Robert Englund as the Phantom of the Opera? This shouldn't be possible but it is! I've only known the Phantom story through the classic silent film, the musical, the Jerry Bruckheimer film of the musical, and a lot of movies and tv shows parodying and referencing it. Out of all the adaptations of the Phantom story, this is the strangest of them.
Welcome to the Mystery Legends: The Phantom of the Opera Walkthrough!
Discover the secrets of the Phantom!
Whether you use this document as a reference when things get difficult or as a road map to get you from beginning to end, we’re pretty sure you’ll find what you’re looking for here.
This document contains a complete Mystery Legends: The Phantom of the Opera game walkthrough featuring annotated screenshots from actual gameplay!
We hope you find this information useful as you play your way through the game. Use the walkthrough menu below to quickly jump to whatever stage of the game you need help with.
Remember to visit the Big Fish Games Forums if you find you need more help. Have fun!
This walkthrough was created by Margie B, and is protected under US Copyright laws. Any unauthorized use, including re-publication in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.
Walkthrough Menu
General Tips
- All puzzles can be skipped once the skip button has been fully charged.
- Some puzzle solutions are random in the game; the guide will note such instances when a step-by-step solution cannot be given.
- Click on the mirror (A) in the lower left to obtain instructions for puzzles in the game or for hints during a search scene.
- Objectives are generated in the game automatically or by clicking on a trigger. The guide will make note of all the trigger locations.
- The Guide (B) button in the lower left will bring up the Objectives and General Help for the game. If you want the built-in strategy guide you can upgrade to the collector’s edition version of this game.
- Some items cannot be picked up until an objective has been unlocked. Make sure you visit an area more than once to look for unlocked items of new Hidden Object Scenes.
- Clicking randomly in a Hidden Object Scene will cause your screen to crack for a few seconds.
- Hover your mouse at the bottom of the screen to bring up the inventory tray (C).
- Open your journal in the lower right corner (D).
- Read your journal frequently; it can provide puzzle solutions.
- Journal pages can be added automatically or by picking them up in various areas throughout the game. The guide will mark all instances in which journal pages can be picked up.
- The map is located on the left side of the journal (E).
- Open the map to find a complete layout of the game. Read the legend at the bottom of the map to learn what all the icons represent.
- A yellow X (1) symbolizes your current location and a red exclamation point (2) represents an active location with an objective.
- Hovering your mouse over a part of the map will show you the name; use this tool when you need to know where to go next.
Introduction
- Head right to the coat check.
- Take the ELECTRIC TORCH (A) on the counter.
- Click on the poster (B) and the newspaper clipping (C) to add 2 pages to your journal.
- Go into the cloak closet.
- Illuminate the parts of the scene with the ELECTRIC TORCH.
- Take the LIGHT BULB (1) on the back wall.
- Open the wiring box on the left to trigger a puzzle (D).
- Click on the lights in the correct order by tracing the bulb on top with the matching switch at the bottom.
- Bulbs must be lit from left to right.
- The switches have been labeled 1 to 8 from left to right. Click on the wires in this order to solve the puzzle 5, 7, 6, 4, 1, 8, 2, 3.
- Click down and head left.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene by the ticket booth to obtain the OPERA TICKET (E).
- Zoom into the usher (F); place the OPERA TICKET in his hand (G).
- Click on the curtain to make it fall.
- Go forward to the Auditorium Landing (H).
- Go into the right door to reach the dining hallway (I).
Chapter 1: The Main Floor
- Take the CREST FRAGMENT 1 / 2 (J) from the statue’s hand.
- Go right to enter the manager’s hallway.
- Zoom into the middle left window; look at the canopic jar outside the window.
- Take URN 1/5 (K) in the back.
- Click on the painting (L) to add a page to your journal.
- Zoom into the door on the right to trigger a lock puzzle (M).
- Click in the outer ring of the lock to open it.
- Click on the pins in the correct order to make them stay up.
- The puzzle resets itself when an incorrect sequence has been entered.
- The solution to this puzzle is random. Try to remember the order in which the pins remained in the up position so you can get through the puzzle faster.
- Click on the center of the puzzle after all the pins have been pushed in.
- Go through the door to access the manager’s office.
- Zoom into the right statue; take the EMPTY BOTTLE (N).
- Click on the painting (O) to add a page to your journal.
- Take a closer look at the clock (P).
- Zoom into the chess table to activate a new objective (Q).
- Zoom into the elephant lamp (R) on the left.
- Take the cover off the lamp.
- Place the LIGHT BULB in the socket to activate a search scene.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain the CREST FRAGMENT (S).
- Click down twice and go into the left door to access the dining salon.
- Take the BLACK KNIGHT 1/4 (T) on the table.
- Click on the mantle above the fireplace to activate a new objective (U).
- Move the chair by the window; take URN 2/5 (V).
