Phantom Thoughts pt. 16
Jan. 10th, 2019 11:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zellephantom{"Yes, the other evening, it was he who was talking when you were listening behind the door. It was he who said, 'You must love me.' But I then thought that I was the only one to hear his voice. Imagine my astonishment when you told me, this morning, that you could hear him too."
Raoul burst out laughing. The first rays of the moon came and shrouded the two young people in their light. Christine turned on Raoul with a hostile air. Her eyes, usually so gentle, flashed fire.
"What are you laughing at? YOU think you heard a man's voice, I suppose?"
"It's you, Raoul, who say that? You, an old playfellow of my own! A friend of my father's! But you have changed since those days. What are you thinking of? I am an honest girl, M. le Vicomte de Chagny, and I don't lock myself up in my dressing-room with men's voices. If you had opened the door, you would have seen that there was nobody in the room!"}
Christine: So I hear this voice in my dressing room- it's the Angel of Music from my father's stories! He is only heard by those who are destined to achieve musical greatness!
Raoul, who is only a decent singer at best: But *I* heard the voice! So it wasn't the Angel lol
Christine: So you think there was a MAN in my dressing room??? How dare you! I am an entirely proper lady and would *never* do something so SCANDELOUS!!
Raoul: ...welp guess I'm alienating my crush then
{The first floor of the Setting Sun was at no great height and a tree growing against the wall held out its branches to Raoul's impatient arms and enabled him to climb down unknown to the landlady.}
So Raoul just casually climbs out the window and down a tree AT NIGHT in order to follow Christine?? Is his inner monologue at this point just 'what would Philippe tell me NOT to do because it would shame the family name? ok, I'm doing that. all for Christine, of course.'??
{Her amazement, therefore, was all the greater when, the next morning, the young man was brought back to her half frozen, more dead than alive, and when she learned that he had been found stretched at full length on the steps of the high altar of the little church.}
And after doing this ridiculously impulsive thing he falls asleep waiting outside the church and nearly FREEZES TO DEATH?? That poor landlady- she has no idea what she's gotten herself into.
{Q. "In what condition of mind were you?"
R. "Very healthy and peaceful, I assure you.}
Does a healthy and peaceful person climb out of bed, out a window, and down a tree IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT in order to follow his crush and see what she's doing???
{She knelt down by her father's grave, made the sign of the cross and began to pray. At that moment, it struck midnight. At the last stroke, I saw Mlle. Daae life{sic} her eyes to the sky and stretch out her arms as though in ecstasy. I was wondering what the reason could be, when I myself raised my head and everything within me seemed drawn toward the invisible, WHICH WAS PLAYING THE MOST PERFECT MUSIC! Christine and I knew that music; we had heard it as children. But it had never been executed with such divine art, even by M. Daae. I remembered all that Christine had told me of the Angel of Music.}
So the Phantom does get out of the Opera House sometimes! (Wouldn't it be awkward if he was staying in the same boardinghouse? The landlady is like 'so what guests do I have today? a pious girl coming to visit her father's grave, a vicomte who vehemently denies that he's following the girl so much that it must be what he's doing- oh, and that weird masked guy with the violin who keeps muttering about an angel of music!)
{"First a skull rolled to my feet ... then another ... then another ... It was as if I were the mark of that ghastly game of bowls. ... But I was quicker than the shadow and caught hold of a corner of its cloak. At that moment, we were just in front of the high altar; and the moonbeams fell straight upon us through the stained-glass windows of the apse. As I did not let go of the cloak, the shadow turned round; and I saw a terrible death's head, which darted a look at me from a pair of scorching eyes. I felt as if I were face to face with Satan; and, in the presence of this unearthly apparition, my heart gave way, my courage failed me ... and I remember nothing more until I recovered consciousness at the Setting Sun."}
So was Erik just aggressively rolling skulls at Raoul to try & scare him off in what sounds like the world's weirdest game of bowling?? And then decides 'well, if skulls won't scare you away, what about MY TERRIFYING FACE??? oops he fainted- back to the Opera House!'
Raoul burst out laughing. The first rays of the moon came and shrouded the two young people in their light. Christine turned on Raoul with a hostile air. Her eyes, usually so gentle, flashed fire.
"What are you laughing at? YOU think you heard a man's voice, I suppose?"
"It's you, Raoul, who say that? You, an old playfellow of my own! A friend of my father's! But you have changed since those days. What are you thinking of? I am an honest girl, M. le Vicomte de Chagny, and I don't lock myself up in my dressing-room with men's voices. If you had opened the door, you would have seen that there was nobody in the room!"}
Christine: So I hear this voice in my dressing room- it's the Angel of Music from my father's stories! He is only heard by those who are destined to achieve musical greatness!
