Jealousy has been on my mind lately. It’s another emotion in the Phantom of the Opera, which I like to call our psychological playground. You may not be struggling with jealousy presently, but as humans, it does occasionally knock on each of our doors wearing different masks. Do you see any jealousy lurking around the Opera House?
Before you cringe thinking I am about to preach, relax. It’s just a quote, however, the Bible can be a hot book. There are quite a few seductive love stories hidden inside. One verse in the book of Song of Solomon has a very poignant statement about jealousy. For those of you who don’t know, that’s the book about love and sex written by the king who had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He must have had some first-hand knowledge on the subject to write the following:
For love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame. (Song of Solomon 8:6)
I like another translation that says, “jealousy is as hard and cruel” as death or the grave.
Jealousy is a strong emotion. It drives men to kill, war, steal, duel, and fight – just to name a few. Jealousy, as I think about it in the context of romantic love, is resentment against a rival for another’s affection. Certainly that was the case between the Phantom and Raoul, for both were in the love with the same woman, both were rivals for her affection, and both possessed qualities the other did not that drew Christine to each of them in different ways.
I have no doubt that Erik felt intense jealousy toward Raoul, his rival, for Christine’s affection. Raoul represented all that Erik did not possess – beauty, wealth, and title. The Phantom could offer none of these things to Christine. Yet oddly enough, the Phantom possessed qualities that Raoul lacked, that being music and passion. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Patrick Wilson stated in an interview that as he watched Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler play out the scene the Point of No Return, he found it quite difficult to watch. There was a jealousy as Raoul realized the obvious passionate attraction between the two.
Jealousy is a consuming emotion that burns like a mighty flame. Unfortunately, it’s the possessor of jealousy who ends up consumed by the very emotion they embrace. It is unyielding, hard to appease, and cruel as the grave. It’s an emotion that is draining and useless, and it takes a mature individual to realize that it’s one emotion not worth the price tag. Our dear Phantom, however, was consumed by it, ultimately paid the price trying to obtain from a rival that which was not his to have.
I think all of us as humans have been touched with jealousy in one way or the other. Perhaps not the overwhelming jealousy surrounding romantic love, but the subtle jealousy of envy and resentment towards what others possess, whether or not we deem them our rivals. It’s probably best when jealousy comes knocking at your door, take a quick glance, check the price tag, and say you’re not interested. Better to turn away the cruel emotion rather than to embrace it and be consumed.
Sincerely,