- Play the Hidden Object Scene on the left to collect URN 3/5 (W).
- Exit this room, go through the right door and head forward to the Art Rotunda.
- Zoom into the clock; note the time has stopped at 9:20 (X).
- Move the painting in the lower right; take SYMBOL CARD 1/4 (Y).
- Zoom into the library door in the back to trigger a new objective (Z).
- Return to the manager’s office.
- Zoom into the cuckoo clock.
- Set the time to 9:20; take the KEY (1).
- Return to the Art Rotunda.
- Zoom into the back door (Z).
- Place the KEY in the keyhole and enter the library.
- Open the BOOK (A) in the lower left to add a page to your journal.
- Click on the UNLIT CANDLE in the lower right; take BLACK KNIGHT 2/4 (B).
- Zoom into the books between the statues to trigger a new objective (C).
- Grab the IMSETY CANOPIC JAR (1) next to the right statue.
- Click on the books by the right statue to trigger a search scene (D).
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain BOOK 3 (E).
- Click down and go into the left door to access the conservatory hallway.
- Take the SANDBAG (F) on the right.
- Go forward to the conservatory.
- Take the EMPTY BUCKET (G) on the lower left.
- Click on the flute of the large statue (H) to add a page to your journal.
- Zoom into the gate; place the 2 CREST FRAGMENTS into the relief (I).
- Go through the door to reach the conservatory grounds.
- Grab the TWIG (J) in the lower center.
- Click on the tombstones to read the dates.
- 1812 Dubois: His aim was true (K).
- 1835 Francis: Forever in his garden (L).
- 1854 Moreau: Rest in Peace (M).
- 1862 Edmund: A man of science (N).
- 1884 Vincent: His vision lives on (O).
- Go forward to the cottage grounds.
- Place the EMPTY BUCKET in the well (P).
- Turn the handle (Q) to drop the bucket.
- Turn the handle again to raise the bucket; take the BUCKET OF ICE WATER.
- Take a closer look at the corner of the right window; take the THERMOMETER (R).
- Go inside the cottage.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain the SCREWDRIVER (S).
- Take the RECIPE BOOK (S) on the ground.
- Return to the Conservatory.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain the HEDGE SHEARS (T).
- Zoom into the loose tile on the ground.
- Pry the tile loose with the SCRWDRIVER.
- Take the EARTHWORM (U) and the STONE TILE (V).
- Click down to reach the conservatory hallway.
- Put the BUCKET OF ICE WATER on the wilted plant on the left (W).
- Cut the plant with the HEDGE SHEARS.
- Grab the STAR ANISE BUDS (X) that fell on the ground.
- Return to the Library.
- Zoom into the books between both statues.
- Place BOOK 3 and the RECIPE BOOK in the slots.
- Click on 2 books to swap their positions.
- Using the clue found in the coat check, arrange the books to form the numbers 0, 3, 2, 5, 1, 8, 9, and 6.
- Open the gate behind the books; take EMPTY BOTTLE 2 (Z) and the ANGEL SPIRITS (Y).
- Return to the cottage.
- Zoom into the stove.
- Place the ingredients into the cauldron in this order: ANGEL SPIRITS, EARTHWORM, TWIG, THERMOMETER and STAR ANISE BUDS.
- You must keep the STAR ANISE BUDS separated by moving them away from each other. If they bump into each other they will turn red.
- The water must be completely green and the star anise buds must disappear before the brew can be used.
- Place the 2 EMPTY BOTTLES into the brew to collect the 2 BOTTLES OF ABSINTHE.
- Return to the conservatory.
- Play the Hidden Object scene to obtain the MOP (1).
- Return to the manager’s office.
- Zoom into the left statue; place a BOTTLE OF ABSINTHE in the hands.
- Zoom into the right statue; place the other BOTTLE OF ABSINTHE in the hands.
- The large painting falls on the ground; zoom into the puzzle behind the picture (2).
- The board is filled with numbers, all but five are repeated.
- Click on the numbers (Roman or Arabic) which are not repeated.
- The solution is random; the screenshot shows you a random solution.
- Click on the handle to enter your solution and retrieve URN 4/ 5 (A).
- Click down.
- Zoom into the middle left window.
- Break the window with the STONE TILE; take the QEBEHSENENUEF CANOPIC JAR (B) in the snow.
- Go to the auditorium landing; enter the left door.
- Place the SANDBAG on the floor.
- Click on the large painting (C) on the left wall to add a page to your journal.
- Grab URN 5/5 (D) on the left.
- Return to the dining salon.
- Zoom into the mantle.
- Place the 5 URNS in any spot to activate the puzzle.
- The locations for the URNS are: behind the chair in the dining salon, Hidden Object scene in the dining salon, manager’s hallway, ballroom hallway, and the last one will be added to inventory after you solve the number puzzle in the manager’s office.
