Heroic Journey, Archetypal Functions, and Mythological Elements in "Phantom"

		  an adacemic thesis by Heather Sullivan, c.1999

				*	*	*


	The heroic journey in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical  "The Phantom of the 

Opera" can be mapped out, although the plot does not follow Vogler's form 

precisely.  The major deviation from the form begins with the frustration of the 

Reward and continues from this point on by interrupting the Road Back with 

several skirmishes between Erik ("the Phantom") and his adversaries, reaching a 

critical point with a second Ordeal, and closing with an unusual variation of 

the Return with the Elixir.  Similarly, archetypes are used in many of the 

principal characters, although several characters display more than one 

archetype and Erik himself displays nearly all of them.  For this reason, Erik 

will be treated as the Hero in this discussion.

	"Phantom"'s Ordinary World is represented in the first scene by a 

rehearsal.  A two-fold disruption in rehearsal, however, functions as the Call 

to Adventure. The first disturbance is the arrival of Messieurs André and 

Firmin, who have recently purchased the Opera from the former manager, Monsieur 

Lefèvre.  The second disruption is a synchronicity, a seeming accident;(1) as 

Carlotta, the leading soprano, sings her aria, a piece of scenery falls from 

above and nearly hits her.  Furious, Carlotta informs the new managers that she 

will not sing in the Opera again until they stop these mysterious "accidents," 

and storms out.

	Carlotta's departure functions as a further Call for young Christine Daaé, 

a member of the chorus who has recently been taking lessons from an unknown 

teacher. Mme. Giry, the ballet mistress who is already taking on the role of 

mentor, advises the frazzled managers to let Christine sing for them and prove 

herself as a suitable replacement for Carlotta.  Christine is reticent at first, 

and Refuses the Call; but with pressure from the company she finally relents.  

As Giry promised, Christine's voice is remarkable, and Christine is engaged to 

sing in Carlotta's place at the gala that evening.  At the performance, the 

aristocratic young Raoul de Changy is enchanted by Christine, who he had known 

as a child but has not seen in years.

	After the opera is over, Raoul visits Christine in her dressing room and 

renews his acquaintance with her.  Christine tells Raoul that she has been 

taking singing lessons from an invisible maestro, who she believes to be the 

"Angel of Music" sent to her by her recently deceased father.  Raoul invites 

Christine to dinner and she tries to refuse, but he will allow no excuses and 

leaves her to change her clothes.  As soon as Raoul is gone, Christine is 

reproached by the voice of Erik, who is of course both Christine's mysterious 

teacher and the legendary Phantom of the Opera.  Erik's voice is disembodied, as 

he speaks to Christine through the huge mirror in her dressing room.

	The scene that ensues is the Crossing of the First Threshold, where Erik 

helps Christine cross out of her world and into his.(2) At first he is angry 

that she has entertained another man, but Christine professes her faithfulness 

while pleading with Erik to let her see him.  He finally agrees, opens a secret 

door behind her mirror, and leads her down into the labyrinthine passages of the 

Opera House.  Raoul returns and knocks at the door, but the Guardian has been 

foiled; Christine has disappeared.

	Although the whole of the Opera House is Erik's realm - he knows all its 

secrets and can lurk unseen in any place he chooses - his secret house in the 

fifth cellar is at the epicenter of the Special World.  It can also be 

recognized as the Inmost Cave, both literally and figuratively: it is actually 

at the very bottom of the Opera House, concealed five levels below the street.  

It is also the destination of the Approach.  As Erik and Christine descend, they 

sing of the music that they share.  It becomes clear to the audience that Erik 

desires Christine for more than her voice, and also that he inspires more than 

just song in the young woman.  

