The Phantom of The Blacklist
a brief summary of character/narrative parallels, archetypes & their broader implications
(This post is not meant to suggest that The Blacklist is a PotO rip-off. There are, however, noticeable similarities between the two stories, and I thought it might be interesting to take a closer look and see what possible conclusions can be drawn from their existence.
Also note that this is basically a comparison post, not a critical piece. Neither PotO, nor TBL are above criticism, especially concerning
issues of feminism, but for the sake of my sanity and post length I
dispensed with it here.)
On
a story level, both PotO and TBL incorporate various genres - drama,
mystery, tragedy, romance, horror -, and they also share their major
themes: appearance vs reality, lies vs the truth, love vs power. Red’s
and the Phantom’s hideousness is a mask. Sharing in these men’s
difference/otherness and driven by a desire to see, Liz
and Christine are the ones who dare unmask them.
I believe the “visual echoes”
captured in the gifset above mostly speak for themselves: both Erik and
Red are coded as strange, enticing, dangerous figures who attract,
threaten, guide, push-and-pull, provoke, guard, court, and love.
These visuals have corresponding/underlying echoes in characterization and narrative texture.
First off, let’s look at the odd one out:
I. THE MUSIC BOX
I/a.
The
music box appears in the ALW musical (+ 2004 movie) and, like the one
featured in TBL, it is a very personal, custom-made source of comfort.
The Phantom built his box and it plays a song called Masquerade (“Hide your face so the world will never find you”).
I/b.
The music box Red built plays a song (The Anniversary Waltz)
Sam used to hum to “smooth back” the fire memories dredged up by Liz’s
nightmares, so, to a certain degree, it also has a connection to masks and hiding
as a means of protection.
II. CHARACTER & PLOT PARALLELS
(reconstructed from the 1911 book, the book-based ALW musical + 2004 movie)
II/1.a. Christine
In
PotO, our protagonist - Christine - is a young woman who got orphaned
as a little girl. There is barely any mention of her biological mother
(none that I recall), her biological father, however, was a talented
musician from Sweden. They were very close and he was “all that
mattered” to Christine. After his death, she was raised by a foster
parent and she became one of the dancers/chorus girls at the Opera. She
is talented, has always been drawn to dark tales and music, but prior to
her encounter with the Phantom, she doesn’t really stand out among her
peers.
II/1.b. Liz
In TBL, our protagonist -
Liz - is a young woman who got orphaned when she was 4 years old. We
don’t know much about her biological parents but we do know that they
had an intelligence/criminal background and they were foreign nationals
(at least her mother). We also know that her foster father, Sam, was her
whole world. She also decided to become an FBI agent because she yearned to understand the criminal mind, but prior to her
encounter with Red, she doesn’t really stand out among her fellow
agents: “Nothing special about me,” she says.
Despite all that, both Erik
and Red think their chosen one is very special and full of untapped
potential, albeit rather inexperienced and naive at the beginning.
II/2.a. Erik
Most
of the Phantom’s - or Erik’s - past is hazy. He spends his life alone
and isolated. For a while a traveling fair paraded him around the world
as the Devil’s Child. He was used and abused. He killed his
master/captor and disappeared for a while, then popped up at various
parts of the world. He becomes an architect, an inventor, a musician
(similar background as Christine’s father’s who was a violinist) a
killer, and a skilled blackmailer who seems to know and see everything,
but people are scared to talk about him. He dabbled in political
assassinations and a bit of warfare too. He is “a great lover of good
wine,” a tortured torture expert and a mad genius; he designed the first
“palace of illusion” (=a maze of mirrors). He’s also called the
“trap-door lover” because he’s constructed many secret doors and
passageways. He helped influential people “move unseen and
disappear”, but these employers worried that Erik knew too much, so they
tried to get him killed. “Tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, [Erik] longed to be some one like ‘anybody else”.
He ended his travels and built a secret lair, a home, under the Opera
House, which was his best approximation of normalcy. He drew up his own
contract with the management complete with specific demands, and even
though he sometimes signs his hand-written, sarcastic notes as “your
obedient servant”, he considers himself to be the one in charge given
that those who “officially” run his theater are - according to him - thoroughly incompetent.