- Using the clues in the conservatory grounds and your journal, place the urns in this order: Angel Wings, Gun, Paintbrush, Sprout, Mortar and Pestle.
- Take the BLACK ROSE below the urns (E).
- Go to the ballroom hallway and make a right into the powder room.
- Place the MOP you found in the conservatory search scene on the floor to soak up the water.
- Give the BLACK ROSE you obtained after the solving the urn puzzle to the Phantom in the mirror (F).
Chapter 2: The Basement
- Find the 20 MUSICAL SYMBOLS in the scene.
- Grab the NAIL CLIPPERS (A) on the left chair.
- Go through the hole in the back wall to reach the spy booth (B).
- Click on the stack of papers (C) in the lower right to add a page to your journal.
- Take the INSECT JAR (D) on the shelf.
- Click on the shelf in the upper left; take the SYMBOL CARD 2/4 (E).
- Go down the ladder to reach the understage landing.
- Grab the HAPY CANOPIC JAR (F) on the right side of the floor.
- Zoom into the crack on the left side of the floor.
- Grab the ANTS using the INSECT JAR (G); the JAR OF ANTS will be added to inventory.
- Head right into the prop storage room.
- Grab BLACK KNIGHT 3/4 (H) in the lower right.
- Click down and go forward to the understage.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene on the right to obtain the DUAMUTEF CANOPIC JAR (I).
- Click on the left door to add a new objective (J).
- Take SYMBOL CARD 3/4 (K) in the lower left.
- Go forward to the elevator lobby.
- Click on the Hamlet mannequin (L) on the left to add a page to your journal.
- Click on the elevator gate (M) to add a new objective.
- Head right toward the stage lifts.
- Grab the CRANK (N) in the lower left.
- Return to the prop storage room.
- Cut the bear’s claws with the NAIL CLIPPERS (O).
- Put the CRANK in the Jack-in-the-box.
- Turn the crank until the box opens up.
- Take the SYMBOL CARD 4/4 (P) the small phantom is holding.
- Return to the understage.
- Zoom into the left door.
- Place the 4 SYMBOL CARDS in the C, D, E, and F slots to activate the puzzle.
- Light the musical notes on top, from left to right, using the symbols on the card in the lower left corner (*) as a guide.
- Click on each card to lift it from its slot. The symbol enclosed in a square is the one you need to click on the main board; however, that symbol must have the same symbols surrounding it as the ones on the card.
- The solution to this puzzle is random; please look at the screenshot for a sample solution.
- Enter the orchestra pit after the puzzle has been solved.
- A new objective appears as soon as you enter.
- Play the Hidden Object scene by the broken piano to obtain the STATUE OF HORUS (1).
- Grab the MUSIC STAND (2) on the left.
- Go to the prop storage room.
- Play the Hidden Object scene to obtain the SUN DISC (3).
- Return to the stage lifts area.
- Open the lift mechanism control panel in the lower right with the SCREWDRIVER (A).
- Place the JAR OF ANTS on the gummy gears inside the mechanism.
- From left to right; place the following items on the lifts; HAPY (1), IMSETY (2), STATUE OF HORUS (3), QEBEHSENUF (4), and DUAMATEF (5).
- Click on the LEVER (B) on the right to raise the lift and lower the sarcophagus.
- Zoom into the sarcophagus; place the SUN DISC on top (C).
- Click on the sun disc.
- Take the BLACK ROSE (D).
- Return to the orchestra pit.
- Give the BLACK ROSE to the phantom in the mirror on the right (E).
Chapter 3: The Upper Floor
- Find the 20 MUSICAL SYMBOLS in the scene.
- Take the KEY below the broken mirror (A).
- Return to the elevator lobby.
- Place the KEY on the padlock attached to the gate (B).
- Click on the wheel (C) to the lower right of the gate to open the door.
- Go inside the service elevator.
- Click on the old playbills (D) on the right and the note (E) on the left to add 2 pages to your journal.
- Click on the switch (F) on the left to trigger a puzzle.
- Click on the switches in the correct order so you can light up the fuses from I to VIII.
- The switches have been labeled 1 to 8 from left to right. Click on the switches in this order to solve the puzzle: 4, 1, 5, 8, 6, 7, 2, 3.
- Click on the switch to activate the elevator.
- Go forward to the actor’s alley.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene on the left to obtain the POWDER PUFF (G).
- Click on the large poster (H) in the back to add a page to your journal.
- Click on the mirror (I) on the right to add a new objective.
- Grab the TELESCOPE in the lower right (J).
- Go forward to the costume alley.
- Click on the note (K) attached to the costumes on the right to add a page to your journal.
- Remove the cloth on the lower left; take DAGGER 1/5 (L).
- Go left into the women’s changing room to encounter the phantom once more.
- Take the BLACK KNIGHT 4/4 (M) on the shelf on the right.
- Grab DAGGER 2/5 (N) on the stool.
