the one to blame and not him.
Evaluate- I believe that the Phantom of the Opera is successful in relaying its messages to its audience. By introducing a character like the Phantom as a mysterious musical genius who seems to cause only havoc within the Opera Populaire, and slowly revealing his true character and the reasons behind it, this piece makes its audiences reconsider their negative preconceived notions. It shows that everyone has a story, and that story is what ultimately defines them. However bad their story may be, there is always some good left within the person. It just takes a person who is non-judgmental and willing to try and understand the individual in order to relate to them. By doing so, a feeling of sympathy and not anger will prevail. This sympathy will eventually lead to what a person really needs, the assurance that he or she is not alone!
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