In general, The Phantom of the Opera expresses several ultimate contradictions that are common in human society: soul and appearance, beauty and ugliness, otherness and self.
Before discussing these issues, I would like to first discuss who caused this tragedy? Some people say that Christine chose Raoul because of his young and handsome appearance and prominent family background, and she actually loves Phantom in her heart. Undoubtedly, the Phantom has an irresistible attraction to Christine. This attraction is an almost instinctive impulse. In the world of music, they feel each other's souls. Only in the world of music can the Phantom forget the world. Hate, become kind and gentle. It's just that they can't indulge in the world of music forever, and Phantom can't forget the pain and hatred of the world, and those hatreds have already corroded his heart. That distorted face made him grow up in the abuse of the circus and the dark sewers. It was not his fault, but those indifferent and selfish people still ruthlessly regarded him as a devil, and finally let the person under the distorted face The soul is also twisted. When the Phantom killed the man in the circus for the first time, his heart was already full of hatred and resentment. And when he saw Christine, who had just lost his father and was also lonely, the compassion and kindness in his heart made him stretch out his hands to the pure and innocent Christine, teach her to sing, and fall in love with this pure and innocent Christine. Girl, and this kind of love also stems from the yearning for love and beauty that still remains deep in his heart. We have reason to believe that those who can write such beautiful operas must yearn for beauty, and those who can sing such beautiful music must also be full of love. But unfortunately, the Phantom's love is only given to Christine and music. For the world, he only has hatred. His experience made him no longer believe in the beauty and goodness of the world. He kills without blinking an eye, and other people's lives depend on him. It's just like grass in his eyes. It is true that this is largely caused by the intolerant society, but for the phantom who has lost his basic respect for life, even if Christine appreciates and admires his talent, he can't. Tolerate his murder and trampling of innocent lives. Even if those people deserve to die, there is no one who can do justice in place of God. The result of using violence to control violence can only be to replace the previous evil with a new evil clothed with goodwill. Therefore, the relationship between Phantom and Christine is destined to be a tragedy. This tragedy is largely caused by the cruelty and intolerance of that society, and it is also caused by Phantom's own choice. He could have used his passion for music and Love drives out those hatreds in my heart, but in the end it sinks deeper and deeper, making myself live in pain and hatred all my life.
So, after clarifying the general context, let's first discuss the first pair of contradictions, soul and appearance: when Christine took off the mask of the Phantom for the first time, she did react the same as most people, fear, I think This is a very normal reaction, and later, she was indeed still attracted by the Phantom's singing, and couldn't help following him. Between Raoul's date and the Phantom's invitation, she chose the latter, but , when she discovered the hatred and darkness in his heart, she left him in pain. Rather than the Phantom's face scaring Kristen away, the hatred in his soul scares her away. As for Raoul, it is undeniable that Kristin was indeed attracted by Raoul's handsome appearance, as well as his gentlemanly demeanor and thoughtfulness; but, on the other hand, the deep soul and the Phantom were produced by music The resonance made her hesitate and hesitant to make a choice. Perhaps at the last moment, Christine succumbed to her eyes and chose a beautiful appearance. But unfortunately, I think the film does not give a description of his inner world, but only highlights his handsome and extraordinary appearance, which can be considered a failure, but perhaps the director also wants to reveal a kind of appearance and soul through this. Contradictory, but the soul of the Phantom is not perfect and beautiful, so if there is a display of Raoul's inner world, it may make the film's handling of this contradiction more profound. Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and I may not fully understand the director's intention. The question of soul and appearance has always been a topic of discussion since ancient times. Quasimodo of Notre Dame de Paris has a beautiful and kind heart under his ugly appearance, but he can only live in the attic of the church. , to be a silent bell ringer, but also to endure the ridicule and insults of the world, while those sanctimonious hypocrites have done their best. By seeing the soul through the exterior and seeing the world with the heart instead of the eyes, maybe we can be true to our inner choice and voice.
Beauty and ugliness. In Aristotle's aesthetic thought, he believed that harmony is based on the concept of an organic whole: the arrangement of each part shows the proportion and order of size, and only when a coherent whole is formed can harmony appear. Music, on the other hand, is considered to be the most harmonious and "the most imitative art". Music reflects the mood the most directly, and moves the soul most directly. It is precisely because of this that the singing and music of the Phantom will be very helpful to the Ristine had such an impact to make her so obsessed. Aristotle believed that the rhythm and harmony of music cannot be seen only in terms of form, but in relation to the moral character or mood he expresses. Thus, the still-loving and beautiful music of The Phantom's early days is still very infectious, and when he wrote "Don Juan's Triumph" in his final despair, that music had already begun to terrify Christine , because the Phantom's heart full of hatred is undoubtedly revealed in the music. At this point, we can see that beauty never exists alone. It is true that a bright appearance can be called beauty, but that kind of beauty is short-lived and easy to pass away, and the heart comes from a kind of kindness and harmony. The beauty of love can last for a long time. Perhaps, because of its ugly appearance, the Phantom ignored the beautiful heart that could have been, and chose hatred and hatred, and finally went to a point of no return, and lost Christine. And Christine herself seems to be attracted by the beauty of the appearance, forgetting the true meaning of beauty in the heart, and thus missing her true love. Beauty and ugliness, in the final analysis, are the beauty and ugliness of the soul, not the appearance. They are obsessed with the appearance of the outside and ignore the true beauty of the heart. It is not only Christine, but the sorrow of the whole world.
The last pair of contradictions, the other and the self. This contradiction is concentrated in Phantom and Christine. Phantom's upbringing experience is very tragic. Because of his ugly face, he has been rejected and abused. Although he is almost the only one living in his world, the other However, the shadow of him affects him all the time. Those hatreds stem from his inability to forget those humiliations and abuses. He has a deep sense of distrust of the world. On the other hand, he is always trying to manipulate others, such as telling the theater manager what to do, or even killing the twister who tried to find him. He judges on behalf of God, thinking that he is the embodiment of justice and truth. A very extreme form of self-preservation. In the process of dialogue with the world, he always put the self and the other in hostile opposition, unable to reconcile. As for Christine, she is wandering between inner choices and external pressures. According to the world's opinion, she should marry Raoul, but she is deeply infatuated with Phantom. Of course, this infatuation It is very complicated. According to Freud, she met Phantom when she had just lost her father, and regarded him as a musical angel sent by her father. Her feelings for him naturally included a kind of love for her father, which is also known as "Erictra Complex"; in addition, the admiration for his musical talent, and the resonance of the soul generated by music. This also explains why the old Raoul will put the Phantom's things in front of Christine's tomb in the end. Perhaps, in her heart, she has never forgotten the Phantom.
The whole play makes people feel a kind of helpless sadness. The sadness is not that Christine did not choose the Phantom with a voice loyal to his soul, but that even if he chooses, he may not be happy, because the beauty itself is incomplete and hated. How can eroded beauty nourish aromatic love? Christine is sad because she will never be able to be with the person she loves; Phantom is sad because he allows hatred to erode his ability to love; Raoul is sad because she cannot be with Christine like the Phantom. The exchange of souls; the world is sad because they are blinded by glasses and lose the ability to discover beauty and care for beauty, and ultimately lead to tragedy.
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