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Count Philippe de Chagny
Often referred to in the novel simply as “Daaé,” Christine’s father, an extraordinarily talented musician, plays in fairs and ceremonies throughout his home country of Sweden, where he is admired as the best “fiddler” or violin player in Scandinavia. After Professor Valerius discovers Daaé talent, Christine’s father and his daughter move to France, where Daaé becomes deeply nostalgic for his homeland, finding comfort only in the landscape of Brittany, which reminds him of home. A caring father, Daaé gives Christine music lessons and encourages her to develop her talent. He also enjoys telling the young Raoul and Christine fantastic stories. His promise to send Christine the “Angel of Music” after his death reveals the trust he has in his daughter’s musical potential, but it also suggests that he is responsible for convincing Christine that fairytales are a realistic part of life, as she initially assumes that Erik is not the Phantom or a human, but the Angel of Music.
Christine’s Father Quotes in The Phantom of the Opera
The The Phantom of the Opera quotes below are all either spoken by Christine’s Father or refer to Christine’s Father. 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:
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Chapter 6 Quotes
The Angel was never seen but could be heard by those who were meant to hear. This often happened when you least expected it, when you were sad and down-hearted. Then your ears would suddenly hear celestial harmonies, a divine voice, which you would remember for ever. Those who had been visited by the Angel were stirred. They experienced a thrill unknown to other mortals and henceforth could not touch an instrument or open their mouths to sing without producing sounds that put all other musicians to shame. The people who knew nothing about the angelic visitation called them geniuses.
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Christine’s Father Character Timeline in The Phantom of the Opera
The timeline below shows where the character Christine’s Father appears in The Phantom of the Opera. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
...will be in Perros-Guirec, in Brittany, the next day, to honor the anniversary of her father’s death. Without a moment of doubt, Raoul hurries to take the train to Perros. Overwhelmed...
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During his journey on the night train, Raoul recalls Christine’s life story. Christine’s father was a Swedish peasant farmer who was passionate about music. His talent as a musician...
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...threw Christine’s scarf toward the sea, he ran into the water to fetch it. Christine’s father agreed to give an insistent Raoul violin lessons, and the two children grew up together....
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...From that moment on, such people became genius musicians, making every melody divine. Although Christine’s father told the children he had never heard the Angel of Music himself, he promised his...
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Three years later, Raoul met Christine again at Perros. Christine’s father welcomed him graciously, saying that Christine talked about him all the time, but Christine behaved...
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...of them look at each other for a long time, and Christine says that her father told her he would come. Raoul then confesses his love to her, adding that he...
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...In the afternoon, he walks around the graveyard, where he sees fresh flowers on Christine’s father’s grave. He also notices a corner of the graveyard where skulls are piled up, which...
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...toward the sky and Raoul hears music emerge from nowhere—Lazarus, the same music that Christine’s father used to play on his violin when they were children. Remembering Christine’s story about the...
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Chapter 13
...Voice for three months, she asked him if he was the Angel of Music her father had promised to send. When he confirmed that he was, she trusted him entirely, and...
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...then describes the noticeable despair in the Voice the next day. Her trust in her father-sent Angel of Music and her ignorance of Raoul’s feelings led her to swear to the...
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