II/2.b. Red
Most
of Red’s past is hazy as well. We don’t know much about it but we know
he worked as a counter-intelligence agent (similar background as Liz’s
parents who were in foreign intelligence) and based on some hints, there
is a possibility that he was used by his employers who abused his
loyalty. Then he, too, disappears for a while, then resurfaces at
various parts of the world. He becomes a traitor, a killer, a
blackmailer - in short, a criminal (cf. Liz’s father also being a career
criminal) -, who trades in threats, favors, and information, but also
has a finger in various other business ventures and he is not above
influencing politics, either. Because he knows a lot, there is a running
price on his head. Despite his all-seeing, all-knowing attributes, he
himself is rather elusive. People know very little about him and they
are not quick to share it - either out of fear or out of loyalty. Red
also remarked once that he is well-versed in the brutal art of torture
and he is undoubtedly highly intelligent, a master at creating various
illusions, and he loves the arts and alcohol. One of his specialties is
to assist those (usually wealthy) individuals who wish to move unseen
and/or disappear, and he himself has a Houdiniesque quality. But this
kind of lifestyle is often very exhausting, so I wouldn’t be surprised
if he secretly longed for a more stable, less “monstrous” existence, to
borrow a word from above. He also has a secret lair, so to speak (his
small apartment), and the Post Office is a place he frequents more than
any other we have seen. He has his own contract with the Feds, too,
complete with his various demands, and he, too, considers himself in
charge because the competence level of the FBI/government always leaves something
to be desired.
II/3.a. Fate - PotO
The
Opera House is where “the monster” and Christine eventually cross paths
and where the foundation of their future “curious moral traffic” gets
established. This “moral traffic” gradually escalates to the point of
him being described as “a corpse that loves and adores”, “a dog sitting
by its master”, “the monster on his knees”, “a loathsome gargoyle who
burns in Hell, but secretly yearns for Heaven,” or “a poor dog ready to
die for her.” He also sings her the Wedding-night Song from Romeo and Juliet: “Fate links me to thee for ever and a day.”
II/3.b. Fate - TBL
It’s
the Post Office where Red and adult Liz finally meet face to face, and
it is the place where their "moral traffic” is established. This
connection soon escalates to the point of Red falling to his knees,
surrendering himself to her, and later on he is described as someone who
follows Liz around like a loyal bloodhound. We also know for a fact
that he is indeed ready to die for her. And when he was asked how he’d
picked her, the answer was, “Fate.”
II/4.a. “Angel or father, friend or phantom?”
At
the beginning of the story, there’s a confusion about Erik’s identity.
He is known as the Phantom or O.G. (Opera Ghost), but he also gets
mistaken for “the spirit of [Christine’s] father” (the ambiguity of the
phrase is a beauty in itself) - the “secret and strange” angel of music
sent by her late father to protect and teach Christine as he did when
she was a girl. It’s a misunderstanding Erik doesn’t rush to clear up
because at least this way he can stay close without scaring her to
death. He is trying to connect to Christine (and lbr also manipulate and
control her) via her past and her father’s memory to build a deep,
personal relationship. The “father connection” can be seen as a
distraction or misdirect. He plays her the same music (The Resurrection of Lazarus)
her father used to play to her when she was little. He tells her she
would have lots of fun with him. He encourages her to pursue her
“deepest urge which till now has been silent”, to share in his passion,
to fulfill her potential, and she feels inexplicably drawn to him, as
well, despite being wary and scared: “I have come here hardly knowing
the reason why.” He is ready to die once he finishes his masterpiece, but then he comes to see her as a way out of his world of
solitude and “unending night” - a hope for a new life.
II/4.b. “Who is he to you?”
I think the confusion around Red’s identity needs no detailed introduction since it’s been debated ad nauseam
for years now. Still, the “spirit of her father” angle strikes me as
surprisingly fitting here, especially after Red’s remark that Liz’s
father will always be with her, protecting her. He wants to keep Sam’s
spirit alive. That’s why he encourages Liz to tell stories about him and
that’s why he brought that bottle of old wine she had made with Sam.
