The Tell-Tale Opera

For sale: A charming town house available to own. The dim lighting makes this small space romantic and cozy. Low cost with newly re-done floors! We also have for sale, a charming country manor home. This one is a bit of a fixer upper. This giant estate on lots of land was a prior residence of the esteemed Usher family. With a little bit of TLC this one will be a great get away for the whole family.  The last item that will be for sale is the building that housed The Opera Populare. This opera house was once a fully functioning opera house for all the latest and greatest to be debuted. This one comes complete with an auction of all the artifacts left from its heyday as a music hall in a grand estate sale. Though these abandoned properties may seem shrouded in mystery, it is this fascinating mystique that gives these properties such an eccentric charm!

Wouldn't this be a fantastic add? Oh the subtle details that are left out of descriptions sometimes. You know things like former mayhem, subterfuge, and a murder most foul. Well, as you may have guessed I’m hinting at, the horror stories of Poe and the tale of The Phantom of the Opera have a lot in common. First is the modernist Gothic element that is apparent in the two. With the stories of Poe there are the elements of light and dark, murder, deformity, decay, obsession and a hint of the unhinged. In Phantom there is … all of the exact same elements. Fancy that! For these comparisons I’m going to focus mainly on The Tell-tale heart when it comes to Poe, firstly because we discussed it in class, and secondly because I’m incredibly fond of it. The Fall of the House of Usher would be sufficiently mysterious and dreary for our purposes, but I find it a bit dull.

So, about The Tell-tale heart... One of the first characteristics that is featured in this work is that of shadows and light. The dark house with only a dimly lit lantern for illumination sets the scene for the narrative. Enter the Opera Populare that is all bright and showy, but only lit by candle. Then once you descend to the subterranean lair of our eponymous Phantom and you are enshrouded by a word of darkness with yes, only some dimly lit candles to illuminate the shadows. In the house of The Tell-tale Heart the light is brightened to illuminate the horror, the terror, and the ever repulsive eye of the old man. This deformity that is enough to drive a man mad is what is revealed with the light. Eyes are a powerful symbol in literature. While being slightly macabre as a symbol (especially disfigured ones) they are considered to be a window to the soul. If one has a gnarled eye, does that equate that one has a twisted soul? So it is interesting then that when we are introduced to The Phantom (Erik by name if you really must know) that he too has a deformity that centers around one of his eyes. In fact it is this distorted eye that is the only feature that is visible on the masked side of his face. This is especially peculiar because while The Phantom may not be the protagonist per say he is one that we are supposed to feel at least a modicum of pity for, unlike the old man of Tell-tale fame who is only met with revulsion by narrator and reader both. Oddly enough however we know nothing about the ever hated old man. For all that the reader is aware, he could be a good person and yet there is still the loathing. The Phantom on the other hand is a known murderer and kidnapper, and yet there is no hatred, only pity (from Christine) and fondness (from me.) Could it be because his eye is covered and not on display for the whole world to see then that we are given this contrast?             

The next phenomenon that connects these two cryptic tales is obsession. Both The Phantom and The Narrator have obsessive personalities. They both have that one thing that they think they need more than anything else. The reason for this of course, is because they are both off their rockers. I’m sorry, I love both of these characters but they are both mildly unhinged if not full blown crazy. The narrator of The Tell-tale Heart is obsessed with the eye of the old man and this causes him to become paranoid. Here we are let into his mind. So much worry and careful plotting devoted to one little act of murder. The Phantom on the other hand is obsessed with a woman, Christine. Here too we get the same feelings of obsession and fixation, but also paranoia. The Phantom is paranoid that the world hates him and that he is not worthy. He also however, does not let this hinder his ultimate plot.

Tragically both of these characters are foiled in their endeavors. Though they both accomplish what they want, i.e. a murder and a kidnapping, neither gets away with their scheming. The Narrator commits his murder, and then focuses on slyly getting away with his cunning homicide. He however is gotten the better of by his paranoia. The Phantom gets the girl, just like he wants. However, he is worried that she doesn't actually love him and he too lets his paranoia foil all his plans (though I admit this one may be more justified, whatever, he just needs a hug.) So, in the end both plots are vanquished through a little insecurity… and just maybe a dash of lunacy. 

In the end, these stories have a scary amount of similarity. Who would have thought that two stories considered so different would have so much in common. I think the only real thing keeping this comparison from going all the way is the fact that The Phantom of the Opera is ensconced in music. However, I imagine that it would be really awesome if The Tell-tale Heart had its own musical soundtrack (done by Danny Elfman of course {he writes really creepy and awesome music just f.y.i.}.) Also, tell-tale heart is also missing the element of a jealous boyfriend that Phantom has going. That would add quite the monkey-wrench into this classic tale of horror. Could you imagine?