	Once Erik and Christine reach his underground home, the Approach continues 

as Erik sings "The Music of the Night."  In this musical courtship ritual, Erik 

tries to show Christine that the beauty in his music is really just the 

reflection of the beauty in his soul.  "Turn your face away from the garish 

light of day; / Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light -  / And 

listen to the music of the night," he entreats her.(3)  His chance of winning 

Christine's heart is balanced upon "inner beauty," since he has a horribly 

deformed face that he hides constantly beneath a white mask.

	Another notable aspect of "The Music of the Night" is that it contains an 

invitation to Another Special World.  Erik speaks of his music as creating a new 

existence for him and Christine; "Let your soul take you where you long to be 

... / Only then can you belong to me." (4) It seems that she is the Threshold 

Guardian to this place, for all it would take to get there is Christine's 

acceptance of the offer.  With tender urgency he sings this song, making an 

Emotional Appeal to a Guardian as he begs her to love him as he loves her.(5)

	At this point, it is obvious that Christine is faced with a choice.  She 

vacillates, obviously torn between Erik's offers, which interest her, and the 

stories she has heard about the Phantom of the Opera, who is feared by almost 

everyone in the Opera company.  Her indecision is visible at many points during 

this scene; several times she nearly allows Erik to embrace her, then pulls away 

suddenly, only to return to him a few moments later.

	The critical point, or Ordeal, comes in the next scene, when Christine is 

overcome with curiosity and tears Erik's mask away.  Beneath it, Erik's face is 

so deformed it is almost not human, and she is frightened.  Her fear is 

compounded by Erik's almost violent anger at her betrayal of his trust.  His 

ugliness and his rage unfortunately demonize him, making him seem evil to 

Christine and nearly destroying the effects of the Approach from the previous 

scene.(6)  Realizing that he has frightened Christine, Erik falls to the floor 

in supplication and begs her forgiveness in another emotional appeal, calling 

himself a "repulsive carcass who seems a beast, but secretly dreams of beauty."  

He entreats her to "learn to see, to find the man behind the monster," and then 

buries his head in his hands, sobbing.(7)  His appeal may be partially 

successful; Christine gives Erik back his mask and after he replaces it, she is 

still reaching for him.  When he takes her outstretched hand, however, he helps 

her to her feet and tells her that they must return to the world above.

	At this point in Vogler's mythic journey, the hero would have earned his 

Reward by facing the Ordeal.  Erik, however, is denied his reward because his 

actions have formed a rift between him and his beloved Christine.  He returns 

her to her world, turning his Road Back into a regression to the beginning of 

his quest where hopes to wipe out the mistake he made by frightening her.  

However, his error does much to frustrate the quest; even though he seems to 

intend to start again with Christine, she has been terrified enough to make her 

vulnerable to Raoul, whose later promises to protect her from the "monster" 

begin to poison her mind against her friend and teacher.

	Meanwhile, as Christine and Erik are still far beneath the Opera House, a 

scene ensues in the mangers' office that identifies Enemies and Friends.  The 

managers are frustrated by Erik's never-ending demands; their predecessor 

granted "The Phantom" his every whim and now they are trapped in the precedent.   

Raoul is also present, angry because Erik has instructed him never to see 

Christine again.  Finally, the diva Carlotta is displeased that this "Phantom" 

has made Christine his protégé, since Christine's talent is a threat to 

Carlotta's career.  As the four discuss the state of affairs, Madame Giry enters 

the room to deliver a note from Erik that demands Christine be given Carlotta's 

role in an upcoming performance, "Il Muto."  The Italian diva is insulted; 

Firmin and André turn on their charm and sing "Prima Donna," flattering her in 

hopes that she will stay on despite the Phantom's trickery.  Meanwhile, Raoul 

presses Mme. Giry for information about the Phantom, whom he guesses may also be 

Christine's anonymous tutor.  She warns Raoul not to interfere with Erik, as 

unpleasantness could result. By the end of the song, however, the managers, 

Raoul and Carlotta sing determinedly that they will refuse the Phantom's demands 

despite Mme. Giry's advice.  In this scene, Raoul arises as Erik's chief enemy 

and rival for Christine's affection; Carlotta and the managers likewise unite 

and become the butt of much trickery at Erik's hand.  Mme. Giry retains her role 

of herald and mentor, although her warnings are ignored.

