The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera (Le Fantôme de l’Opéra in French) is a French novel by Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialization in Le Gaulois from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910. It is believed to have been inspired by George du Maurier's Trilby. It was translated into English in 1911. It has since been adapted many times into film and stage productions, the most notable of which was Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical, which is now the longest running Broadway show in history, and the most lucrative entertainment enterprise of all time, its worldwide box office over the past 20 years out-grossing even the highest grossing film in history, Titanic.

The story is about a man named Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, an eccentric, physically deformed genius who terrorizes the Opera Garnier. He builds his home beneath it and takes the love of his life, a beautiful soprano, under his wing.

Plot summary

The Phantom of The Opera is a Gothic novel, combining romance, horror fiction, mystery, tragedy, comedy, and adventure.

Leroux's original 1910 novel, is set in late 19th century Paris at the Opera Garnier (The Paris Opera aka The National Academy of Music), which was built between 1857 and 1874. During building, it became necessary to pump underground water from the foundation pit of the building, creating a huge subterranean lake. The employees claim that the opera house is haunted by a mysterious ghost who wreaks chaos and destruction when displeased. Erik, a horribly disfigured musical genius known as the "Phantom of the Opera" (Opera Ghost in the Mattos and Bair translation), uses this facade to send the managers of the Opera Garnier repeated threats of catastrophe should they not pay him a monthly salary of 20,000 francs and perpetually reserve Box Five for him at every show. This arrangement, unbroken during the many years of the manager's tenure, is abruptly terminated when two new proprietors, Armand Moncharmin and Firmin Richard, take over the opera house and refuse to give in to what they view as the empty threats, thinking that it is a practical joke by former managers.

Meanwhile, Erik has taken on a protégée, Christine Daaé. He explains to her that he is the "Angel of Music," a heavenly spirit sent by her dead father to help her, and proceeds to give her regular voice lessons through the wall of her remote dressing room. Under the tutelage of her new teacher, Christine makes rapid progress in her vocal studies and mysteriously achieves sudden prominence on stage when she is selected to replace the current prima donna Carlotta, whose act is sabotaged by the Phantom. Christine out-sings Carlotta in her featured debut and immediately wins the hearts of the audience, including that of her childhood sweetheart, Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny.

Erik becomes envious of Christine's relationship with Raoul and finally appears to her in person, wearing a mask to hide his features. He takes her to his dark world beneath the opera house. Christine quickly finds that there is nothing angelic about Erik; she learns with disappointment that he is "neither an angel nor a genius," only that he and the ghost are one and the same (and comes to know him as malicious, volatile, dangerous and somewhat bitter, yet also brilliant and pitiful). She is infuriated at having been deceived, and demands to be set free. Erik promises to release her after five days. After some awkward moments (dining by herself while he watches, being shown his room which looks like a death chamber, his bed a coffin...) Erik and Christine eventually begin a duet from Othello, and Christine rips off his mask, dying of curiosity. "If I live to be one hundred, I should always hear that superhuman cry of grief and rage which he uttered before that terrible sight reached my eyes," Christine later tells Raoul. The Phantom is furious at having his deformity exposed to someone who he thought could love him. He threatens to keep her in his lair forever, but later changes his mind. Christine is released, but only after promising to return by her own will and swearing never to give her love to anyone else. Christine does return out of pity and fear.

But Erik isn't the only one who is envious. After Christine's debut performance, Raoul overhears her succumbing to a tyrannical, disembodied voice in her dressing room (Erik). He becomes suspicious that another man is taking advantage of her innocent belief in an "Angel of Music" in order to seduce her. He starts spying on her in an attempt to find the mysterious seducer. Christine suddenly becomes aware of this and is very angry, but after Erik reveals himself to be the Ghost (and after Raoul's threat of suicide), she decides to tell Raoul, on the roof of the Opera Garnier, everything that has happened between her and Erik. The two of them plan to run away from Paris and the "horror of Erik".

Erik eavesdrops on their conversation, and comes up with another one of his ingenious plans of action. He abducts Christine from the stage during her final performance at the Opera Garnier as Margarita in Gounod's Faust, at the point where Christine, as Margarita, is appealing to the angels to carry her soul to heaven (the aria is best known as "Anges purs, anges radieux"). Raoul follows them down into the depths of the cavern beneath the opera house, and is guided to Erik's house by a character known as the Persian. Unfortunately for both of them, the route they take to Erik's house leads instead to a torture chamber (a catoptric cistula), where they are captured by Erik. Raoul and the Persian listen helplessly as Erik rages at Christine, accusing her of lying to him and betraying him. He threatens that should Christine not marry him, he will explode the Opera Garnier. Christine, already on the brink of suicide, sadly accepts his proposal at 11pm the next night, Erik's "deadline."

Eventually, Christine shows Erik genuine sympathy and displays her love for him by crying with him, not running away when he takes off his mask, and even kisses him on the forehead. This granted Erik a happiness he never thought possible. In despair, Erik releases Raoul and Christine and gives them his blessings to marry. He asks only that Christine come back after his death, and bury him with the ring he gave her. Erik dies three weeks after he lets Christine and Raoul go.

Right before his death, Erik delivers a dramatic monologue expressing his grief, in which he describes how Christine was the only woman to let him kiss her, his brief euphoria when she kissed him, his despair at having the love of his life betrothed to another, and his gratitude to the Persian Daroga Nadir, who once saved his life. This is the only part of the novel written in Erik's perspective. He dedicates his death to his beloved Christine Daaé.