Red fits that “secret and strange” guardian angel role and he, too, uses
Liz’s past and her father as an anchor, however, he also remarks that
this connection is “just a distraction.” Still, other than curtly
denying being her father, he doesn’t volunteer any further information
about his connection to her or her parents, which results in an
ambiguous atmosphere. By engaging her curiosity, he can keep her close
to develop their own relationship, whatever it may be. He builds a music
box that plays the same song (The Anniversary Waltz) her father
used to hum to Liz when she was little. He encourages her to tap into
the more creative, passionate, darker aspects of her personality she has
been trying to repress in order to fit in. Based on her dream, Liz is
both wary of and attracted to Red (not just physically but mentally as
well - see her dream as a perfect example). And no matter how bad things get between them, she keeps seeking
him out even when she has no conscious idea why. And we know that Red is
lonely and sees her as his ray of light, his North Star guiding him out
of darkness - a second chance at life.
II/5.a. Christine and Erik
Erik
is significantly older and throughout her childhood he is a vague,
distant, invisible presence in Christine’s life at the Opera. One day,
however, he hears her sing and it sparks an obsession. Music is Erik’s
mission. Erik has been composing his masterpiece “Don Juan Triumphant”
for more
than two decades but refuses to unveil it (even to Christine) until the
very end. At first he sees only the perfect asset in Christine; he needs
her to help him make his music of the night, so to speak: “I’m the mask
you wear,” she sings, “It’s me they hear,” he replies. They become a
team of sorts and also intimate friends. He keeps to the shadows but begins
tutoring Christine and due to these lessons and her invisible
benefactor’s strong-arming/string-pulling, Christine soon becomes the prima donna,
replacing the leading soprano (of the past 5 seasons in the movie) who
is less than thrilled with this unexpected and unfair development.
Meanwhile, Erik falls in love with Christine, mixing the initial
pseudo-father/mentor/protector role with the lover’s. At the end, they
assume the leading roles of “Don Juan Triumphant” together on stage, and
Erik declares his love for her.
II/5.b. Liz and Red
There
is a significant age gap between Red and Liz, and he, too, has been a
distant, unseen element throughout her life. An invisible benefactor.
Red is on a mission, as well. It’s something he has been planning for
more than two decades, and I believe that at the beginning he saw Liz
more as an asset who could help him realize these plans. She - along
with the rest of the team - is a mask Red wears. They are the
(legitimate) face of his attacks against his fellow criminals; when the
task force strikes, it is Red’s justice the targets experience. Red and
Liz are a team, too, and friends. Red keeps to the shadows but he
surfaces from time to time to provide information, advice and some
guidance to Liz. It was his surrender and the assistance he provided only to
Liz that propelled her into a prestigious position at an elite task
force to the initial and intense dislike of the “leading soprano” on
Red’s case (who chased him for 5 years). The Director also refers to her
as Red’s prima ballerina, and eventually Red indeed succeeds in
making her famous. But I believe that his feelings for Liz have been
growing and developing since they met in the first episode. The roles are now mixed and he is in love.
II/6.a. The rival - PotO
Raoul,
the 3rd tip of the PotO relationship triangle, is an “insolent boy”
and an “ignorant fool” as far as the Phantom is concerned. Raoul
relentlessly pursues Christine almost from the beginning, and his
romantic overtures are what prompt the Phantom to become a much more
tangible and influential presence in her life. At some point we even
hear Erik lament, “[Raoul] was bound to love you when he heard you sing”
and he feels the bitter irony of being the one who basically pushed
Christine in Raoul’s path. When Raoul proposes to Christine, she insists
on keeping it a secret, knowing that the Phantom would not approve.
Still, the two men’s rivalry escalates, pulling Christine in opposite
directions: Erik wants her to leave her former life behind and warns
Raoul to stay away, while Raoul, similarly desperate and jealous, tries
to break the Phantom’s “spell” by insisting that he is dangerous and not
who Christine thinks he is: "This thing is not your father!” he
yells at her at the cemetery where there’s a confrontation with
Christine caught in the middle. Even though he is very scared of him,
Raoul wounds Erik (on his arm in the movie), then later on tries to trap
him using Christine as bait. The Phantom knowingly walks into the trap
but manages to escape with Christine. He captures Raoul but spares his
life when he realizes that Christine loves him, then lets both of them
go.