	The remainder of the show focuses primarily on the managers' attempts to 

defy Erik and the ways in which he foils them.  When Carlotta tries to sing in 

"Il Muto," he causes her to croak like a toad.  He also threatens to drop the 

chandelier on the audience.  In the pandemonium, Raoul takes Christine by the 

hand and spirits her away to the roof, where he declares his love for her and 

vows to protect her from Erik.  Christine, still badly frightened from Erik's 

reaction to being unmasked, falls prey to the Vicomte's persuasion and allows 

him to kiss her before dashing away to replace Carlotta onstage.  Little does 

she know that Erik had observed the whole scene; furious at her betrayal and 

suffering from the love that kills,(8) he drops the chandelier to the stage at 

her very feet, bringing the first act to a dramatic close.

	The majority of the second act deals with a new demand Erik has made of 

the management: perform an opera he has written, "Don Juan Triumphant," in which 

he insists that Christine play the leading role.  Raoul and the managers hatch a 

plot to capture Erik, since they know that if Christine sings he will surely 

attend.  Thinking only of their desire to nab the man who has been causing them 

so much annoyance, the men force Christine to take the part even though she 

strongly objects to it.

	The performance of Erik's opera is therefore transformed into a showdown, 

a fight to the death between Erik and his enemies, led by Raoul.(9)  The Vicomte 

fills the theatre with armed guards, but Erik slips the trap, strangles the lead 

tenor and replaces him onstage to sing a duet with Christine.  Again, his song 

is full of promises to Christine if she will only give herself to him; again, 

she seems to be poised to step across the Threshold, for she takes the ring he 

offers her and places it on her wedding-ring finger.  At the last moment, 

however, she reaches out and pulls his mask away.  In response, he swirls his 

cloak around her and they disappear into the labyrinth below, precipitating a 

chase scene.   Raoul prevails upon Madame Giry to guide him through the cellars 

of the theatre and attempts to penetrate Erik's underground lair.  A mob 

follows, eager to avenge the death of the lead tenor and exact revenge for 

months of annoyance.

	Erik, meanwhile, has finally snapped under the pressure of his doomed 

quest to win Christine's heart.  He is, as Vogler would say, going psycho;(10) 

he rants about how compassionless the world is and how even his mother caused 

him to suffer cruel rejection because of his deformity.  The audience cringes in 

realization that they have also judged Erik, have rooted against him because he 

is ugly and friendless.  Even Christine seems to see the error in her ways, for 

she reaches out to him; but he knocks her hand away and forces a wedding veil 

onto her head.  He does not want her pity; he wants her love.  And he will have 

it, even if he has to kill Raoul.

	The Vicomte has reached Erik's portcullis by this point and cries through 

it, demanding in the name of "compassion" and "pity" that Erik let him in to see 

Christine.(11)  Erik raises the portcullis; but as Raoul races toward Christine, 

Erik catches him by the throat with a noose that strings him up tightly.  Erik, 

now completely out of control, presents Christine with the ultimate Ordeal: if 

she chooses to stay with Erik the Vicomte may go free, but to choose her own 

freedom spells death for Raoul.  He heralds the climax to Christine:  "This is 

the choice!  This is the point of no return!"(12)

	A cathartic moment follows; while Erik mocks his rival and Raoul begs 

Christine to save herself from Erik at all costs, Christine herself explores her 

own feelings for Erik in a song that begins softly but ends with her spewing 

forth emotions she has probably never realized until this moment.(13)  Finally 

and unexpectedly, Christine throws her arms around Erik and kisses him full on 

the lips.  The kiss lasts a long time and in the end Erik is shaking, completely 

undone by the selflessness of her action and the touch of her lips.  The kiss is 

Erik's Reward and also his Resurrection.  He has been dead to the world for so 

long, living alone in the darkness without human companionship, but with one 

kiss he has been restored to life through Christine's love.

