Welcome to the Final Day of Phantom of the Opera Week here on White Rose of Avalon my Darlings! Today’s topic is why I root for Erik, and villains and Byronic Heroes in general. Anyone who is familiar with my blog here will know that I am a huge lover of anti-heroes, Byronic Heroes, and even Gothic Villains. Erik is a perfect representation of all of those things, in one way or another! This is why I have always shipped him with Christine, and why I root for him in the story, even as he kills people.
Erik is the tortured artist who was sadly born deformed. But even with his deformed visage, he was gifted with a brilliant mind and was a genius both in intellect and artistic ability. He may take on aspects of being an anti-social killer, but he is not without ethics, morals, or rational reasoning for his actions. He kills to get revenge on a society that could never accept him, and to protect Christine and embolden her journey towards achieving her dreams! He never had any desire to kill just for his own bloodlust, which makes us see him in a less heinous light. He is not a monster, he is a tortured and damaged man, a fragile boy inside who wants nothing more than to be loved!
When we see that Raoul is a hapless child who just wants to control and possess Christine, but not help her grow as a person, the love for Erik grows. He would never force Christine to give up her dreams, as he came into her life to help her achieve them! Erik shows the audience that although he is a murderer and is capable of great evil, he is also capable of great love and has a huge heart. At the end of the day, everyone loves a good villain, and they love him even more when they can view him as a misunderstood hero. Erik shows us that, he may have done villainous things, but as I explained in my Masquerade post, he can be seen as less of a villain and more of an avenging angel figure, there to test the morals of the ruling class and to rebel against the norms of a society that would keep him downtrodden!
I hope you have enjoyed this short post which is a love letter to Erik as a character. Do you love Erik? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note: Blessed Samhain to All and a very Happy Halloween! Be safe and enjoy this day of remembrance, spiritual communion, and magickal power. It is truly the holiday that makes me feel the most myself and happiest each year! I hope your Samhain makes you feel as much joy this year.
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is Erik. This is the Lon Chaney version, which looks the most like Erik as described in the source novel. I found the image on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_(The_Phantom_of_the_Opera).
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