II/6.b. The rival - TBL
As things
currently stand, I think the rival slot on TBL can be filled with two
characters: Tom’s to a larger and Ressler’s to a much smaller degree,
with the former being the “insolent boy” and the latter the “ignorant
fool”. If we look at character only, Ressler is closer to Raoul given
that they are both “good”, bland, law-abiding men, both have a rather
dismissive, self-absorbed attitude, both believe that their way is the
only right one and therefore should be in charge of making decisions for
the protagonist. But the parallels end here with Ressler since he is not a love interest (yet?). There are
more with Tom. He has been the one pursuing Liz from the beginning, and
his increasingly stronger entanglement with her is what prompts Red to
step out of the shadows and become a more tangible and influential
presence in her life. He, too, at some point laments that Tom aligned
himself with Berlin to be able to go beyond the restricted scope of his
initial assignment, and Red, too, must feel the bitter irony of being
the one who put Tom in Liz’s life. Liz keeps the fact that Tom is alive
secret from Red because she knows Red hates him and she is afraid he
might kill him. Being caught between these two, Liz is also pulled in
different directions. Red wants her to fight, to face the threats in her
life and warns Tom to stay away, while Tom insists that Red manipulates her
and - wanting to marry Liz - tells her he is dangerous and not who she
thinks he is. There is a confrontation with Liz caught in the middle.
Tom is admittedly scared of Red, yet he attacks him and shoots him (thanks to Liz only in
the arm). Red later spares his life because he realizes that Liz still
loves him.
II/7. Red Death
The Phantom
appears at the masquerade ball dressed as Red Death who is the title
character in Edgar Allan Poe’s 1842 Gothic short story “The Masque of the Red Death”.
It’s a story about a group of privileged nobles who lock themselves
away and enjoy all kinds of luxury in Prince Prospero’s castle while the
rest of the world is dying of a disease called the Red Death. But soon a
mysterious figure appears inside the fortified walls “with a slow and
solemn movement” and stalks “to and fro among the waltzers”; it comes
“like a thief in the night,” its robe and face “besprinkled with the
scarlet horror.” Enraged at the intrusion, the prince tries to attack
the figure but the dagger falls from his hand and he dies. Seeing this,
the guests jump the figure. They tear away the mask and robes only to find
that there is nothing underneath. Then one by one they all collapse and
die as well. A group of powerful, privileged, selfish people believe
they can escape death/punishment, but it still comes for them by effortlessly
penetrating their defenses. I can’t help but be reminded of how Red
penetrates the Cabal’s ranks, taking them out one by one from the
inside, to one day hold “illimitable dominion over all.”
And, of course, death and murder in general are associated with both Erik’s and Red’s character.
II/8. The “baby twist”
Just briefly I also want to add that even though Christine chooses to marry and have a child with Raoul, in the PotO sequel (Love Never Dies)
it is revealed that the child is actually Erik’s and that Raoul was
clearly not the right choice given that he becomes a drunk, broke
gambler and a shitty father. Now - imo - the sequel is a horrible mess
BUT given the recent development on TBL, I thought this additional little parallel might be of some passing interest, too.
As you can see, there are many similarities between the two stories, and - imo - they are of three main types:
some of them are the result of pure coincidence (e.g. the hat)
some of them - similarly to the TBL/Lecterverse collection - could be deliberate allusions & the product of influence
some
of them, however, are likely there as parts of a “universal design”, if you
will, and this brings us to the final section of this essay
III. ARCHETYPES
(fair warning: this comes with a touch of Jungian psychoanalysis)
Both PotO and TBL employ similar archetypal narrative patterns which center around the same archetypal core:
the relationship between Erik & Christine and Red & Liz
respectively. Moreover, Erik/Red and Christine/Liz also share the same prototypes
in terms of character. So these archetypal characters share an
archetypal bond and follow archetypal plots, two of which are of special
interest: the Hero’s Journey (individuation) and what I will call Ancient Triangle.
Archetypes
are original types or models on which similar things are patterned.