- Click down and go forward to the industrial alley.
- Take the HOOK (O) in the upper left.
- Grab DAGGER 3/5 (P) on the counter on the right.
- Go forward to the rooftop.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain DAGGER 4/ 5 (Q).
- Place the TELESCOPE on the stand (R).
- Click on the telescope to trigger a mini-game.
- Use the arrows to move the view of the telescope and search for a star.
- Once the star is in the middle of the lens, it will glow brightly.
- After the puzzle has been completed, a light from the telescope will shine on part of the snow; place the POWDER PUFF on that spot to obtain the STAR DUST (S).
- Click on the NOTE (T) on the left side of the snow to add a page to your journal.
- Click down and head right into the furnace room.
- Click on the back door to trigger a puzzle.
- Click in the outer ring of the lock to open it.
- Click on the pins in the correct order to make them stay up.
- The puzzle resets itself when an incorrect sequence has been entered.
- The solution to this puzzle is random. Try to remember the order in which the pins stayed up so you can get through the puzzle faster.
- Click on the center of the puzzle after all the pins have been pushed in.
- Go through the door to access the sewers and trigger a new objective.
- Take the WEIGHTED BAG (U) in the lower right.
- Place the HOOK on the rope in the upper left (V).
- Put the WEIGHTED BAG on the hook to eliminate the water in the scene.
- Grab the HAND MIRROR (W) on the ground.
- Go forward to the worship cellar.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain DAGGER 5/5 (X).
- Take the DRY TORCH (Y) in the lower right.
- Return to the furnace room.
- Knock over the gasoline can on the left (Z).
- Place the DRY TORCH over the spilled gasoline (1).
- Put the FUEL-SOAKED TORCH into the furnace (2) to obtain the BURNING TORCH.
- Go forward twice and up the left steps to reach the church.
- Light the 6 lanterns marked in green with the BURNING TORCH.
- Click on the NOTE (A) on the left to add a page to your journal.
- Zoom into the skeletons in the back of the scene.
- Place the 5 DAGGERS in the raised hands.
- The daggers can be found in the costume alley, the women’s changing room, the industrial alley, the rooftop, and the church cellar.
- The daggers have been labeled 1 to 5 from left to right. Click on the daggers in this order: 3, 1, 4, 5, 2.
- Solving the puzzle opens the door to the graveyard on the right.
- Go to the graveyard.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain the FLUTE (B).
- Take the SHOVEL (C) on the lower left.
- Go forward to the crypt entrance.
- Knock down the BLACK ROSE (D) in the upper center using the SHOVEL.
- Click on the area above the door to add a page to your journal (E).
- Click on the door to add a new objective (F).
- Return to the worship cellar.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain the EMBALMING FLUID (G).
- Return to the rooftop.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain SKULL MASK 1/4 (H).
- Take the service elevator and return to the Orchestra Pit.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain the GRAMOPHONE HORN (I).
- Go to the prop storage room.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain SKULL MASK 2/4 (J).
- Return to the manager’s office.
- Zoom into the chess table.
- The black knights can be found in the dining salon, in the candle in the lower right at the library, on the lower right side of the prop storage room, and in the women’s changing room.
- Place the 4 BLACK KNIGHTS on the board to activate the puzzle.
- Place the black knights on the board so they are one step away from the king.
- The pieces can be moved in an ‘L’ shape formation across the board.
- Please look at the screenshot for the solution.
- Take the 20.000 FRANCS on the side of the board after the puzzle has been solved.
- To the elevator to the women’s changing room on the upper floor.
- Give the BLACK ROSE to the phantom in the mirror.
Chapter 4: Finale
- Find the 20 MUSICAL SYMBOLS in the scene.
- Take the PHONOGRAPH (1) in the broken mirror.
- Zoom into the gramophone stand (2).
- Place the PHONOGRAPH and the GRAMOPHONE HORN on the stand and the screen in the back of the scene will fall down.
- Give the HAND MIRROR to the mannequin in the back of the scene.
- Take the COMEDY MASK (3) from the mannequin’s face.
- Click down.
- Click on the right door to trigger a new task (4).
- Click down.
- Place the STAR DUST on the mirror (5) on the right to add a page to your journal.
- Take the elevator back down and go to the grand foyer.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene by the ticket booth to obtain the BOX OF MATCHES (6).
- Go to the conservatory grounds.
- Use the shovel on the white “X” on the right side of the ground to dig up SKULL MASK 3/4 (A).
- Go to the library.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene on the right to obtain the MUSIC SHEET (B).
- Go to the dining salon.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain the SALT (C).
- Go to the furnace room.
- Click on the pile of coal in the lower right; take the SKULL (D).
- Place the MUSIC STAND on the stand by the fire (E).
- Put the MUSIC SHEET on the music stand and a lit pattern will appear on the opposite side of the wall.
- Zoom into the lit pattern on the wall (F).