	The choice made, Erik releases Raoul; then, in a burst of emotion, he 

sends Christine away with the young man.  A moment later, however, Christine 

returns with Erik's ring and finds him sobbing into the wedding veil which she 

dropped as she kissed him.  She holds out her hand and he takes it for a moment, 

whispering that he loves her; she fights back tears and runs offstage.  Through 

the portcullis the audience can see Raoul taking Christine back with him to the 

world above; on stage, however, Erik sobs his last declaration of love for 

Christine.  Crying, "You alone can make my song take flight ... It's over now, 

the music of the night!" he swirls his cloak around himself and disappears.

	This final scene qualifies Erik as the Hero by clearly framing his 

sacrifice.  He trades the Elixir of his love for the Elixir of Tragedy.(14)  

Despite having won Christine, he is unable to keep her to himself in his home 

underground.  He loves her, and has learned that loving means allowing one's 

beloved to be free.  Believing Raoul to be what Christine truly wants and 

ignoring the implications of the kiss she gave him, Erik sends her away and then 

disappears, having no reason to continue existing without her.  Herein lies his 

heroic sacrifice, but also a second Resurrection; he escapes death at the hands 

of the mob and will probably live forever in Christine's heart.

	The characters in "Phantom" all display archetypal influences; Erik, 

however, is the most complex of them.  He is a wounded anti-hero, rejected by 

society because of his deformity; perhaps he is even a tragic hero, whose flaw 

lies in the anger and bitterness that his solitary life has cultivated in 

him.(15)  He is certainly a loner hero, whose journey leads him out his isolated 

underground domain into the world above as he courts Christine.(16)  Finally, 

although he does seem to learn something about love in the course of the 

musical, he seems mostly a catalyst hero, forcing others to act and waiting for 

the perfect opportunity to frustrate their plans.(17)

	He may also be seen as a shadow; his very appellation, "the Phantom," 

insinuates this role.  Erik, mature, reserved and crafty, is most obviously a 

darker version of the young, hotheaded and impetuous Raoul; although they are 

fundamentally opposites, they share the same all-consuming hatred for each other 

and the same desire for Christine.  However, Erik may also be seen as a shadow 

of Christine, and this could be why she is so drawn to him.  She is innocent 

while he is knowledgeable; she is beautiful and docile, but he is ugly and 

passionate.  He seems to hold secrets that Christine, in her innocence, cannot 

unlock alone; therefore she allows him to become her mentor.(18)  At first a 

replacement for her dead father, Erik gradually becomes a different kind of 

teacher to Christine.  The Approach in "The Music of the Night" insinuates that 

coming events will change Erik from maestro into sexual initiator, but the 

ritual is disrupted by the unmasking and Erik's subsequent rage, killing the 

chance of a union between the two.

	Vogler discusses the shadow as the wearer of a mask;(19) in Erik's case, 

the description could not be more fitting.  He wears his literal mask for most 

of the musical, and other figurative ones when it suits him. At first, he 

manifests himself to Christine as a disembodied voice that speaks to her in her 

dressing room.  At her insistence, he manifests himself to her as a human being; 

this action changes him, in Christine's eyes, from the "Angel of Music" into a 

man.  He also uses the name, "the Phantom of the Opera," which is in effect a 

mask he dons when he wants to frighten some member of the Opera into letting him 

have his way.  Along the same lines, Erik is also a trickster; he amuses himself 

by foiling the managers' plots to dispose of him, and delights in making life 

difficult for Carlotta, whom he dislikes.  All of these tricks are acts of 

manipulation, intended to intimidate and subsequently control the entire Opera 

company.  Since the managers seem to play into Erik's hands at every turn, it is 

probably safe to assume that he is successful in his goal.

	The character of Christine can also be explored in terms of archetypes.  