They can be symbols, images, characters, plot structures, etc. and are
often revealed in works of art (literature, film), religion, myths,
dreams, etc. They are many and varied. They also interpenetrate and
interfuse with one another. Some might equate them with clichés but I
personally don’t care for the negative connotation. Clichés are boring
and superficial. Archetypes are interesting. While we may roll
our eyes at clichés, archetypes trigger universal, often unconscious
responses. According to Carl Jung (whose name is primarily associated
with the idea), archetypes are deeply embedded in our primal memory or
so-called “collective unconscious”, which is a storehouse of psychic residue
that’s been accumulated since our pre-human existence.
Jung
believed that human beings constantly search for wholeness/completion
and yearn for rebirth. We are constantly trying to progress to a more
complete stage of development, to a stable unity or “self-realization”.
This development is called individuation.
Individuation is
the name of the actual game in both PotO and TBL - “the emergence of the
Self in its path of maturation, explored both from the male and female
perspective” (Hill).
According to Hill, two major dramatic
threads mingle in PotO: the theme of the mirror and the mask, and that
of the ancient struggle between Eros and Power. I believe the same two
are present in TBL, as well.
Both Erik and Red struggle to
break free from a seemingly unending night of misery and solitude, and
move towards a desired “wholeness” (or in Red’s case, back to
wholeness or “home” since he had it once a long time ago). Both wear
masks to hide from the world; the persona they adopt, however, is a
shield and a trap (Hill). It keeps everybody away. Both
are terrified to be known yet long to be unmasked by the one they adore.
They embody a mysterious force that is a strange blend of the
Shadow/Other and the (dark) animus (+ the romantic hero archetype but
more on these later).
Unseen, Erik tutors Christine and Red
acts as an invisible benefactor to Liz. This, however, is a temporary
arrangement, an unsustainable fantasy. Erik is not the spirit of
Christine’s father and Red also realizes that the benefactor role “is
all a fraud” and selfish. They reach a point where they realize that
what they truly want is to be seen and known and understood for who they
really are. So they open towards their leading lady and allow her
glimpses into their dark world, their reality, which is terrifying and attractive at the same time.
At
the end of PotO, the Phantom stages his masterpiece “Don Juan
Triumphant.” In it he “calls forth Christine’s maturing sexuality” and
she is revealed to be “deeply drawn to the Phantom […] as a full woman
on a sexual and soul level” (Hill). But she doesn’t give in and yanks
the mask off of Erik’s face, upping the tension between her dark (Erik)
and light (Raoul) animus projections. According to Hill, this tension is
necessary for her to finally break free in order to “enter the place of
greater individuation, awareness, and choice.”
I believe
this is also where Liz is at, swinging to and fro between two options.
She still calls Jacob “Tom” and that is a telling little detail. She
refuses to face his true self so he can still represent the safe and
familiar. In this sense, he is the (faux-)bright animus projection. Red,
on the other hand, is the one who is associated with confrontation,
turmoil, uncertainty, peril, dark urges, and painful truths about the
world and her self - he is the Shadow, the criminal-sexual Other, and
her dark animus projection. No wonder she keeps clashing with him all.
the. time. and keeps being tempted to burrow back into a cozy “Tom
fantasy” every time after she drifts too close to Red (and finds that she enjoys his company). But her struggle
is an essential one because in actuality she is struggling with herself.
These two dudes are projections and dream!Red’s question, “What do you really want?” is still unanswered. This struggle is needed in order for
her to finally break free and - as Red already pointed out - once she is
free, she can make any choice she wants.
To quote Hill, at the end of the story
“Christine
confronts the Phantom, adult to adult. […] When he insists she make her
choice, she gathers her courage, moves slowly to him and shows him with
a kiss that his greatest burden, his deepest aloneness, can be touched,
at least once. Her second kiss comes not from the duress of the
situation but from a woman who deeply understands the man that he is.
The Phantom is undone. His primal wound and the great need for power it
has engendered, melts. His sense of endless isolation has been seen, if
only for the briefest of time. […] Having felt the love of the essential
feminine, the door to his deepest Self has opened.”
I
think a similar conclusion to TBL would be more than satisfactory - Red
and Liz guiding each other, helping each other opening that door, and arriving to that stage
of completion they have been seeking for a long time. Erik and Christine
couldn’t stay together but I see no reason why Red and Liz wouldn’t be
once they reach journey’s end. Erik is too damaged to be in a
relationship but Red isn’t. His circumstances, however, are less than ideal. But we’ll see.
