Welcome to Day Six of Phantom of the Opera Week here on White Rose of Avalon my Darlings!   Today’s topic is the love triangle of Erik, Christine, and Raoul.    This love triangle sits at the very core of the story, as Erik’s obsessive love for Christine and Raoul’s jealousy over Christine’s ‘Angel of Music’ drive much of the plot of the tale.

Erik begins to tutor Christine after her father’s death, giving her lessons in her dressing room and helping her hone her voice into an impeccable instrument for music.   When Christine is skilled enough to sing the lead in the Opera, and even take over for the Opera’s current Prima Donna, she garners the attention of a long-lost childhood sweetheart, Raoul the Viscount de Chagny.   He is mesmerized by Christine’s talent and does not care about her station as a mere artist of less than noble birth, because he desires her so deeply.   Raoul’s possessive obsession leads to his ire at the idea of Christine having feelings for anyone else.

It is this obsession on the part of both male romantic suitors of Christine Daae that the plot hinges on.   She must make her choice between the two.   The love triangle is populated with simple archetypes Christine is the Maiden, Raoul is the Inept ‘Hero’, and Erik is the Dark Suitor.   On one end, the world of light and the Nobility of the name Raoul de Chagny, even accepting his immaturity and whiny nature.   While on the other end, she has the option of the Dark Suitor, literally presented as a personification of Death!   Erik can give her a life full of sensual pleasures and artistic inspiration, where she could hone her craft while also being a wife and lover.   She would not have to give up her artistic inclinations, for Erik would help her hone her skills rather than expect her to present herself as the overly perfect subservient wife (as Raoul’s station would demand of her).

While Erik is not a vampire per se, he does embody some of the energy of typical vampire lovers, who can open up a world of endless possibilities and opportunities for their mates.   He is full of soul and pain while Raoul is essentially a totally hapless idiot, who only gets the girl because Erik feels guilt over causing Christine strife and allows her to leave with the lesser man!    The choice ended up never being Christine’s, as she made the decision that appeased the masses (in this case the world of the light that wanted her with Raoul) and did what Erik desired her to do, go off and live her life with Raoul!    As I explained in yesterday’s Masquerade post, it was clear that Christine had begun to develop real feelings for Erik, but their opportunity to be together is quashed by the reality of the outside world.    Had they stayed in Erik’s Underworldly Lair, maybe they would have had a shot at a real romance.   However, the bittersweet nature of marrying the traditional man shows what many women of the day faced when choosing a husband, making her end poignant in my opinion.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading my thoughts on the love triangle in The Phantom of the Opera.   Who do you think Christine should have ended up with?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post are pictures of Christine with each suitor from the film version of the musical.   I found the image on https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/7r6jgo/phantom_of_the_opera_the_difference_in_raoul_and/?rdt=51668.

Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/ 

Further Reading

• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux