Why Erik?
Most phans would think this is a silly question, but it has come to my attention that there
are some people out there who actually agree with Christine’s decision. Strange. 🙂 People
like those who have posted in Raoul’s
Defence.
So, I’m going to try to explain, for the sake of those people, why I would have stayed with
Erik.
I’ve got nothing against Raoul, for the most part. If played right, he is simply an
inexperienced, naive young man, who is genuinely in love. He can be sweet, handsome
and earnest. He’s just a twit in the original novel, but I won’t go into that now. 🙂
So, on the surface, what does Erik have that’s better than this handsome, rich, young man?
Well, that’s just the point. You need to look beyond the surface.
He’s a genius. “A prodigy, monsieur! Scholar, architect, musician.” “A
composer…” “And an inventor too.”
What else is there to say? He was extremely gifted in every area.
He’s talented. Yes, this is a little different than the first one. 🙂 He was
supposed to have written music that was so incredibly beautiful that it completely
engrossed the listener, making them feel whatever he wanted them to feel. As much as I
love “Point of No Return”, it is undoubtedly no indication of what Erik’s music was really
like.
He has a sense of humour. Come on, you can’t tell me that a guy who toys
with the management like that doesn’t enjoy a good joke! And in the Kay novel, he’s just
downright funny sometimes.
He’s passionate. I can’t stand apathetic people. Erik feels things deeply, and
this comes across in everything he does.
He adores Christine. Raoul may love Christine, but so does Erik, and
because he *is* so passionate about everything, his love for her is that much stronger.
Why would *you* have chosen Erik? Tell me, and I’ll add it to this page!
Jade:
He needs Christine! Without her, he is nothing. She is the “yin” to his “yang,” the proverbial smile on his face. Without her, what will happen to the genius? |
Firepanther:
I watched the movie recently on TV and since then (6 weeks now!) it has totally consumed my thoughts. Am I/ is this normal? Why does this have so much power? With a happy end for Erik I might get over the story faster- very selfish motive. In the movie there is such a strong chemistry between Christine and the Phantom and I probably would have fallen for that- no thoughts of “if” or “but”. The final scene just brings up -I think in most of us- the memories and pain of losing someone we deeply love and facing loneliness. And there has been enough pain in Erik´s or any of our lifes. It’s amazing, how it generates so many passionate comments from all of you- why is it so hard to just shake it off and say: Ah, it ´s only a movie… Thanks for your comments on this site. |
Zoe:
Well, I whould have chosen him because he is devoted to whatever he does. Like he was so devoted to Christine that he was willing to kill everyone in the opera. I am not saying he obsessed, he is devoted. He never gives up. Cristen even says in the book that he is like her slave, a *devoted* slave. You also can’t help but not hate him. Mostly you feel sorry for him, so there really is no use trying. Too bad he dies. *tear* |
Lottie:
Erik is the sexy and clever, man who is has captured Christine’s soul whereas Christine has a place in her heart for Raoul, but her relationship with Erik is deep and heart felt. |
Sarah:
I can’t explain it that well, but I’ll try. I don’t hate Raul, not at all! I think he’s cute, nice, the perfect guy. But the phantom? A murderer and stalker? Why would I love… him?! Well he’s just so mysterious, so in love, so passionate, and his voice? To die for. I can’t really explain it but I really love the phantom. Reading the last sentence of the book ( I couldn’t help it! ) I feel lost. |
Julia:
Erik loves Christine more than anything lese in the world(you alone can make my song take flight) And if she chose him, instead of living a safe, calm rich, happy and boring life and be forever haunted by the fact that she left Erik behind she could marry him and all way be amused. I mean he’s a genius, a spectacular artist in every direction, and he would do everything to make Christine happy.So she could pick him a wake up every morning to beautiful music, live in a gothic place, and live with a man who is completely and absolutely devoted to her. And if she chose him I’m pretty sure that all the killing and going mad would stop. She we already know that in the end she know longer cares about his looks. So there.:-) |
BeastieCat:
