Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

setting of Phantom     The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

Phantom of the Opera begins in 1881, at the Paris Opera, where the main character Christine Daae resides and works. The Phantom, Erik, has built a hidden chamber in which to hide his deformed face from the world (being the original contractor of the building).

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

view of Opera ghost    The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

"The Opera Ghost really existed. He was not, as was long believed, a creature of the imagination of the artists, the superstition of the managers, or a product of the absurd and impressionable brains of the young ladies of the ballet, their mothers, the box keepers, the cloak-room attendants or the concierge. Yes, he existed in flesh and blood, although he assumed the complete appearance of a real phantom; that is to say, of a spectral shade." This view (that the Opera Ghost was actually a paranormal, supernatural being) was brought about purely because of the Opera "ghost"s tendency to wear a mask, for indeed he was actually a man and not a ghost.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

the unmasking of Erik  The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

Once Erik is unmasked to Christine (after confessing his love for her) his demeanor completely changes, and he goes into a mad frenzy and crawls away and cries. This helps to support the idea that masks allow you to transform yourself into another person, and once Erik's mask was lifted off his face, he became again the emotionally scarred and physically deformed person that he started out as before the mask allowed him to take on the persona of the "Opera Ghost".

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

initial mask of Erik   The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

Erik, the Opera Ghost, first hides behind the persona (or mask!) of being the "Angel of Music" that Christine's father promised to send to her from heaven. 

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

Erik as Red Death      The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

At the Masquerade Ball, the Phantom appears dressed as the Red Death and demands his opera be performed. He rips Raoul's engagement ring from Christine's neck (enraged by her betrayal of his own engagement he forced upon her) and disappears. He exercises the power that his mask allows him to constantly terrify the guests and residents of the opera house.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

Don Juan Triumphant    The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

During the performance of Don Juan Triumphant (the Phantom's own creation), the Phantom himself appears as the lead male role, clearly and once again exercising the power and mystery that comes with wearing a mask. When he is unmasked onstage by Christine herself, he feels weak and exposed and flees to his lair underneath the opera with Christine in tow.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

versatility            The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

Erik spends half his time masked focusing on the romance of his life (focused on Christine) and the other half spent terrifying the opera managers and using his power to extort money from them. The mask he wears, and the reputation and persona it gives him to the residents of the Opera, give him the power to be versatile in his power and moods and to do what he pleases.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

good or bad?           The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

The Phantom uses his hidden [behind his mask!] intelligence to both promote Christine Daae's talent, but also to extort money from the Opera house and live there in complete secrecy. The character of the person underneath the mask is constantly in question by the reader. Is he a romantic or a criminal?

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

the mystery of Erik    The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

The manager of the Opera himself, in the book, describes the Phantom as "mysterious". This can only be due to his persona created and held together by the half-mask to cover his disfigured face.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

view of Erik           The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

"People began by laughing and making fun of this specter dressed like a man". This shows just how convinced the ballet and other participants in the opera were that Erik was actually a ghost; his mask and the power and mystery it bestowed upon him allowed him to transform into someone that closely mimicked the actions of a ghost.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

bad side of Erik       The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

"Armed" with his mask and the power he carries around with it, he first starts with terrifying the little ballet girls who perform on stage in the operas, who all have big imaginations and have all claimed they have seen him in a different way: with a fiery head, with no head, with the head of a skeleton.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

good side of Erik      The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

Once Christine Daae has been coached by her "Angel of Music" (Erik), she is given a part as the star of the opera and many praise her performance and actually prefer her over the current prima donna, La Carlotta. Erik's goodness shows in this act of coaching Christine to her full potential.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

one of many Eriks      The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

While talking to Christine after her stunning debut at the opera house as the star, Erik refers to himself as an "emperor". Emperors, historically, have always had great amounts of power. Erik is alluding in this statement that he has power over Christine and everyone else in the opera house, for he claims over and over that the opera house is his.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

"masks" in Paris       The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

"None will ever be a true Parisian who has not learned to wear a mask of gaiety over his sorrows and one of sadness, boredom or indifference over his inward joy." This displays the attitude of the residents of Paris, and other non-physical masks that take place during the time period the Phantom of the Opera was set in.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

a masked ball          The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

The view of putting on a face in this time period and place is displayed in the quote "in Paris, our lives are one masked ball".

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

mask of the dead       The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

Erik (the Opera "Ghost") puts on a metaphorical mask of being dead, a ghost, and shows up to the retiring managers' going away party. He sits there, silent, while the guests grow disturbed at his presence.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

responsibility         The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

The Opera Ghost was blamed for the death of the chief scene-shifter, Joseph Buquet, although it looked like a suicide and blame could not rightly be placed. This may be due to the terror everyone in the opera house associates the Opera Ghost with.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

regret                 The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

The retired owners of the opera, upon the time of their retirement, sorely regretted the decision they had made to own the opera house in the first place. They were terrorized their whole time there by the Opera ghost, who had a habit of extorting money from them, with consequences if they did not comply with his demands.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

the record book        The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

The Opera Ghost wrote in two clauses in the managers' record book to demand twenty thousand francs a month and for Box 5 to be used for his disposal at every performance. These demands he reinforced with the terror he commands over everyone there.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

exercising fear        The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

Erik exercises his fear (or attempts to) over the opera by demanding from the new managers that La Carlotta be replaced by Christine Daae, as he knows that the managers can do things like that for the lead roles.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

ignorance              The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

The new managers, not believing that the Opera Ghost was real, begin receiving letters when his demands are not met. The Opera Ghost will then begin terrifying the cast of the operas again if his demands are ignored.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

demanding              The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

Erik responds to the managers once his demands are met. Christine sings, but he continues to leave his input with the managers, just to display to them who is really in control of the opera house.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

continuing fear        The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

Even after the former managers have left the opera, they refuse to take the Ghost's Box 5, for they are clearly still afraid of what he will do to them or anyone else. This is a clear example of how far the Ghost's power actually extends.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

consequences           The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

After the former managers' decline of Box 5, it was placed on sale in the box office. The next performance, it was occupied, and the Opera Ghost caused the occupants of it to giggle, laugh, and cause an uproar throughout the whole performance until they were forced to leave by the guards of the opera.

Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. Kindle eBook. Tribeca Books, 2012.

guests of Box 5        The Phantom of the Opera

                                  Gaston Leroux

When the Box of the Opera Ghost was occupied, the people that had bought it for the night entered it, in hopes of seeing a good show that night. Instead, they were driven to weird acts, and upon entering, they immediately heard a voice telling them that the box was taken. There was no one there.