The Phantom of the Opera (La Fantôme de l’Opéra) is a romance and mystery novel written by a French writer Gaston Leroux. It that was published at September 23, 1909 to January 9 1910 and translated to English at 1911.
The story tells us about a “ghost” who have a really good voice and uses to sing in the Paris Opera House (Palais Garnier). Almost everybody has hear him sing, but no body ever see him. Christine Daae who works as chorus at the Opera hearing a beautiful voice. She follows the sounds. She believes that the sound belongs to Angel of Music because when she was a child her father told her a story about Angel of Music, and he told her that Angel of Music only came to a great musician. Then Christine asks to the sound, does it really belongs to Angel of Music, the voice answers it, and says that he is. And he also offers to teach her how to sing. Since it, everyday Christine talks and learns to sing from the Angel, even she never sees him.
Everybody shock when they hear Christine sings. Her voice become really soft and beautiful, like a sound from heaven. One of the audiance familiar to her, and he realize that Christine is his childhood’s friend. They were closed. His name is Raoul Chagney. Soon after that, Christine also remember him, and they become closer. They fall in love with each other, but Christine afraid if the Angel knows about their relationship. Unfortunately he finds out, and kidnaps Christine. At that time, he talks to Christine, and reveals his true identity. He is human with an ugly face, he always uses a mask to cover his ugly face. His name is Eric, nobody ever saw him, because he is a genius. He knows exactly about the Opera House building, because he took part in the construction of the building. But then he locks himself all along inside the building. He wants to keep her for a few days, until she falls in love with him. But he doesn’t want to open his mask, he afraid that she will leaves him, or afraid of his face. Eric really in love with Christine, he never feels like this way before, that’s why he really wants her, and afraid that she would leaves him. Christine asks him to release, they have agree, Christine could leave in one condition, that she has to always wear a ring from Eric.
After that, Christine tells Raoul about what happen, Raoul asks Christine to go away with him, to a place where Eric couldn’t finds her, but Christine pity on Eric, she doesn’t want to go away until she has sung a song for Eric for the last time. But not long after that, she begins to panic, she realizes that she has lost the ring. The story continue on the book ;) I’m not going to be a spoiler.
MASTERPIECE!! One of my favorite book all the time. It’s really recommended for those who love classic, romance, mistery, or gothic novel. And the characters are unique. Eric, a monster with a beautiful sounds, and has a sweet heart. Christine, an innocent girl, who confuses to choice about everything, and end up manipulating. And Raoul, a heroic, sweet, old friend of Christine. When i read it, i thought it was a horror story. But then in the middle of the story, my mindset began to change, i realized that it wasn’t, Eric isn’t a phantom. Every characters drive us and tell us the story from their own view. At the end, it gets tragic. Really worth to drop your tears!
Quotes:
“I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears, and she did not run away, and she did not die! She remained alive, weeping over me, weeping with me. We cried together. I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer”
“Are people so unhappy when they love?”
“Yes, Christine, when they love and are not sure being love”
“Erik is not truly dead. He lives on within the souls of thoses who choose to listen to the music of the night”
“If I am the phantom, it is because man’s hatred has made me so. If I am to be saved it is because your love redeems me”
“Raoul and Christine went off together, and I was left to cry all alone”
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