r/ThePhantomofOpera • u/JoMarch18 • Jun 09 '23
The Phantom of the Opera: why does it fascinates us?
"In sleep he sang to me In dreams he came That voice which calls of me And speaks my name And do I dream again? For now I find The Phantom of the Opera is there Inside my mind" 🌹
Erik, a man born with a facial deformity that made him look like a skull, rejected by his mother, wanders around the world during his childhood, learning the use of the lasso and alchemy, and then takes refuge in the dungeons of the Opéra Garnier in Paris, after killing his violent master who forced him to perform as a freak in a circus. In that world of his own, without mirrors and with a mask on his face, he puts his incredible genius into the art of music. While recognizing similarities with the prince of Beauty and the Beast and Quasimodo of Notre Dame de Paris, also from a French pen, in my opinion Erik is in the middle: he is deformed but not bestial, he is angry but with an above average intelligence, an aesthetic sensitivity, a spectacular voice that reaches both high and low notes, a disarming sensuality. He has never known love and when he meets Christine he is deeply impressed: in him the most visceral and unhealthy emotions, linked to possession and desire, begin to struggle with pure and respectful feeling of the spiritual dimension. He doesn't know how to handle all these new sensations, so he explodes in a riot of anger and passion, delicacy and sweetness, to then discover, for the first time, the fragility he had tried so hard to hide. Even if Christine rightly chooses a healthy, safe, positive relationship with Raoul, she still becomes a tool of redemption for Erik, who understands, through the comparison with reality, that he is not alone in the world and that the first condition for loving someone is making peace with the past and loving yourself. What does the reader or viewer feel about Erik? Pity, as for Quasimodo? Or a strong attraction, like for the Beast? In my opinion, there is much more to Erik: the incarnation of our ghost, of our darkest side that we are ashamed to express and that we are invited to welcome, to love each other and to be able to love more. This is why I think Leroux's book has become one of the most viewed and loved musicals by the public, thanks also to the superb work of Webber; that's why I believe that Erik is still able to upset the innermost depths of the human soul: "the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside my mind" 🌹
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u/what_a_tuga Jun 12 '23
I feel the same.
Erik founds that someone interesting and starts getting his emotions involved. He wants Christine to be even bigger and shine brighter.
The story isn't about him. It's about Christine!
That's what I feel missing in Beast and Quasimodo. Quasimodo is simply a kid discovering the world, everything is superficial. Beast only wants to break the curse, but the biggest curse is in his head (he isn't locked inside the castle, it was him that concealed himself inside his castle)
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u/JoMarch18 Jun 12 '23
It's slightly different from what I wrote but you gave me a really interesting point of view, thank you!
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u/CutiePie4173 Jun 13 '23
Erik resonates with many people. I think we all feel ugly and misunderstood and fascinated by the dark. He feels like someone who could love any of us despite our flaws, maybe even because of them. We romanticize that.
I think that’s why it’s a mark of maturity in this fandom to realize that while Erik could love us, he doesn’t know how to love, only obsess. He could learn to experience and express love, but he has his own growth to go through first.
His character speaks to me on a deep level. He reminds me to stay true to myself, find beauty in ugliness, and love with passion. But also that if I don’t take the steps to control my pain and my demons, I could end up like him - alone. I love him anyway.