The protagonists of PotO and TBL - Christine and Liz - embark on the archetypal “Hero’s Journey,” which was first described by mythologist Joseph Campbell in his book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.”
The Hero’s Journey
basically entails the losing of the self to find the self
involves
leaving the familiar behind, crossing a threshold and ending up in a
mysterious world where lots of trials, hardships, and the ultimate
rewards await
the protagonist/hero is stuck at the beginning.
They often feel that their existence is incomplete, stale, and/or
unfulfilled. This is because they are kept from growing, changing, living.
The quest begins with a “call to adventure.” The herald can be a person, an event, an object, or an urge.
During
the quest the hero is tempted by forces to stop, to seek safety, to run back to what feels
familiar - the old life and the old way of doing/perceiving things.
The
hero must overcome these temptations to achieve their goal which is
often an insight into vital areas of their own nature and
self-realization. In this case, the journey is a psychological one; a
descent into the dark, unexplored regions of the heart and soul where
the enemies are the embodiments of one’s own fears or limitations.
Every
quest is built around a particular boon - a valuable possession,
something the hero is striving to obtain. It can be an object or
something intangible like knowledge of both the self and the world.
The
ultimate boon is always a priceless psychological gain: an expanded
consciousness, a saving insight, or a release of long-suppressed
creative powers. It is a realization of a dream, the promise of a fresh
start.
The hero gets transformed by the quest and their
life changes forever. The last phase of the journey is a psychological
rebirth that affects their values and perceptions. It triggers an inner
liberation and the hero gains self-knowledge, and enjoys a sense of
limitless possibilities.
The ultimate reward is the meaningful transformation of the old life that was too constricted.
Christine and Liz are primarily patterned on the Young Hero/ine archetype.
THE YOUNG HERO/INE
has special parentage and/or mysterious origins
was raised by foster parents/guardians far away from their place of birth
has remarkable courage and a curiosity to match
is often impatient and naive
is mentored
has to battle monsters and solve seemingly unsolvable mysteries
is subjected to a series of ordeals
is gradually transformed from their initial innocent/ignorant state
saves the kingdom
achieves maturation and gains self-knowledge
Red and Erik are primarily patterned on the Other or Shadow archetype.
THE OTHER/SHADOW
can be the hero/ine’s most intimate friend or a mysterious - if oddly familiar - stranger
possesses
a personality that is seemingly the opposite of the hero/ine’s but a
closer examination may reveal that deep down they are the same
represents
the dark, unlived, hidden, generally unacknowledged part of the
hero/ine’s public personality - the unseen traits that lie behind the
hero/ine’s carefully tailored persona
personifies primitive energies, desires, all the untamed urges society wants repressed
embodies
all the latent tendencies, drives, unfulfilled desires the hero/ine
keeps concealed from society and often from her own consciousness
signifies
the possibility of increased self-awareness for the hero/ine as she
confronts a side of herself she has never confronted before
Now
this is where things get more complex because as I mentioned a hundred
paragraphs before, archetypes often interpenetrate and interfuse, which
a) is a good thing because they make for extremely rich
characterizations and b) it also means that Red and Erik are more than
the embodiments of their heroines’ suppressed side. That is their
primary function but they also exhibit - to varying degrees - characteristics of The Mentor or Guide and The Devil + they are Romantic Heroes themselves - more precisely the Byronic variety.
