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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Key Examples in The Phantom of the Opera
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—The Toad:
Leroux often uses metaphor to dramatize climactic scenes. In Chapter 8, when Carlotta begins to sing in an ugly tone, the narrator uses a metaphor to compare her voice to a toad:
For her harmonious voice – that agile instrument which had never failed her; that magnificent organ which could create the most beautiful sounds and deliver the most demanding melodies [...] – had just produced … For her very mouth had just produced … a toad! And what an awful, hideous, scummy, slimy, venomous, hoarse toad it was!
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Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Music:
The most prominent example of imagery in The Phantom of the Opera is, of course, auditory. In Chapter 10 the narrator describes the Phantom's voice in great detail:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The disembodied voice resumed singing. Never in his life had Raoul heard a voice combining in one breath such extremes, a voice at once immensely, heroically sweet and triumphantly insidious, subtly powerful and powerfully subtle, in short a voice of irresistible potency. There was, in that singing, something definitive and masterful that must, in itself, inspire every mortal who appreciates, loves and makes music. It was a tranquil and pure fountain of harmony from which the faithful could safely and piously assuage their thirst, secure in the knowledge that they were partaking of musical grace.
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Explanation and Analysis—An Angel's Voice :
In Chapter 13, Christine tries to describe the indescribable voice of the Phantom. She uses a simile that compares his voice to that of an angel:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I could not hear the voice outside my door, whereas inside the singing continued. And not only did the voice sing, it also spoke to me: it answered my questions, like the voice of a real man, with this difference: it was as beautiful as an angel’s voice. How could I explain so unbelievable a phenomenon?
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Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Masking:
Erik resents his compulsory mask-wearing, but he is far less masked than the other metaphorically-masked characters. One example of masked feelings includes Christine's bogus engagement to Raoul. In Chapter 12, Christine suggests a "secret marriage" that will last only one month:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"But if we cannot be married, we can become engaged! No one but us will know. There have been plenty of secret marriages! Why not a secret betrothal? Let us become engaged, Raoul, for a month! In a month’s time, you will sail away and the memory of that month will keep me happy for the rest of my days!" She was overjoyed by this prospect. Then she became serious again and added: "This happiness will hurt no one."
Related Themes:
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—Lazarus:
After Carlotta's fatal performance, Christine begs the Phantom to reveal himself to her. She fears that he was killed by the falling chandelier and desires to know if he is still alive. The name Lazarus appears in Chapter 13 in her plea as an allusive metaphor:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The Voice did not reply, but suddenly I heard a long, exquisite lament, which I knew well. It was the plaint of Lazarus when, at the sound of Jesus’ voice, he begins to open his eyes and see the light of day. It was my father’s violin weeping; I even recognized his bowing stroke. It was the sound that made us, you and me, stop in our tracks as children – the sound that cast its spell over the graveyard that night at Perros. The invisible, triumphant violin played again the joyous cry of Life and at long last I heard the overwhelming, sovereign call of the Voice singing the words: “Come! And believe in me! He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live!"
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Explanation and Analysis—An Angel's Voice :
In Chapter 13, Christine tries to describe the indescribable voice of the Phantom. She uses a simile that compares his voice to that of an angel:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I could not hear the voice outside my door, whereas inside the singing continued. And not only did the voice sing, it also spoke to me: it answered my questions, like the voice of a real man, with this difference: it was as beautiful as an angel’s voice. How could I explain so unbelievable a phenomenon?
Related Themes:
