The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux

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Joseph Buquet
Joseph is a stagehand who claims to have encountered the phantom in the opera house’s third basement. He is later discovered hanged in the cellar, but when others arrive to retrieve his body, the rope is gone. The Persian later speculates that the phantom used a device known as the Punjab lasso to kill Buquet.

Carlotta
Carlotta is the opera's leading lady, with Christine Daaé as her understudy. Despite her technical skill, Carlotta lacks emotional depth in her singing. The phantom warns her against performing as Marguerite in Faust, but she defies him. Consequently, when she sings, her voice turns into the sound of a croaking frog.

Christine Daaé
Christine, originally from Sweden, was brought up by her father, a traveling violinist. As he lay dying, he assured her that he would remain with her through the Spirit of Music. While singing at the Paris Opera, Christine hears Erik speaking to her from behind a wall. She asks if he is the spirit her father mentioned, and for a time, Erik pretends to be. He trains her to sing beautifully, and when she finally performs publicly, she captivates much of Parisian society. That evening, she reunites with Raoul de Chagny, her childhood love, which incites Erik's jealousy. Erik, desperate to possess her, promises her freedom but then kidnaps her, giving her a short time to agree to marry him under the threat of death. She unsuccessfully attempts to deceive him into believing she loves him, but her genuine love for Raoul ultimately moves Erik to let them go.

Philippe de Chagny
Philippe-Georges-Marie, the forty-one-year-old Count de Chagny, is the eldest in his family and has taken responsibility for one of Europe’s oldest families since the death of his parents. He disapproves of his younger brother Raoul's relationship with Christine Daaé. When Christine vanishes from the opera stage, Count de Chagny becomes a prime suspect. Later, he is found drowned in the lake surrounding the phantom’s lair. The phantom denies any involvement, claiming Philippe accidentally fell from his boat before encountering any of the lake's traps.

Raoul de Chagny
Raoul, the youngest member of the illustrious de Chagny family, has been raised by his sister and elderly aunt. At the age of twenty, he is poised to join the navy and, while awaiting his orders, spends a few weeks in Paris with his brother Phillippe. He spots Christine Daaé performing at the opera and recognizes her as the girl he fell in love with years ago when he retrieved her scarf from the water. Although he senses Christine's affection for him, she often attempts to push him away, fearing that Erik, the phantom, might harm him. Raoul and Christine secretly become engaged, but when their engagement becomes public, the phantom kidnaps Christine. The final chapters of the novel follow Raoul, aided by a mysterious figure known as the Persian, as they infiltrate the phantom’s hidden underground lair to rescue Christine. Their attempt fails, and Raoul faces the threat of drowning until the phantom has a change of heart, allowing Christine to leave with Raoul, though it breaks his heart and ultimately leads to his death.

Monsieur Debienne
Monsieur Debienne, alongside Monsieur Poligny, is one of the retiring directors of the Paris Opera featured in the novel's opening chapters.

Erik
Erik is the name adopted by the phantom of the Opera; his true name is never disclosed in the novel. Born with a deformity, it was his mother who first gave him a mask. Erik was born in a small village near Rouen but fled as a young man,...

(This entire section contains 1473 words.)

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sometimes showcasing his eerie appearance at country fairs as the "living dead man." He honed his skills as a musician, magician, and ventriloquist. Summoned by a shah in Persia, Erik designed a palace filled with secret panels and trap doors. To keep these secrets, the shah ordered his execution, but the Persian helped Erik escape.

In Paris, Erik was involved in constructing the Paris opera house under Charles Garnier. Familiar with the secret passageways, he moves about the opera house unseen. His ventriloquism skills allow him to speak from hidden locations, making it seem as though his voice emanates from thin air beside people. Erik also uses his musical talent to compose the masterful violin piece, Don Juan Triumphant, which he has worked on for decades in his underground home beneath the opera house.

As the enigmatic Erik, the phantom, demands an annual stipend and a private box from the opera managers. Erik becomes infatuated with Christine upon meeting her. For a time, he masquerades as the Spirit of Music, a figure her father once spoke of, and he coaches her to become a remarkable singer. However, when he fails to win her love, he descends into madness. He abducts her and ultimately threatens to detonate a significant part of the town with the gunpowder he has stashed beneath the opera house. In the end, his heart softens due to her promise to love him, and he allows Christine and Raoul to leave and marry each other. His final appearance in the novel is to inform the Persian that he is dying of a broken heart.

Mme. Giry
Mme. Giry, the mother of Little Meg, is also the attendant of Box Number 5, reserved for the phantom. Though she has never seen him, she performs tasks for him, such as bringing a program and a footstool to the box. In return, he leaves her tips and gifts. When the opera’s directors fire her, a massive chandelier crashes onto the audience, killing only one person: the woman who replaced Mme. Giry. She is tasked with delivering money to the phantom, and when the envelope's money is swapped for counterfeit bills, the directors threaten to turn her over to the police. They later realize she could not have stolen the money. They also discover her motivation to assist the phantom; besides his tips, he has foretold that Little Meg will become the empress by 1885.

La Sorelli
La Sorelli, one of the opera’s leading dancers, is a diva who expects to be the focal point. When she performs, the narrator states, “she appears to be in a tableau so lascivious that it could drive a man to blow his brains out.” Despite this, she is also depicted as a vain and stubborn woman.

Monsieur Lachenal
Monsieur Lachenal serves as the stable master of the opera house, overseeing the horses trained to perform in the operas.

Armand Moncharmin
Armand Moncharmin, one of the new directors of the opera, lacks musical training but is wealthy and well-connected socially. His professional relationship with M. Richard is jeopardized when the phantom manages to steal an envelope of money from Richard’s pocket. The book’s narrator uses Moncharmin’s autobiography, The Memoirs of a Director, as a key source for the events described in the book.

The Persian
The Persian is a key witness to the events at the opera house, interviewed by the narrator about the fates of Raoul de Chegny and Christine Daaé. His real name is never revealed due to his notoriety. Throughout much of the story, he remains an enigmatic figure until the final chapters. It is then disclosed that he has known Erik, the phantom, for many years, dating back to his time as the daroga, or chief of the national police, in Persia. He once saved Erik from execution, costing him his government position. He possesses extensive knowledge of the phantom’s underground world, having tracked and observed him, and nearly falling victim to one of his traps in the underground lake.

When Christine is abducted, the Persian assists Raoul in navigating the subterranean labyrinth to locate her. His guidance proves crucial during the rescue mission, although he almost perishes when the cellar floods. The phantom ultimately saves him, and after ensuring his safety, sedates him and leaves him at a doorway.

Monsieur Poligny
Together with Monsieur Debienne, Monsieur Poligny is one of the retiring directors of the Paris Opera at the novel’s beginning.

Firmin Richard
Richard is one of the new directors of the opera, known for his musical talent and compositions. He has a deep appreciation for all forms of music and musicians. Skeptical about the phantom’s existence, he is reluctant to comply with his demands. When money vanishes from an envelope pinned in his pocket, he and his partner, M. Moncharmin, begin to suspect each other. According to Moncharmin’s memoirs, this suspicion lingers throughout their professional relationship.

Madame Maudie Valerius
Christine resides at the home of Mme. Valerius, an old friend of her father. When Christine first disappears, Raoul de Chagny visits the house, but Mme. Valerius is unable to provide her whereabouts. She believes Christine has gone away with the Spirit of Music.

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