The History of Erik

See Erik, the Phantom of the Opera.

Illustrations

• The original French book publication of 1910 was illustrated with 5 oil paintings by André Castaigne. These paintings served as an inspiration for the 1925 film, and have appeared in many subsequent reprintings and translations.
• An adaptation by Shannon Donnelly was illustrated by Robert Schoolcraft.
• An adaptation of the French original by Kate McMullan was illustrated by Paul Jennis.
• The Essential Phantom of the Opera translated and annotated by Leonard Wolf was illustrated by Max Douglas.
• An adaptation by Doris Dickens was illustrated by Wayne Anderson.
• An adaptation by Peter F. Neumeyer was illustrated by Don Weller.
• A Leather-Bound Collectors Edition translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos published after the success of Webber's was illustrated by Rick Daskam.
• Greg Hildebrandt's illustrations was published by Unicorn Pub House.
• Rachel Perkins has her illustrations published on her website. [1]
• An adaptation by Jenny Dooley was illustrated by Nathan.

Editions of the Original Novel

• 1911 The Phantom of the Opera translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. Published by Bobbs-Merrill (America) and Mills and Boon (Britain). Contains 5 color plates by André Castaigne. Hard cover.
• 1926 Operaens Hemmelighed translated into Norwegian/Danish by Anna Høyer. Published by V. Pios Boghandel (Norway) - Povl Branner (Denmark). Front cover with Norman Kerry and Marry Philiben from the motion picture from 1925 with Lon Chaney on the cover with red background. No illustrations. Hard Cover.
• 1943 The Phantom of the Opera translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. Published by Dell Publishing.
• 1970 Fantóm Opery translated into Czech by J.V. Svoboda. Published by Ivo Železný.
• 1987 The Phantom of the Opera translated into English by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. Published HarperPerennial, a division of HarperCollins Publishers. The front cover shows the title in broken glass and a red rose next to it (a trademark of Really Useful Group) and a white mask (another trademark of Really Useful Group) with a black background. No illustrations. Soft Cover. ISBN 0-06-080924-8. Includes a bonus chapter about the Paris Opera written by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. Misspelled Le Fantóme (it's supposed to be Le Fantôme).
• 1988 Fantomen på Operan translated into Swedish by Ulla Hornborg. (Translated from the English translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos). Published by Trevi
• 1990 Fantomen på Operan translated into Swedish by Ulla Hornborg. Published by Trevi (Translated from the English translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos). Black cover with a painted half-mask on the cover and an eye on the opposite side of the mask. No illustrations. Hard cover. ISBN 91-7160-938-5
• 1990 February The Phantom of the Opera translated into English by Lowell Bair. Published by Bantam Books. Front cover shows Erik taking Christine over the underground lake with a blue background. No illustrations. Soft Cover. ISBN 0-553-21376-8. Forgets the ^ over the o in Le Fantôme.
• 1995 The Phantom of the Opera (Wordsworth Collection) translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. Published by NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company
• 1995 The Phantom of the Opera translated into English by Alexander Teixiera de Mattos. Published by Penguin Books. On the front cover by James Pryde is Lumber: A Silhouette. Soft Cover. ISBN 0-14-062174-1. Includes a bonus chapter about the Paris Opera written by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos.
• 1996 The Essential Phantom of the Opera translated into English by Leonard Wolf. Published by Plume.
• 1999 The sequel to The Phantom Of The Opera, "The Phantom Of Manhattan", was published in the year 1999 in the Bantam Press edition. The book is written by Frederick Forsyth, with the help of Andrew Lloyd-Webber.
• 2000 Fantomet i Operaen translated into Danish by Lea Brems. Published by Klim. Front cover is black with Erik's silhouette.
• 2001 Fantomet i Operaen translated into Danish by Lea Brems. Published for book clubs
• 2004 The Essential Phantom of the Opera translated into English by Leonard Wolf. Published by ibooks. Front cover by Sergio Matinez shows Erik taking Christine over the underground lake. Illustrations by Max Douglas. Soft Cover. ISBN 0-7434-9836-4. Includes an introduction and footnotes by Wolf. And lists of Leroux's works in English and French, and of some Phantom adaptations.
• 2004 October The Phantom of the Opera adapted into English by Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier. Published by Black Coat Press [2]. Front cover red/black with Erik's face as depicted in the original novel barely visible. Illustrated by 48 different illustrations by 48 different artists depicting anything from Lon Chaney, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom, Gaston Leroux or original concepts. Soft Cover. ISBN 1-932983-13-9. Also includes the original short story "His Father's Eyes" by the Lofficiers themselves.
• 2005 Fantomet i Operaet translated into Danish by Lea Brems. Published by Klim. Front cover is a picture from Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Where Gerard Butler is taking Emmy Rossum to his lair. Only illustration is a picture from the opening night of the Paris Opera. Soft Cover. ISBN 87-7955-384-2. Afterword by Peter Haning, original published 1985. Wrongfully says that Le Fantôme was published in 1911.

Adaptations

See The Phantom of the Opera (adaptations) for a complete list of Phantom-inspired works.

References

There have been literally hundreds of literary and dramatic works based on Phantom, ranging from light operas to films to children's books. The best known stage and screen adaptations of the novel are probably the 1925 silent film version starring Lon Chaney and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Among novels, Susan Kay's 1990 Phantom is one of the best known and most beloved by aficionados, particularly for its in-depth study of Erik's life and experiences.

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