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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Music as Power:
Throughout The Phantom of the Opera, characters use music to gain power and control. For example, Christine's music is so powerfully enchanting that Erik falls in love with her for it. Erik also uses music to enslave Christine; in Chapter 2, they have an emotional exchange about music and love:
"Christine, you must love me!"
Christine, as if in tears, replied in a pained, trembling voice: "How can you say that? I sing only for you!"
Related Themes:
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Dreams:
Throughout The Phantom of the Opera, strange events make characters question whether they are dreaming. For example, Christine describes her imprisonment in Chapter 13 as follows:
Unlock with LitCharts A+When I woke up, I was alone, lying on a chaise longue in a simple bedroom hung with calico and furnished with a plain mahogany bed; a lamp was burning on the marble top of an old Louis-Philippe chest of drawers. Where was I? I passed my hand over my eyes as if to dispel a bad dream. Alas, I soon realized that this was no dream. I was a prisoner and the only outlet from my room led to a well-appointed bathroom with hot and cold water a-plenty.
Related Themes:
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Jealousy:
Jealousy is an important motif in The Phantom of the Opera. Erik is jealous of Raoul's perfect manners and appearance; he sees Raoul as a symbol of unattainable social status and an imminent threat to his pursuit of Christine. Later in the story, Erik kidnaps Christine and forces her to stay loyal to him.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Passion:
The Phantom of the Opera brims with displays of passion. Most of them are directed at Christine Daaé, the beautiful and talented Swedish soprano. In Chapter 13, Christine expresses her fascination with the passion of the Phantom:
Unlock with LitCharts A+On the contrary, I moved closer to him, attracted, fascinated: in the midst of such passion, death itself became appealing … But before I died I wanted to gaze upon the hidden face that must have been transfigured by eternal art, so as to take this sublime image with me to my grave. I wanted to see the face of the Voice and instinctively, for I was no longer mistress of myself, my fingers tore away his mask. Oh! Horror! Horror! Horror!
Related Themes:
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—Madness:
Many characters in Phantom of the Opera either lose or question their sanity. For example, when Christine first hears Erik's voice, she believes she is hearing her father's "Angel of Music" or even her father himself. In Chapter 13, she tries to describe the effects of Erik's music:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I cannot tell you the effect that this music had upon me: it sang of eternal life at the very moment when nearby poor wretches, crushed by the chandelier, breathed their last. I felt as if the Voice commanded me, personally, to come, to rise up and go forth. As he moved away from me, I followed. “Come! And believe in me!” I believed in him and followed … and as I moved forward – this was the extraordinary thing – my dressing-room seemed to grow longer, longer … It must have been some odd trick of the light, for the mirror was before me … And then, suddenly, I found myself somewhere else without knowing how!
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Passion:
The Phantom of the Opera brims with displays of passion. Most of them are directed at Christine Daaé, the beautiful and talented Swedish soprano. In Chapter 13, Christine expresses her fascination with the passion of the Phantom:
Unlock with LitCharts A+On the contrary, I moved closer to him, attracted, fascinated: in the midst of such passion, death itself became appealing … But before I died I wanted to gaze upon the hidden face that must have been transfigured by eternal art, so as to take this sublime image with me to my grave. I wanted to see the face of the Voice and instinctively, for I was no longer mistress of myself, my fingers tore away his mask. Oh! Horror! Horror! Horror!
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Music as Power:
Throughout The Phantom of the Opera, characters use music to gain power and control. For example, Christine's music is so powerfully enchanting that Erik falls in love with her for it. Erik also uses music to enslave Christine; in Chapter 2, they have an emotional exchange about music and love:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"Christine, you must love me!"
Christine, as if in tears, replied in a pained, trembling voice: "How can you say that? I sing only for you!"
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Dreams:
Throughout The Phantom of the Opera, strange events make characters question whether they are dreaming. For example, Christine describes her imprisonment in Chapter 13 as follows:
Unlock with LitCharts A+When I woke up, I was alone, lying on a chaise longue in a simple bedroom hung with calico and furnished with a plain mahogany bed; a lamp was burning on the marble top of an old Louis-Philippe chest of drawers. Where was I? I passed my hand over my eyes as if to dispel a bad dream. Alas, I soon realized that this was no dream. I was a prisoner and the only outlet from my room led to a well-appointed bathroom with hot and cold water a-plenty.
Related Themes:
Chapter 20
Explanation and Analysis—The Labyrinth:
The labyrinth appears as a recurring motif throughout The Phantom of the Opera. The many passageways in the opera house serve as conduits for the Phantom's sinister activity. In Chapter 20, Raoul says passionately to the Persian:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"This wall, this floor, this ceiling might conceal him! There’s no knowing where he might be. Just now, he may have an eye to this keyhole, an ear to this beam." And the Persian, asking Raoul to tread quietly, led him down passageways that he had never seen before, even when Christine had taken him on rambles through this labyrinth.
Related Themes:
Chapter 27
Explanation and Analysis—The Labyrinth:
The labyrinth appears as a recurring motif throughout The Phantom of the Opera. The many passageways in the opera house serve as conduits for the Phantom's sinister activity. In Chapter 20, Raoul says passionately to the Persian:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"This wall, this floor, this ceiling might conceal him! There’s no knowing where he might be. Just now, he may have an eye to this keyhole, an ear to this beam." And the Persian, asking Raoul to tread quietly, led him down passageways that he had never seen before, even when Christine had taken him on rambles through this labyrinth.
Related Themes:
