The Phantom of the Opera, fimply the name can inspire revulsion, curiosity and ironically, obsession. People have been drawn to this story for over 100 years, originally by Gaston Leroux's novel in 1911. With over 150 different variations of this story one may wonder, why there are so many. The Phantom of the Opera captivates people because it embodies many themes that we as humans are enraptured by.

The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most remade stories with over 150 remakes of movies, television shows, books, comics, documentaries, children shows, translations and even radio broadcasts. The most famous ones being the 1911 original book by Gaston Leroux, the later Phantom by Susan Kay, the musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the movie by Andrew Lloyd Webber and directed by Joel Schumacher. There are constantly pop culture references to the story ranging from mocking it to copying it. Not to mention the multitude of sequels ranging from Kindle ebooks to full blown musicals (Love Never Dies). Needless to say it is a well know and well broadcasted story.

The original story begins by simply stating "The Opera ghost really existed". The author's note from Gaston Leroux goes on to say how he investigated in the National Academy of music, also known as the Paris Opera house, trying to unroll the story of Erik, or more well known as 'The Phantom'.

The story is a romantic drama with a little action. There are three main characters, Erik, Christine and Raoul; unfortunately, they are in a love triangle with Christine in the middle. Raoul was Christine's childhood friend, he saved her red scarf from the sea in Peros, France and they remained friends till Chrsitine's father died. Enter Erik, he became known to her first as the Angel of Music. You see, before her father died he told her and Raoul the story of little Lotte and her angel of music that taught her to sing. It is assumed that Leroux based this story of off the poem "A child's first sorrow", by Andreas Munch. On Christine's father's death bed, he promised her the Angel of music. So Erik, playing upon this 'Angel of music' story, starts to give Christine voice lessons and in the process falls in love with her, unfortunately Raoul enters and the most untimly moment for Erik. Now Erik, in this version, not only wears a black mask covering his whole face, but he is also roughly thirty-six years older than her, where as Raoul is the Vicomte de Chagney, handsome, rich, and was Christine's childhood friend. Partway through the book the chandelier crashes via Erik's tampering and brings her down to his 'lair' for a fortnight. Christine begins to have feelings for him, and unmasks him, revealing his face, the face that got him the name 'the living corpse'. Erik releases her and not soon after she is up on the roof of the Opera house telling Raoul of the horrors she was witness to in the cellars. Raoul promises to take her away and marry her, whatever it took to get away from Erik.

Again Erik kidnaps her forcing her to choose him or Raoul. If she chooses Raoul, Erik will destroy the Opera house and everyone inside with the explosives he have in the cellar of his lair. He gives her one day to make up her mind, he then leaves her till she has made her choice. She then realizes that Raoul and an old 'friend' of Erik's- The Persian, have come to rescue her, but they are trapped in Erik's torture chamber. Attempting to save the people above, she agrees to marry Erik by turning the scorpion. By turning the scorpion though it floods the torture chamber with water. Raoul and the Persian (Or Nadir Khan in the Susan Kay novel), are then swept down to Erik 'wine' cellar. Within the cellar that is within the 5th cellar there are barrels, barrels full of gunpowder. Erik rescues them because of a yet again pleading Christine. He then kisses Christine on the forehead, on her feet all the while sobbing. He releases Raoul after giving Christine the gold ring back as a wedding present to them. Once reunited Christine and Raoul kiss in front of Erik. Christine then kisses Erik on the forehead and agrees to his promise: to come back and bury him with the gold ring when he is dead. And with that Raoul and Christine left. Three weeks later, the Persian tells the newspapers he is dead, the cause, a broken heart.

Gaston Leroux went on investigating the story still. In 1907 he claims to have seen poor Erik's skeleton with the gold ring on his finger. Leroux claims to have found in the very room where four containers containing phonographic records within them were being lain in a time capsule that was to be opened in 2007. These records contain the music of the time. Many well know, and not so well known operatic singers were recorded and laid to rest for 100 years. The opera ghost's voices include Francesco Tamagno, Adelina Patti, Nellie Melba, and Enrico Caruso. These people were poular opera singers at the time and they were preserved for future generations to hear. Leroux did not say what happened to the skeleton though.

