CHARACTERS

Characters are the people in the story. There are two basic types of characters in the story:

a)      The round character

The dynamic character that changes in order to help the progress of the plot.

b)      The flat character

A character that is stereotyped and tens to remain the same throughout the story.

Main characters

1) The Phantom

• Also known as Erik or the Opera ghost
• Born in France
• A master builder
• Is a skilful ventriloquist and illusionist
• Goes to Persia to work but settles permanently in Paris
• Lives in a secret house on the lake under the Opera House
• Creates horror and terror in people with his ugly appearance

-          Looks like  a dead man

-          Has deep, black sockets for eyes

-          The sockets can turn a blazing red at will

-          Has a hole for a nose

-          Has yellow skin

• A talented person who is a good inventor, an accomplished singer, a brilliant musician and a master of disguise
• Becomes attracted to Christine Daaé and gives her voice lessons in secret.
• Becomes obsessed with her and eventually kidnaps her
• Traps Vicomte Raoul and the Persian in the torture chamber
• Will only free them if Christine promises to marry him
• Lets Christine go free after shows him tenderness and compassion with a kiss
• Allows Christine to marry Raoul
• Dies very soon of grief and heartbreak

      2) Christine Daaé

•   Born in Norway to a poor family
•   A beautiful girl with wonderful voice
•   Caring
•   Loyal
•   Becomes the best opera singer
•   Meets Vicomte Raoul de Chagny in France in a coastal town called Brittany
•   Falls in love with Raoul
•   Is kept as a prisoner by Erik in Erik’s house for five days
•   Is willing to sacrifice her love for Raoul by agreeing to marry Erik in order to save Raoul and the Persian
•   Leaves with Raoul to a secret place away from Paris

     3) Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny

•   Comes from a rich and distinguished family in France
•   Is looked by his brother, Comte Phillip
•   Has blue eyes, black hair and a wonderful smile
•   Falls in love with Christine
•   Responsible
•   Loyal
•   Tortured by Erik in torture chamber together with the Persian

  Minor characters

4) Madame Giry

• Door keepers for the boxes in the Opera House
• Is the mother of Meg Giry
• Looks after box 5 and friendly with the Opera ghost
• Knows about the Opera ghost
• Advices the two new directors not to make the Opera ghost angry and to fulfil his requests

5) Meg Giry

• The daughter of Madame Giry
• The dancer
• Seems to know a lot about the Opera ghost from her mother
• Warns other not to talk about the Opera ghost

6) La Carlotta

• The Spanish opera singer
• Is introduced as the Opera House prima donna
• Is famous for her beautiful voice
• Is temperamental and strong-willed
• Refuses to listen to the Opera ghost’s warning
• Croaks like a toad while singing Margarita
• She cannot sing anymore

      7) Monsieur Armand Moncharmin and Monsieur Firmin Richard

•   New directors of the Opera House
•   Receive a letter demanding 20, 000 francs a month from the Opera ghost
•   Ignore the Opera ghost’s requests
•   Become pale and frighten when La Carlotta croaks like a toad and brings down the chandelier
•   Finally agree to fulfil the Opera ghost’s requests