- Remove the stone; take the BLACK CANDLES (G).
- Go to the elevator lobby.
- Give the SKULL to the Hamlet mannequin (H).
- Take the TRAGEDY MASK off the mannequin’s face (I).
- Return to costume alley.
- Zoom into the right door.
- Place the FLUTE, COMEDY MASK, and TRAGEDY MASK into the appropriate slots to activate the puzzle.
- Position the masks as shown in the screenshot so that holes 2, 4, 5, and 6 are closed.
- Go through the door to access Christine’s room.
- Zoom into the back door to activate a new objective (J).
- Take SKULL MASK 4/4 (K) in the lower right.
- Grab the OPERA GLASSES (L) in the lower left.
- Take the WHITE HEART (M) on the mannequin’s chest on the left.
- Return to the actor’s alley.
- Play the Hidden Object Scene on the left to obtain the BALLERINA (N).
- Return to Christine’s room.
- Zoom into the music box by the dresser.
- Place the BALLERINA on the empty slot.
- Click on the ballerina to open the box; take the COIN (1).
- Go to the rooftop.
- Place the SALT on the left statue; take the BOW AND ARROW (2).
- Go to the crypt entrance.
- Place the 4 SKULL MASKS in the slots on the door (A).
- Open the door and enter the crypt.
- Zoom into the tomb (B).
- Place the BLACK CANDLES on the top.
- Light the candles using the BOX OF MATCHES.
- Duplicate the pattern shown in the journal by looking at the steps in the screenshot.
- Take the BLACK ROSE after the puzzle has been solved (1).
- Go to the ballroom hallway and proceed forward to enter the ballroom.
- Place the BOW AND ARROW on the puppet hanging from the chandelier.
- Zoom into the fallen puppet: take the SWORD (C).
- Zoom into the organ grinder (D); place the COIN in the monkey’s cup to lower the phantom.
- Place the SWORD on the phantom.
- Take the HALF MASK (E) that falls on the ground.
- Go to the conservatory grounds.
- Take the BLUE HEART (F) in the upper left.
- Go to the rooftop.
- Take the BLACK HEART (G) in the upper right.
- Go to the understage landing.
- Zoom into the sarcophagus.
- Place the EMBALMING FLUID on the hook to obtain the GRAPPLING HOOK (H).
- Go to the library.
- Take the PINK HEART (I) on the bottom shelf between the statues.
- Go to the auditorium landing.
- Place the GRAPPLING HOOK on the gargoyle in the upper right (J).
- Go up to the opera boxes.
- Place the OPERA GLASSES on the balcony to view the phantom and add a page to the journal (K).
- Zoom into the doll in the lower left side of the back door.
- Place the 20,000 FRANCS in the plate to trigger a search scene (L).
- Play the Hidden Object Scene to obtain the HALF MASK (M).
- Go to the crypt.
- Take the RED HEART (N) in the lower right.
- Return to Christine’s Room.
- Zoom into the back door (O).
- Place the 2 HALF MASKS in the center to unlock the heart slots.
- Place the 5 HEARTS in the slots.
- Click on any 2 hearts to swap their positions.
- To unlock the door place the hearts, from left to right, in this order: BLACK (1), BLUE (2), PINK (3), RED (4), WHITE (5).
- Give the BLACK ROSE to the phantom after the puzzle has been solved.
- Find the 20 MUSICAL SYMBOLS.
- Go through the mirror.
- Congratulations! You’ve completed Mystery Legends: The Phantom of the Opera!
(Redirected from Opera Populaire)
Author | Gaston Leroux |
---|---|
Original title | Le Fantôme de l'Opéra |
Country | France |
Language | French |
Subject |
|
Genre | Gothic novel |
Publisher | Pierre Laie |
23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910 | |
Published in English | 1911 |
Media type | Print (Serial) |
Pages | ~190 |
OCLC | 15698188 |
The Phantom of the Opera (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialization in Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909, to 8 January 1910. It was published in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierre Lafitte and directed by Aluel Malinao.[1] The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century and an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz.[2] It has been successfully adapted into various stage and film adaptations, most notable of which are the 1925 film depiction featuring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.