THE MENTOR/GUIDE
also called The Wise Old Man
is a redeemer
personifies wisdom
exemplifies moral qualities and tests those of others
frequently functions as a surrogate father
assists and trains the hero/ine
serves as a role model and/or the hero/ine’s conscience
THE DEVIL
stands in opposition to both the Hero/ine and The Mentor
personifies chaos, mystery, destruction, deceit, sensuality, carnality, crime, misery
is typically large, dark, articulate, persuasive, and dedicated
is often alone but has followers whose loyalty he demands and even tests
The romantic hero types
(from Peter L. Thorslev’s book “The Byronic Hero: Types and Prototypes”)
the Noble Outlaw, the Faust Figure, Cain-Ahasuerus, and Satan-Prometheus. They
are
- in a sense - transformed versions of 18th century villains (e.g. the
Gothic Villain becomes “ensouled” and thus sympathetic, developing into
the Noble Outlaw)
are fundamentally rebellious
are solitaries as a result of a conscious moral choice/faithful decision and/or because of their minds and sensibilities
find
it impossible to adjust to society as it exists; they either go down to
glorious defeat or commit their lives to transforming the world
The Noble Outlaw
was born of the merging of the ballad outlaw + the Gothic Villain + bears characteristics of Milton’s Satan + Prometheus
is often a glamorous and/or tender-hearted criminal
is
larger than life, passionate and heroic, always pre-empting the stage
in the productions he appears even when there are other characters
around who have more lines, more sympathetic characteristics, etc.
a
leader who dominates his followers by sheer courage, strength of will,
and personal magnetism; his authority is integral part of his person
along with his commanding voice or his all-seeing eyes
has comrades of undying loyalty
is never by nature cruel or sadistic
is
largely a sympathetic character because he’s been usually wronged by a
personal friend or society, which provides a plausible motive
has a cloak of mystery, an air of sublime or fallen angel - a noble nature coarsened by a rough life
is filled with high-souled and hidden remorse that flashes forth in occasional quick bursts of temper or kindness
The Faust Figure
typifies the eternal quest for knowledge and truth
stands for a lust for experience
Cain-Ahasuerus figures are
social outcasts
eternal wanderers
“marked” and cursed of sin
rebels
compulsive tellers of tales
Satan-Prometheus figures
fight for liberty against oppression of all forms
reach the ultimate level in sublimity, in dignity, and in rebellion
have no trace of dark secrets or past sins
are inventive spirits
are benefactors - patrons and guides of mankind - for which they have to suffer
THE BYRONIC HERO
is a powerful fusion of the Romantic Hero types mentioned above, combining their characteristics into a single commanding image
is
always a lover (often a star-crossed one); romantic love is the ruling
passion of his life and he remains faithful until death and his
redemption is most commonly a woman
is courteous toward women
is socially dominant
is tender and loving and in some cases this causes his defeat
often loves music and/or poetry
can be arrogant, extremely sensitive and very conscious of himself
is analytic of his emotions and self-critical/self-tormenting
has a strong sense of honor
bears a strong resemblance to the Gothic Villain but he is humanized
is characterized by defiance and suffering
never makes his peace with society
carries about him a deep sense of guilt and/or pain
is sympathetic in spite of his crimes
may be fatal but he is not cruel
is a gentle/noble soul perverted/distorted
is remorseful yet defiant, echoing the sympathetic Gothic Villain type
creates
his own human values and the “sins” of which he repents are
transgressions of his own peculiar moral code and not those that society
considers most reprehensible; for conventional morality he has nothing
but contempt and defiance
has a softness in him, especially in his attitude toward women
refuses to abdicate his moral responsibility
accepts the burden of his conscience
is likely to be consumed by his own passions
is a striking, attractive figure but not necessarily physically
It
is interesting to note how no other male in either narrative is
really allowed to become a permanent hero (Drumright). Raoul is overall
pretty ineffective and no match for the Phantom. Similarly in TBL, Red
has no match, either. Others may help out when he is prevented from
doing it himself, but even then he is still pulling the strings and
moving the pieces from the background to help and save Liz. And at the
end, it is always he who stands by the car, waiting for her.
So both the Phantom and Red have the same archetypes mixed in their characters but not in the same proportions.
Erik
is made of the same stuff as Red, but he is much more unstable, which
makes him more violent and unpredictable. He is an extremely powerful
figure - a reactor of raw emotion but without the proper coolant system.
He is the Shadow to Christine’s Maiden, prompting her to face and
explore her repressed desires. Initially, he is her unseen Mentor, older
and more experienced, who guides her into his world of dark passion
where creative urges run unchecked. He undoubtedly displays a lot of
characteristics of the Devil type, and he is also a Byronic hero, albeit
not the purest kind. That title - the purest (21st century) Byronic hero -
belongs to Red, no question. He, too, mentors Liz a little at the
beginning of the story and tells her that one of his original intentions
was to point her toward the truth. He is older, way more experienced,
and occasionally dispenses with some morsels of wisdom, yet other times he
also works against her and withholds information. He has the distinct
touches of the Devil type in him, too, and as Liz’s Other or Shadow, he is
constantly pushing her away and pulling her in, confronting her with the
world’s + her own dark, unexplored side.
