The Phantom of the Opera
by Gaston Leroux
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Carlotta Character Analysis

The leading soprano at the Paris Opera House has a beautiful, yet emotionless voice, which both the narrator and the Phantom criticize harshly for its lack of feeling. It is Carlotta’s absence one evening, because of illness, that allows Christine Daaé to triumph at a gala performance. Carlotta becomes one of the Phantom’s victims herself after she disregards the Phantom’s anonymous note enjoining her not to perform that evening. Jealous of Christine’s success and suspicious of her motives, Carlotta assumes that Christine is plotting against her. However, when Carlotta performs, she is affected by a mysterious, Phantom-induced “croak” that causes her voice to break, disrupting her performance and causing dismay in the audience. Traumatized, Carlotta disappears for a period but, moved by a vengeful desire to sneer at Christine, returns briefly to the Opera on the night of Christine’s disappearance—in which some people accuse Carlotta (mistakenly) of taking part.

Carlotta Quotes in The Phantom of the Opera

The The Phantom of the Opera quotes below are all either spoken by Carlotta or refer to Carlotta. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Natural vs. the Supernatural Theme Icon
).

Chapter 6 Quotes

Some claimed that it was a mark of immeasurable pride; others spoke of her saint-like modesty. Yet, as a rule, artists are rarely so modest; in truth I am rather tempted to ascribe her actions to sheer dread. Yes, I believe that Christine Daaé was frightened by what had just happened to her, and was as taken aback by it as everybody else around her. […] To suggest that Christine was taken aback or even frightened by her triumph is in fact an understatement: having reread the letter, I would say that she was terrified. Yes, yes, terrified. “I am no longer myself when I sing,” she wrote.

Related Characters: Christine Daaé (speaker), Erik / The Phantom of the Opera / The Ghost / The Voice, Carlotta
Related Symbols: The Ring
Page Number and Citation: 56
Explanation and Analysis:
After Christine’s extraordinary gala performance, which impresses all critics and members of the public, Christine disappears. Without giving any explanation, she refuses to sing in public again. The narrator’s conclusion that Christine’s behavior derives from fear highlights the supernatural quality of what has happened to her: the visits from Erik (whom she believes to be the Angel of Music) and his capacity to make her sing beautifully. Christine’s lack of control over her own voice suggests that Erik might have the power to control other people’s singing—as he perhaps does later with Carlotta, when he causes her to croak in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Elig

Chapter 8 Quotes

Terror struck, followed by a general stampede. My intention here is not to revive the memory of that momentous event, for the curious reader can easily consult the accounts that appeared in the press at the time. Suffice it to say that many people were wounded and one died.

The chandelier had crashed upon the head of a poor woman who had come to the Opera that evening for the very first time in her life, and killed her instantly. She was the concierge whom Richard had chosen to replace Mme Giry, the Phantom’s preferred attendant. The next day one of the headlines read: ‘Two hundred thousand kilos hit concierge!’ That was her sole obituary!

Related Characters: Erik / The Phantom of the Opera / The Ghost / The Voice, Carlotta, Firmin Richard, Mme Giry, Armand Moncharmin
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation: 92
Explanation and Analysis:
After Opera directors Richard and Moncharmin fail to abide by the Phantom’s demands, such as leaving his opera box empty for him to watch the show and allowing Mme Giry to return to her post, the Phantom takes his revenge. He makes the singer Carlotta croak on stage, thus ruining her performance, and then causes the chandelier to fall on the audience, killing Richard’s concierge. This episode highlights the Phantom’s callousness, as he does not hesitate to kill innocent people, such as Richard’s concierge, in order to assert his authority and force others to obey his wishes. The injustice of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis conse
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Carlotta Character Timeline in The Phantom of the Opera

The timeline below shows where the character Carlotta appears in The Phantom of the Opera. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption Theme Icon
Beauty vs. Ugliness Theme Icon
...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... (full context)
Chapter 4
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption Theme Icon
Beauty vs. Ugliness Theme Icon
...“P. of the Opera,” the author, who claims to have extensive musical experience, notes that Carlotta is a terrible singer and that Christine Daaé should be allowed to take on new... (full context)
Chapter 8
The Natural vs. the Supernatural Theme Icon
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption Theme Icon
...tells them that his box must be liberated; that Christine Daaé should sing Marguerite, since Carlotta will be ill; that Mme Giry must return; and that he wants to make plans... (full context)
The Natural vs. the Supernatural Theme Icon
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption Theme Icon
...kicking her squarely on the rear. Indignant, Mme Giry storms out. Around the same time, Carlotta receives an anonymous letter in red ink warning her not to sing tonight, as “a... (full context)
Beauty vs. Ugliness Theme Icon
The narrator notes that, although Carlotta has a powerful technique, her singing lacks emotion and is nothing but a well-tuned instrument.... (full context)
The Natural vs. the Supernatural Theme Icon
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption Theme Icon
Angry at this threat, Carlotta resolves to sing and to invite all her friends to the Opera that night, so... (full context)
The Natural vs. the Supernatural Theme Icon
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption Theme Icon
During the next act, when Christine begins to sing, Carlotta’s friends assume that Christine’s friends will cheer her on, but nothing happens. Carlotta, by contrast,... (full context)
The Natural vs. the Supernatural Theme Icon
Carlotta then sings confidently, knowing that she has so many friends in the audience. Suddenly, though,... (full context)
The Natural vs. the Supernatural Theme Icon
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption Theme Icon
...someone is present with them in the box, even though they cannot see him. When Carlotta tries to sing again, unable to contain more croaking, the directors then hear a voice... (full context)
Chapter 9
The Natural vs. the Supernatural Theme Icon
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption Theme Icon
After this horrific evening, Carlotta becomes sick, and Christine disappears. Worried and confused, Raoul searches for her everywhere. When he... (full context)
Chapter 15
The Natural vs. the Supernatural Theme Icon
As the audience erupts into chaos, alternately accusing Raoul, Carlotta, or the ghost of abducting Christine, members of the staff attempt to communicate with the... (full context)
Chapter 21
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption Theme Icon
...the only other time he found Mauclair in this position was on the night that Carlotta’s voice broke. (full context)
Chapter 24
The Natural vs. the Supernatural Theme Icon
Love vs. Jealousy Theme Icon
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption Theme Icon
...begins to speak threateningly, from everywhere at once, imitating his own voice as well as Carlotta’s croak. The Persian is amazed to note that it feels as though Erik were speaking... (full context)