- 4Themes
History behind the novel[edit]
Leroux first decided he would become a lawyer, but after he spent his inheritance gambling he became a reporter for L’Echo de Paris. At the paper he was asked to write about and critique dramas, as well as being a courtroom reporter. With his job, he was able to travel frequently, but he returned to Paris where he became a writer. Because of his fascination with both Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he wrote a detective mystery entitled The Mystery of the Yellow Room in 1907, and four years later he published Le Fantôme de l’Opéra.[3] The novel was first published within newspapers before finally being published as a novel in 1911.[4]
The setting of The Phantom of the Opera came from an actual Paris opera house that Leroux had heard the rumors about from the time the opera house was finished. The details about the Palais Garnier, and rumors surrounding it, are closely linked in Leroux's writing. The underground lake that he wrote about is accurate to this opera house, and it is still used for training firefighters to practice swimming in the dark. The event that was the infamous chandelier crash also rang to be true.[5] The mysteries that Leroux uses in his novel about the Phantom are still mysteries.[6] However, he defended the rumors to be true, even on his death bed.[7]
The Phantom of the Opera's origins came from Leroux's curiosity with the Phantom being real. In the prologue he tells the readers about the Phantom and the research that he did to prove the truth of the ghost. His findings connected the corpse from the opera house to the Persian phantom himself.[8]
Plot summary[edit]
In Paris in the 1880s, the Palais Garnier opera house is believed to be haunted by an entity known as the Phantom of the Opera, or simply the Opera Ghost. A stagehand named Joseph Buquet is found hanged and the rope around his neck goes missing. At a gala performance for the retirement of the opera house's two managers, a young little-known Swedish soprano, Christine Daaé (based on the late singer Christina Nilsson[9]), is called upon to sing in the place of the Opera's leading soprano, Carlotta, who is ill, and her performance is an astonishing success. The Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, who was present at the performance, recognizes her as his childhood playmate and recalls his love for her. He attempts to visit her backstage, where he hears a man complimenting her from inside her dressing room. He investigates the room once Christine leaves, only to find it empty.
At Perros-Guirec, Christine meets with Raoul, who confronts her about the voice he heard in her room. Christine tells him she has been tutored by the Angel of Music, whom her father used to tell them about. When Raoul suggests that she might be the victim of a prank, she storms off. Christine visits her father's grave one night, where a mysterious figure appears and plays the violin for her. Raoul attempts to confront it but is attacked and knocked out in the process.
Back at the Palais Garnier, the new managers receive a letter from the Phantom demanding that they allow Christine to perform the lead role of Marguerite in Faust, and that box 5 be left empty for his use, lest they perform in a house with a curse on it. The managers ignore his demands as a prank, resulting in disastrous consequences: Carlotta (based on the late singer Madmoiselle Carvalho[9]) ends up croaking like a toad, and the chandelier suddenly drops into the audience, killing a spectator. The Phantom, having abducted Christine from her dressing room, reveals himself as a deformed man called Erik. Erik intends to hold her prisoner in his lair with him for a few days, but she causes him to change his plans when she unmasks him and, to the horror of both, beholds his noseless, lipless, sunken-eyed face, which resembles a skull dried up by the centuries, covered in yellowed dead flesh.
Fearing that she will leave him, he decides to kidnap her permanently, but when Christine requests release after two weeks, he agrees on the condition that she wear his ring and be faithful to him. On the roof of the opera house, Christine tells Raoul about her abduction and makes Raoul promise to take her away to a place where Erik can never find her, even if she resists. Raoul tells Christine he will act on his promise the next day, to which she agrees. However, Christine sympathizes with Erik and decides to sing for him one last time as a means of saying goodbye. Unbeknownst to Christine and Raoul, Erik has been watching them and overheard their whole conversation.
The following night, the enraged and jealous Erik abducts Christine during a production of Faust and tries to force her to marry him. Raoul is led by a mysterious opera regular known as 'The Persian' into Erik's secret lair deep in the bowels of the opera house, but they end up trapped in a mirrored room by Erik, who threatens that unless Christine agrees to marry him, he will kill them and everyone in the Opera House by using explosives. Christine agrees to marry Erik. Erik initially tries to drown Raoul and the Persian, using the water which would have been used to douse the explosives, but Christine begs and offers to be his 'living bride', promising him not to kill herself after becoming his bride, as she had both contemplated and attempted just prior. Erik eventually releases Raoul and the Persian from his torture chamber.
When Erik is alone with Christine, he lifts his mask to kiss her on her forehead and is given a kiss back. Erik reveals that he has never received a kiss, not even from his own mother, nor has he been allowed to give one, and is overcome with emotion. He and Christine then cry together and their tears 'mingle'. Erik later says that he has never felt so close to another human being. He allows the Persian and Raoul to escape, though not before making Christine promise that she will visit him on his death day, and return the gold ring he gave her. He also makes the Persian promise that afterward he will go to the newspaper and report his death, as he will die soon and will die 'of love'. Indeed, sometime later Christine returns to Erik's lair, buries him somewhere where he will never be found (by Erik's request) and returns the gold ring. Afterward, a local newspaper runs the simple note: 'Erik is dead'. Christine and Raoul (who finds out that Erik has killed his older brother) elope together, never to return.
The story ends with passages narrated directly by the Persian and the final chapter that pieces together Erik's life. It is revealed that Erik was the son of a construction business owner, deformed from birth. He ran away from his native Normandy to work in fairs and in caravans, schooling himself in the arts of the circus across Europe and Asia, and eventually building trick palaces in Persia and Turkey. Eventually, he returned to France and, wearing a mask, started his own construction business. After being subcontracted to work on the foundations of the Palais Garnier, Erik had discreetly built himself a lair to disappear in, complete with hidden passages and other tricks that allowed him to spy on the managers.