This brings us to the second archetypal plot pattern that nicely complements the Hero’s Journey:
The Ancient Triangle
the life of a(n unsuspecting) young couple is disrupted by a dubious outsider who threatens their status quo
the
outsider engages the young woman, offers something different and
unknown, allows her to think for herself, and she is given an option to
choose
meanwhile the young man remains rather inactive, ineffective, often lacking insight and resources (he is also the one holding her back)
the young woman chooses to yield to the outsider’s temptation
her original innocence is transformed
she is both cursed and rewarded by “the knowledge of good and bad”, gaining awareness, insights, and a morality of her own
PotO
“re-enacts the Biblical story of the Temptation and the Fall, and its
love triangle recreates that ancient plot: the one in which the
existence of Adam and Eve is endangered by the interference of the
Serpent” (Drumright). The same is happening on TBL. Red’s arrival turns
Liz’s life upside down and during this painful process, she loses her
innocence, sheds her naivete, and starts to develop a morality of her
own. Tom is never innocent to begin with, but he, too, loses that in the
sense that his cover of innocence crumbles. Given how Liz is
clinging to the memory of this cover, the original triangle is still in
play - also evidenced by the continued “Red vs Tom” promo tactics -,
which brings us back to the (faux-)bright animus vs dark animus struggle
mentioned way above.
Both Red and Erik are associated with
the
frightening yet fascinating Underworld (which is also an archetype
where the Hero/ine enters to face the dark side of the self). Red dwells
in the criminal underworld and Erik lives under the Opera House.
the color red. It signifies blood, sacrifice, passion, sexuality, danger + brings to mind the Devil Archetype.
smoothness, sophistication, an enticement, the forbidden
that distinct air of a fallen angel (see the Byronic hero type)
Both
Liz and Christine face a choice between what is socially acceptable and
what is potentially transforming and fulfilling but not without risk.
“Being forced to face the monster in the man also means facing the man
in the monster” (Drumright), which results in developing a so-called
other-consciousness, empathy, an intimate understanding of the Other and
via the Other, their own selves. The conflict is two-fold: the external
conflict of choosing between suitors runs parallel to the internal
conflict regarding these women’s own values, prompting them to decide
where they stand in relation to the notions of goodness and badness
(Drumright).
IV. THE FATHER ISSUE
Given that both stories deal with this father(figure) - lover confusion, let’s briefly tackle this angle, too.
The
father figure has three entry points in these narratives. One is the
“spirit of the father” which is (to me) a clear misdirect/distraction.
The second is the paternal imprint on the animus projection but that is
perfectly normal and healthy. The third one is the fact that both Red
and Erik borrow some characteristics from the Wise Old Man archetype who
often acts as a surrogate father to the Hero/ine. Being wiser, older,
and more experienced, Red and Eric are bound to borrow from this type
but I believe it is a big mistake to reduce them to it. If we take a
look at every major attribute of the Wise Old Man, we can see that it is
not a good fit overall. Cooper, for instance, from TBL is a
personification of this type but Red isn’t. He and Erik, however, embody
the other three major governing types of their characters almost to a
t. And these types - the Shadow, the Devil, and the Byronic Hero - are
firmly associated with latent desires, attraction, sexuality, passion,
and romantic love, and they are always intertwined with the
female protagonist of the story which they both inhabit.
V. CONCLUSION
The romantic-sexual reading of Red and Liz’s relationship is, in fact, a more than legitimate option, and no one should be harassed and/or called delusional, sick or twisted for choosing to embrace that option. Whether TPTB realize it or not, they have coded it into the very fabric of their show.
Additional references
Bernice H. Hill, PhD: Reflections on "The Phantom of the Opera”
Patricia Drumright: The Phantom of the Opera: Spectacular Musical or Archetypal Story?
A summary of Archetypal Criticism