In her interactions with Erik, she is a Threshold Guardian; all that stands in 

the way of their romance is her indecisiveness.  On this score, Christine can be 

labeled a reluctant heroine; the plot of the musical's second act might be 

viewed as a miniature journey that Christine undertakes as she is called to take 

part in the scheme to capture Erik.  As a reluctant heroine, Christine's 

greatest flaw is lack;(20) she obviously suffers from the deprivation of her 

father.  In attempts to meet with her lost mentor, she goes so far as to hold 

vigil at his grave, hoping for some contact.  He does not speak to her, but Erik 

does; he seems to offer to pick up where her father left off and usher her over 

the threshold of childhood to maturity through the physical bond of love.

	Raoul functions in the plot largely as Erik's nemesis or rival; he is the 

major obstacle to Erik's quest to win Christine's love.  He also serves as a 

herald and threshold guardian at the beginning of the musical; his arrival on 

the scene foretells trouble for Erik's suit, but our Hero manages to spirit 

Christine away from her dressing room before Raoul has the chance to stake a 

physical claim to her.  During the second act of the musical, Raoul reverts to 

herald as he issues a challenge to Erik in the form of the rigged opera.(21)

	Erik's other enemies can all be categorized as archetypal fools.  Vogler 

does not discuss fools as an archetype, but it is hard to deny that the managers 

or Carlotta are silly, foppish "type characters" whose main purposes in the plot 

are solely comic.

	Erik's greatest ally is the herald, Madame Giry.  The ballet mistress has 

some prior knowledge of Erik that is never fully explained, and throughout the 

course of the musical she attempts to share it with the other characters.  

Although no one heeds her warnings until it is too late, Raoul turns to her in 

the final scenes and makes her his mentor by begging her for help in locating 

Erik's secret home.

	References to mythology abound in "Phantom."  Erik, who cloaks himself in 

darkness and rules his own cheerless underground realm, is a direct parallel to 

Hades; he even refers to himself at one point as "the angel in Hell."  

He ventures into the world above to abduct his beloved Christine, whose 

innocence and beauty make her a clear representation of Persephone.  The ever-

vigilant Mme. Giry could correspond with Helios in the Persephone myth, as the 

sun god is the one who divulges the location of the kidnapped maiden.  Raoul can 

even be loosley compared to Demeter, who stubbornly believes that no love exists 

between her daughter and Hades and seeks to separate them at all costs.  As with 

Christine and Erik, we have no clear evidence that Persephone loves her dark 

husband; we also have no evidence that she does not.

	The last and probably most visual connection between "Phantom" and 

mythology is the decoration of the theatre where the musical itself is 

performed.  The proscenium pillars sport many images of satyrs or similar half-

man, half-beast creatures, and the arch is ornamented by a huge sculpture of two 

of these creatures as they apparently abduct two young women while a third 

sprouts wings and flies away.  These figures may be references to the tale of 

the Rape of the Sabine Women, who, like Persephone and Christine, were carried 

away by dark men in masks.




Notes
------------------- 
1 Vogler, Christopher.  The Writer's Journey (Studio City, CA: Michale Wiese 
Productions, 1998), 100.
2 Vogler, 150.
3 Webber, Andrew Lloyd and Charles Hart.  "The Phantom of the Opera" (London: 
Really Useful Group, Inc., 1986), scene I.v.
4 Ibid.
5 Vogler, 150.
6 Vogler, 168.
7 Webber and Hart, scene I.iv.
8 Vogler, 173-4.
9 Volger, 206-7
10 Vogler, 174-5.
11 Webber and Hart, scene II.ix.
12 Ibid.
13 Vogler, 210.
14 Vogler, 228-9.
15 Vogler, 41-2.
16 Vogler, 43.
17 Vogler, 44.
18 Vogler, 72-3.
19 Vogler, 72.
20 Vogler, 103.
21 Vogler, 62.