Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Phantom of the Opera, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Natural vs. the Supernatural
Love vs. Jealousy
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption
Beauty vs. Ugliness
Summary
Analysis
After leaving Sorelli’s dressing-room, the ballerinas run into the Count Philippe de Chagny. Unusually emotional, the Count eulogizes the night’s performance, while warning the excited ballerinas not to tell the outgoing Opera directors about Joseph Buquet’s death, which would agitate them too much on their last night. The narrator notes that the Count is correct in lauding the night’s performance, because Christine Daaé, who was replacing her ill colleague Carlotta, performed exquisitely as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and as Marguerite in Faust. Critics are bewildered to hear Christine’s extraordinary performance and wonder why the directors have kept her talent hidden for so long.
Although Christine’s extraordinary performance is not visibly tied to the ghost’s existence, it constitutes an abnormal event in itself—on par with more violent occurrences such as Buquet’s death. Christine’s participation in Romeo and Juliet and in Faust serves as a symbol of her involvement with the Phantom: as in both operas, she is part of tragic love story capable of leading her to her death, because—as the reader discovers later—of the Phantom’s desperate efforts to seduce her, even if this causes her harm.
Themes
In his box, forty-one-year-old Count Philippe listened rapturously. After the death of his parents, Philippe became the head of one of the noblest French families. He managed the estate and took care of his younger brother, Raoul, along with their sister and two aunts. Fascinated by the sea, Raoul joined the navy and took part in various trips. His family upbringing, among so many women, left him shy and “pure,” as though he were still a child. Philippe, by contrast, enjoys the various aspects of Parisian society, spending time with the ballerina Sorelli, who is universally known for her beauty. Despite his innocence, Raoul himself frequently insists on being taken backstage, to the Ballet Room.
Raoul’s innocent vision of love contrasts with his brother’s experience, since Philippe has a mundane, socially rigid conception of love, according to which romantic relationships must follow decorum and divisions between social classes.
Themes
Literary Devices
That evening, in Philippe’s box, Raoul panics when he notices that, after such an intense performance, Christine is about to faint. He urges his brother to go see her. Raoul’s agitation makes Philippe smile, as he finally understands why his brother shows so much enthusiasm for the Opera House. As Raoul boldly advances through the crowd, feeling the overwhelming mix of pain and tenderness that his feelings for Christine Daaé bring, the two brothers finally reach Christine’s room. Raoul succeeds in approaching Daaé, despite her throng of admirers, and convinces the doctor to tell everyone else to leave. Count Philippe leaves for Sorelli’s room with a smile on his lips, finding Raoul particularly cunning.
Raoul’s determination to see Christine reveals his desire to satisfy his own desires as much as to help her and stay by her side. His willingness to protect Christine will remain a defining feature of his personality throughout the novel, as he does not hesitate to put his reputation and his life in danger, in the name of his love. His forcefulness and determination suggest that he is perhaps not as innocent as he may seem, as he is capable of taking control of a chaotic situation and asserting his authority over an entire crowd.
Themes
When Christine finally wakes up, she is startled to see Raoul. After she asks him who he is, Raoul says that he is the little boy who jumped into the sea to catch her scarf. Everyone laughs, and Raoul is shocked that Christine does not recognize him. He asks to speak to her privately but Christine then stands up with unexpected energy and asks everyone to leave.
Christine’s unexpected regain of energy suggests that she might be under the influence of a strange phenomenon—in this case, the Phantom’s influence. Christine’s sudden outburst can also be seen as an attempt to protect Raoul—sending him away from her so that the Phantom will not be jealous.
Themes
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Raoul decides to remain by Christine’s door, hoping that he might be able to talk to her alone. He wonders if she has sent everyone away so that they might speak in peace. Then, he suddenly hears an authoritative man’s voice emerge from within the room. The man tells Christine that she must love him, and, shaking, she replies that she sings for him alone. Pained to the core, Raoul listens to the rest of the conversation. Christine tells the man that she has given him her soul and is exhausted.
Raoul’s assumption that Christine is actually trying to find time to speak to him on her own is one of the many occasions on which Raoul misinterprets Christine’s actions. Instead of taking them at face value, he often tries to interpret them according to his own beliefs. This keeps him from trusting that Christine is a sincere, direct person, but sometimes convinces him, instead, that she is cunning and devious.
Themes
Literary Devices
Full of hatred, Raoul waits to confront his rival. When Christine opens the door and leaves, Raoul quickly jumps into her dressing-room and calls out to the man. Hearing no response, he strikes a match but notices that the room is empty. Bewildered, he searches everywhere, wondering if he has gone mad. He finally leaves the room but, as he is about to exit the theater, he comes across a procession of workmen carrying a stretcher. He then discovers that the man underneath the stretcher is Joseph Buquet, who was found hanging below the stage, between elements of stage scenery, by a scene from Le Roi de Lahore.
Although these two episodes seem disconnected, Raoul’s effort to find his rival—the Phantom—and Joseph Buquet’s death are intimately related. Indeed, as the narrator later explains, Buquet dies because he succeeded in uncovering the Phantom’s lair, thus threatening the Phantom’s secret life. This suggests that Raoul’s search, which has only just begun, is likely to be marked by violence and death. The mention of the Roi de Lahore scenery, a recurrent motif, serves as a first clue about the location of the Phantom’s many traps.
Themes