Characters[edit]
- Erik: The Phantom of the Opera, a deformed conjuror also referred to as the Angel of Music and the Opera Ghost. He tutors and eventually becomes obsessed with Christine Daaé.
- Christine Daaé: A young Swedish soprano at the Paris Opera House with whom the Phantom falls in love.
- Vicomte Raoul de Chagny: Christine's childhood friend and love interest.
- The Persian: A mysterious man from Erik's past.
- Comte Phillipe de Chagny: Raoul's older brother.
- Armand Moncharmin and Firmin Richard: The new managers of the opera house.
- Madame Giry: The opera's box keeper (Mother of Meg)
- Meg Giry: Often referred to as 'Little Meg', Madame Giry's only daughter, a ballet girl.
- Debienne and Poligny: The previous managers of the opera house
- Carlotta: A spoiled prima donna; the lead soprano of the Paris Opera House.
- Madame Valérius: Christine's elderly guardian.
Themes[edit]
Music[edit]
Leroux uses the operatic setting in The Phantom of the Opera to use music as a device for foreshadowing.[10] Ribière makes note that Leroux was once a theatre critic and his brother was a musician, so he was knowledgeable about music and how to use it as a framing device. She uses the example of how Leroux introduces Danse Macabre which means 'dance of death' in the gala scene which foreshadows the graveyard scene that comes later where the Phantom plays the fiddle for Christine and attacks Raoul when he tries to intervene.
Drumright points out that music is evident throughout the novel in that it is the basis for Christine and Erik's relationship. Christine sees Erik as her Angel of Music that her father promised would come to her one day. The Phantom sees Christine as his musical protege, and he uses his passion for music to teach her everything he knows.[4]
Mystery[edit]
Stylistically, the novel is framed as a mystery novel as it is narrated through a detective pulling his information from various forms of research.[11] The mystery being uncovered is the Phantom who lurks through the opera house, seemingly appearing in places out of nowhere as if by magic. But, it seems that the mystery novel persona was a facade for the real genre being more of a gothic romance. [12]
Gothic horror[edit]
In his article, Fitzpatrick compares the Phantom to other monsters featured in Gothic horror novels such as Frankenstein's monster, Dr. Jekyll, Dorian Gray, and Count Dracula. The Phantom has a torture chamber where he kidnaps and kills people, and the walls of the chapel in the graveyard are lined with human bones.[12] Indeed, Drumright notes that The Phantom of the Opera checks off every trope necessary to have a Gothic novel according to the Encyclopedia of Literature's description which says, “Such novels were expected to be dark and tempestuous and full of ghosts, madness, outrage,superstition, and revenge.”[13] Although the Phantom is really just a deformed man, he has ghost-like qualities in that no one can ever find him or his lair and he is seen as a monster. People are frightened by him because of his deformities and the acts of violence he commits.[4]
Romance[edit]
The novel features a love triangle between the Phantom, Christine, and Raoul. Raoul is seen as Christine's childhood love whom she is familiar with and has affection for. He is rich and therefore offers her security as well as a wholesome, Christian marriage. The Phantom, on the other hand, is not familiar. He is dark, ugly, and dangerous and therefore represents the forbidden love. However, Christine is drawn to him because she sees him as her Angel of Music, and she pities his existence of loneliness and darkness.[4]
Critical reception[edit]
By the time Leroux published The Phantom of the Opera, he had already gained credibility as a crime mystery author in both French and English speaking countries. He had written six novels prior, two of which had garnered substantial popularity within their first year of publication called The Mystery of the Yellow Room and The Perfume of the Lady in Black.[10] Although previous commentators have asserted that The Phantom of the Opera did not attain as much success as these previous novels, being particularly unpopular in France where it was first published,[14] recent research into the novel's early reception and sales has indicated the contrary.[15] One book review from the New York Times expressed a disappointment in the way the phantom was portrayed, saying that the feeling of suspense and horror is lost once it is found out that the phantom is just a man and not a real ghost.[16] The majority of the notability that the novel acquired early on was due to its publication in a series of installments in French, American, and English newspapers. This serialized version of the story became important when it was read and sought out by Universal Pictures to be adapted into a movie in 1925.[14]
Based on the critical reviews of two modern day readers of the book, Sean Fitzpatrick and Cathleen Myers, the novel is praiseworthy for its drama, but overall it does not rise to the standards of great literature. Fitzpatrick claims that 'The Phantom of the Opera is not a great book, but it is a great read.'[12] He digresses that even though the book is not good enough to be in the canon of great literature, there are many aspects of it that make it fun to read such as the drama of the 'whodunnit' plot, the investigative styling of the book which pretends to pull from real life newspaper articles and interviews relating to the Paris Opera House, and the character Erik (the phantom) who fills the roles of the 'mad genius', disfigured monster, and one of three in a love triangle all at once. Fitzpatrick argues that all of these elements make the book good for light reading.[12] Myers agrees that the novel makes for a good 'airplane read', but says that it fails in terms of being a good mystery novel. She claims that one of the book's downfalls is that one of the important characters - the mysterious Persian - is introduced too late in the storyline. Another glaring omission that she sees in the book is that the Phantom is left unexplained. Myers also criticizes Christine's love for Raoul whom she claims is an idiot, saying he 'makes Jonathon Harker and Lord Godalming in Dracula look like rocket scientists.'[11]