It is the tale of a lonely man that has never in his life known love till Christine. He was shunned by his mother from his birth. As said in the 2004 movie "This face, which earned a mother's fear and loathing. A mask, my first, unfeeling scrap of clothing." He didn't even have a face that only a mother could love. He was shunned and abused most of his early life in one form or another and is therefore his psyche is skewed. When he found someone to love, he became obsessive, possessive and easily jealous. Many other quite popular tales also have a dark and mysterious tone to them. Beauty and the beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Twilight saga, just to name a few. The target audience of these stories are young girls and women for a reason. Many young girls and women are drawn to the suffering of a mysterious man, Erik, The Beast, Quasimodo, Edward and Jacob all from their respective stories, and with this attraction they become the fan base for it. The employees of the Opera de Paris Garnier actually keep the infamous box five locked to prevent vandalism. Many overzealous fan girls will cut or rip a piece of the curtain off or knock on the pillars or walls to see if they are hollow. Some even steal the 'Box 5' sign. This possessiveness is witnessed many times over, but why? Why are we drawn to these types of stories full of mystery, love and mayhem?

These stories play into our hearts, stretch our imagination and make our mind exercise and work. You don't know what is going to happen from chapter one. It has a these themes that evoke curiosity and wonderment. They make us ask "what if?". It is those "what if's" are the very reason why they are such fascinating stories. Nobody wants to read a book that they are not interested in. The Phantom of the Opera is such a captivating tale because it is so real. The only way for it to get more real was if it was told in the history books.

With some very convincing evidence, for example a 700 lb counterweight of one of the Chandeliers falling and killing one woman, an actual lake beneath the Opera Garnier, A rivalry between two sopranos name Christine Nilsson and Adelina Patti-Sister Carlotta Patti. Or a certain Rose Caron, with striking vocal similarities to Carlotta in the novel. And let's not forget the actual de Chagney family and the striking similarity of Christine Nilsson and Christine Daaè's background. One might almost truly believe that The Phantom of the Opera is a true story. There are literally hundreds of pages on the internet purely devoted to finding out if the Phantom of the opera is fact or fiction. Many details in Leroux's work reference real life things back then. That may be the main reason why there are so many people who believe it is a true story. The song 'The resurrection of Lazarus' is mentioned in the book as it was played by Erik to Christine at her fathers grave. The poem 'A child's first sorrow' is practically the basis for Raoul and Christine's relationship. The name little Lotte is from the poem, 'A child's first sorrow'. Aside from Christine Nilsson, Leroux may have gotten his inspiration for Christine Daae from this excerpt of 'A child's first sorrow'. "Little Lotte though of everything and nothing. Like a butterfly she flew about in the gold of the sun. In her golden curls she the wore the crown of spring. And her gaze was the like the heavens, so bright blue and clear" (jennie) Again there are striking similarities to Christine Daae. So even with these aforementioned facts it cannot be fully known if it is a true story. Leroux stated that "he had a bit of a fancy for miss Christine Nilsson". That may be the entire reason he wrote the phantom of the opera. Perhaps though it has a much darker meaning.

Gaston Leroux was an investigative reported during a very vacillant time in France. He sought out stories and made them known. With Leroux's background of investigative reporting before going to novel writing, one may wonder "Why the change?". Now the obvious answer is that he was no longer inclined to work for a newspaper. The less thought of answer is though, what if fiction was the only way for him to communicate the story? As we know from history, France had been in quite an upheaval for quite some time. There is no doubt that Leroux made a few enemies being an investigative reporter. Investigative reporters are some of the few who actually seek the truth and want to know and tell what was/is really happening. Most governments anywhere would not like there secrets to get out for the public to know. Thus the fictional work of the Phantom of the Opera was born.

It is these real life things that make the story of the Phantom of the Opera stick with us, the real emotions, the real places, the real people. We are quite curious and imaginative creatures so with this real basis for things it completely wraps itself around our minds. That is why this story sticks with people. From the original book by Gaston Leroux to the 2004 film by Joel Schumacher and Andrew Lloyd Webber it has inspired many emotions within people, both good and bad.

Works Cited

Bruder, Gary. Gary bruder fine . digital solutions. 2012. web. 15th March, 2012

Fisherman's friend. .com. 2010. web.15th March, 2012

Jennie, .com, 2006, web, 17th March, 2012

Kay, Susan, Phantom, Tamarac, FL, Llumina Press, 2005, Kindle ebook

Leroux, Gaston The Phantom of the Opera, New York, Harper & Row, 1987, Print

Webber, Andrew Lloyd, The Phantom of the Opera, The Really useful films, 2004

Webber, Andrew Lloyd, Love never dies, Australia, 2012

Willison, Karin. Phantom of the n.p 1995-2009. web. 15th March, 2012