Raoul, who is only a decent singer at best: But *I* heard the voice! So it wasn't the Angel lol
Christine: So you think there was a MAN in my dressing room??? How dare you! I am an entirely proper lady and would *never* do something so SCANDELOUS!!
Raoul: ...welp guess I'm alienating my crush then
{The first floor of the Setting Sun was at no great height and a tree growing against the wall held out its branches to Raoul's impatient arms and enabled him to climb down unknown to the landlady.}
So Raoul just casually climbs out the window and down a tree AT NIGHT in order to follow Christine?? Is his inner monologue at this point just 'what would Philippe tell me NOT to do because it would shame the family name? ok, I'm doing that. all for Christine, of course.'??
{Her amazement, therefore, was all the greater when, the next morning, the young man was brought back to her half frozen, more dead than alive, and when she learned that he had been found stretched at full length on the steps of the high altar of the little church.}
And after doing this ridiculously impulsive thing he falls asleep waiting outside the church and nearly FREEZES TO DEATH?? That poor landlady- she has no idea what she's gotten herself into.
{Q. "In what condition of mind were you?"
R. "Very healthy and peaceful, I assure you.}
Does a healthy and peaceful person climb out of bed, out a window, and down a tree IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT in order to follow his crush and see what she's doing???
{She knelt down by her father's grave, made the sign of the cross and began to pray. At that moment, it struck midnight. At the last stroke, I saw Mlle. Daae life{sic} her eyes to the sky and stretch out her arms as though in ecstasy. I was wondering what the reason could be, when I myself raised my head and everything within me seemed drawn toward the invisible, WHICH WAS PLAYING THE MOST PERFECT MUSIC! Christine and I knew that music; we had heard it as children. But it had never been executed with such divine art, even by M. Daae. I remembered all that Christine had told me of the Angel of Music.}
So the Phantom does get out of the Opera House sometimes! (Wouldn't it be awkward if he was staying in the same boardinghouse? The landlady is like 'so what guests do I have today? a pious girl coming to visit her father's grave, a vicomte who vehemently denies that he's following the girl so much that it must be what he's doing- oh, and that weird masked guy with the violin who keeps muttering about an angel of music!)
{"First a skull rolled to my feet ... then another ... then another ... It was as if I were the mark of that ghastly game of bowls. ... But I was quicker than the shadow and caught hold of a corner of its cloak. At that moment, we were just in front of the high altar; and the moonbeams fell straight upon us through the stained-glass windows of the apse. As I did not let go of the cloak, the shadow turned round; and I saw a terrible death's head, which darted a look at me from a pair of scorching eyes. I felt as if I were face to face with Satan; and, in the presence of this unearthly apparition, my heart gave way, my courage failed me ... and I remember nothing more until I recovered consciousness at the Setting Sun."}
So was Erik just aggressively rolling skulls at Raoul to try & scare him off in what sounds like the world's weirdest game of bowling?? And then decides 'well, if skulls won't scare you away, what about MY TERRIFYING FACE??? oops he fainted- back to the Opera House!'
no subject
Date: 2019-01-10 10:15 pm (UTC)Hee. I've nevre read the book, but I'm endlessly amused that -- without the music -- both Raoul and the Phantom seem even more ridiculous and less reasonable people.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-10 10:37 pm (UTC)I'd definitely recommend reading the book as well. I can't claim that it's a work of flawless literary genius, but it is an enjoyable read and I can understand why so many people over the years have made adaptations of it. If you're interested, you can read the first (albeit abridged) English translation for free on Project Gutenberg. (link is here- http://www.gutenberg.org/files/175/175-h/175-h.htm ) You might not like the novel if you don't already have a soft spot for the musical, though.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-11 12:02 pm (UTC)Everyone is so EXTRA™, it's absolutely hilarious! Thank you for writing these.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-11 09:27 pm (UTC)Yes, everyone is incredibly extra and dramatic. You're welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying these, and hopefully having as much fun reading them as I do writing them :) Have a wonderful day!
no subject
Date: 2020-11-13 01:43 am (UTC)Hah -- a good point ;-D
Raoul is basically arguing that if he heard the Angel, then there was clearly nothing supernatural about it. Which means that he is unintentionally arguing that he has no musical talent ;-p
At night in the snow without his overcoat, having scarcely eaten or slept since he left Paris the previous evening. He clearly has no sense of self-preservation where Christine is concerned...
He doesn't fall asleep while waiting outside the church, though. He guesses that the Phantom is a human imposter and chases him into the darkened building before collapsing on the altar steps when he catches sight of what appears to be the Devil himself (probably from hypothermia, under the circumstances -- either that, or he hits his head on the steps as he goes down and succumbs to hypothermia while he is unconscious).