Adaptations[edit]
There have been many literary and other dramatic works based on Leroux's novel, ranging from stage musicals to films to children's books. Some well known stage and screen adaptations of the novel are the 1925 film and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. In Lloyd Webber's musical, he was focused on writing more of a romance piece and found the book and the musical took off from there. Leroux's novel was more than just a mystery and had romance and other genres, that would appeal to more audiences.[4] Lloyd Webber used accounts from within the novel in the musical as well such as the real-life event of the chandelier falling.[17] This was first produced in the mid-80s and has continued to remain popular, still running on Broadway and the West End and spawning multiple touring productions. The musical has received more than fifty awards and is seen by many as being the most popular musical on Broadway.[4]
Leroux's novel was created into two silent films during the history and adaptations of the novel. The first production of the novel into a silent film was produced by German adaptation called, Das Gespenst im Opernhaus. This film though has no living proof left and is lost due to no pictures being taken or an actual copy of the film is preserved. The last living knowledge of the film is that it was made in 1916 and was directed by Ernest Matray.[3]
The next adaptation or silent film was made in 1925 by Universal Studios. This version starred Lon Chaney Sr. as the phantom. Due to tensions on the set, there was a switch in directors and Edward Sedgwick finished the film while changing the direction the movie was going to take. His take on the novel and making it a dark romantic movie with comedy wasn’t popular by audiences.[3] Finally, the film was adapted one last time by Maurice Pivar and Louis Weber where they took out most of Sedgwick's adaptation and stuck to the original film. This time, the movie was a success with audiences in 1925.[3]
References[edit]
- ^Shah, Raj (2016). 'The Publication and Initial French Reception of Gaston Leroux's Le Fantôme de l'Opéra'. French Studies Bulletin. 37 (138): 13–16. doi:10.1093/frebul/ktw004.
- ^Shah, Raj (2014). 'No Ordinary Skeleton: Unmasking the Secret Source of Le Fantôme de l'Opéra'. Forum for Modern Language Studies. 50 (1): 16–29 (17, 25n11). doi:10.1093/fmls/cqt048.
- ^ abcd'A History of Classic Monsters: The Phantom of the Opera | Librarypoint'. www.librarypoint.org. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- ^ abcdefDrumright, Patricia (April 16, 2018). 'The Phantom of the Opera: Spectacular Musical or Archetypal Story?'.
- ^Palais Garnier. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. 2002. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.o903811.
- ^Everett, Lucinda (2010-02-17). 'Where the Phantom was born: the Palais Garnier'. Daily Telegraph. ISSN0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ^Carter, Tim (2002). Prologue (opera). Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.o007990.
- ^'The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux : Prologue'. ebooks.adelaide.edu.au. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ^ abHollingsworth, Amy. (2008). Gifts of passage : what the dying tell us with the gifts they leave behind. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson. ISBN9780849919206. OCLC182856951.
- ^ abRibière, Mireille. 'The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, annotated edition'. Mireille Ribière Writings, Photographs. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- ^ abMyers, Cathleen. 'The Phantom's Evolution'. PEERS Dance. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ abcdFitzpatrick, Sean. 'The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux: Triumphant Tragedy'. Crisis Magazine. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^Merriam-Webster's encyclopedia of literature. Merriam-Webster, Inc. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster. 1995. ISBN0877790426. OCLC31434511.CS1 maint: others (link)
- ^ abHaining, Peter. 'The Man Who Created the Phantom'. The Phantom of the Opera. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- ^Shah, Raj (2016-03-01). 'THE PUBLICATION AND INITIAL FRENCH RECEPTION OF GASTON LEROUX'S LE FANTÔME DE L'OPÉRA'. French Studies Bulletin. 37 (138): 13–16. doi:10.1093/frebul/ktw004. ISSN0262-2750.
- ^'An Opera-House Phantom'. The New York Times Book Review. 19 February 1911.
- ^'The Phantom of the Opera: myth versus reality'. www.cmuse.org. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
External links[edit]
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- Official Twitter account for the novel at Twitter
- The Phantom of the Opera at Project Gutenberg
- The Phantom of the Opera public domain audiobook at LibriVox
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