One of my favorite musicals of all time is Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera". It's a glorious masterpiece of drama, love, and pain, with beautiful and haunting melodies that end up stuck in your head for hours. Within this amazing work of music is a heated love triangle; Christine, the young soprano, is being pursued by her childhood friend Raoul, who she is in a relationship with for the majority of the musical, but the Phantom of the Opera himself also has feelings for Christine and it's clear to the audience that she is, at the very least, interested in him as well. Avid fans of the musical tend to divide themselves in the same way the "Twilight" fans do; are you Team Edward or Team Jacob? Are you Team Raoul or Team Phantom? I am easily and passionately Team Phantom, and if you bear with me, I'll attempt to explain my insanity.
Right off the bat, we'll address the issues most people think of when comparing the two male leads. Big problem number one: the Phantom is a murderer. He literally kills people. I will admit, that is a pretty big drawback, but I personally can overlook it. It's all part of a very complex plan to ensure that Christine's career progresses, which is a very romantic gesture. Sickening and demented, but romantic. People also tend to be wary of the Phantom because he kidnaps Christine within half an hour of the show starting. True, kidnapping is pretty bad, but he does it to show her his world, everything that he is. He trusts her enough to let her into the most secret parts of his life. To everyone else, he is a ghost that may or may not even exist, but to Christine he is a real, physical human being. We learn very quickly that he is a composer, that he finds inspiration for his music in Christine's voice. Again, pretty romantic.
At this point, the average "Phantom" fan thinks I am truly insane. Here I am defending a killer, when there is an option for Christine that is definitely less murderous. I agree that as far as moral compasses go, Raoul's points significantly more north, but that is where I stop supporting him. Folks, Raoul is a complete ass. On the surface, he cares for Christine and takes care of her, or at least that's the impression we are given when watching the musical for the first time. A deeper look at his character shows us a dark, possessive, insensitive man whose ultimate goal is revenge, not love. Prepare yourselves for a plethora of evidence.
Our very first encounter with Raoul is in Christine's study, where he reunites with his old friend and tells her she'll be attending dinner with him. Not invites. Informs. She says she is unable to, but he brushes off her protests and demands she be ready in five minutes. It's all done with a charming type of bravado, the attitude of a man who is used to getting his way. Then there are multiple times throughout the show when Christine pours her fears out to Raoul, how she is afraid of the Phantom's power and capabilities, and Raoul dismisses her feelings completely! He tells her it was a dream, she was imagining things, it's all in her head. He NEVER listens to her, he only tells her things that might make his hysterical woman a bit less emotional and a bit more cooperative. The incident that infuriates me most is when the company of the opera is rehearsing for the Phantom's opera. Christine has the lead and is clearly petrified. She states outright that she doesn't want to do it, that she is terrified of what would happen if she were to participate. The pettier members of the company blame Christine for all the incidents with the Phantom, and like the fake knight in shining armor Raoul is, he comes sweeping in and comforts Christine by saying she doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to. Less than five minutes later, he is leading the charge! His main priority is bringing down the Phantom, and if that puts Christine in harm's way, well, who cares, it's all for the greater good anyway! Not only that, but he tells her that "every hope and every prayer is on you now". No pressure or anything, but if you don't do this, people will probably die.
In the end, it comes down to each man's ultimate goal. Raoul wanted nothing more than to finish off the Phantom, to bring down the elusive ghost that was messing with affairs he ought not mess with. He would go so far as to put his fiancee in harm's way. What a gentleman. The Phantom, though murderous, did everything for Christine because he loved her. All he wanted was her love. He wanted to showcase her abilities and hear her sing all the time because it brought him peace in a very troubled life. It is because of the inner desires of each man that I believe the Phantom is the better man for Christine.