Erik is a complex, rounded character, with a genuine inner struggle. Can you say that about Raoul? I doubt it. I can identify with Erik — both in his glorious moments, and in the moments of which he is probably ashamed of. Basically, Erik is more human — and Raoul is a spoiled rich kid who has all the advantages given to him on a silver platter with the proverbial silver spoon. Most or all the fictional characters I most admire have an inner struggle between their better self and their inner beast. Forgive me if am babbling, but Erik is actually the more credible of the two characters for reasons including the one I’ve named. |
Anonymous:
Raoul simply sees Christine as a playmate from a childhood long gone, and very pretty besides. Erik loves Christine from the inside out, and he would die for her. Plus, Erik is much more beautiful a soul! |
Countphantom:
You have said most of it all ready one thing I can think of. He was there for Christine when no one else was. |
Kristine:
I would’ve stayed with Erik because a) I pity him, and b) I know he loves me(Christine) It also helps that he is the greatest musical genius ever born, and among the smartest in the world. He would be loyal, protective, loving, etc., ect. (if you want it said more thoroughly then read the other comments). Besides all that, the poor guy is lonely. He can’t help the way he looks. My final thought is: Erik loved her enough to let her and Raoul both go. Considering how lonely he was, that took an awful lot of love. |
Sophie-Rose:
There’s just something so sexy about the mask. |
Christina:
Erik is so desperately and passionately in love with Christine that he would do ANYTHING for her. Not to mention Raoul only loves her as the little girl he once knew. Erik has never really interacted with people, so his people skills are not that great. But when people say he is too crazy to be good for Christine and she should be with Raoul, I scoff. The only reason Erik loses it is because the one thing he has held most dear to him, the one thing he loved most in his life, Christine, was going to desert him. Wouldn’t you go crazy too? Erik also loves her more maturely. He knows that he loves her with all of his heart, but he does what he thinks is better for her, and is not selfish, even though it tears his heart out. (It tore mine out too Erik!!) |
Amy:
Ok folks, these are my thoughts from the original ALW stage version and the books (Kay and Leroux). 2004 movie was nice but that’s….not my Erik. Sorry. Anyway, I’d choose Erik because of his heart. Even though we can see he has no real experience with love, he probably knows more about it than most people would ever learn in a lifetime. His love goes deep and it is unwavering. Does border on the crazy/obsessive side now and then, but since this is all make-believe anyway we can just overlook that, can’t we? He’s lost so much in his life and I think most phans wish that he could have some happiness. And deep down, I know that’s every phangirl’s secret phantasy. 😉 I just love watching the reaction of women whenever I go see the show. They’re not even phans, but they’re all weeping in the end. I even heard one woman say, while sobbing and laughing at the same time, “Why didn’t she stay?! He’s not *that* ugly! I’d marry him!” I rest my case. ^_^ |
B.J.:
I have read the comments on this page. I too have seen the movie and love it and I also have read the book. I enjoyed and cried with both of them. I also wanted Christine with Erik because you knew he loved her and would do anything for her. In the ’04 movie you could see the chemistery between them, but every time Christine would start to come around Erik would always mess up. I know she loved him but I believed she also loved Raoul to. It was just the matter of could she lead a life of solitude with just Erik and I don’t think she was strong enough to do that. Yes Erik was a passionite man but maybe just a bit to much for Christine, even though she felt it for him. I also know that Raoul saw that passion they felt for each other and was very insecure about what Christine felt for him. I believe that Raoul knew that she loved Erik and always would. |
May:
His voice makes your heart race, plus Raoul can’t sing. |
Chelsea:
I would have chosen Erik because he is protective and loves for the sake of love. |
Emily:
I would have chosen Erik because he’s nice and I feel bad for him. |
Anonymous:
Raoul does not love Christine. He sees her as a playmate from a childhood long gone, and very pretty besides. Erik loves Christine from the inside out, and he would kill for her! That’s called devotion! |
Christine:
Many mark Erik as a mad man but in reality he was simply misunderstood. Because of his social deprivity he never learned how to interact with people. I personally found it amazing how even though he had a rough life he found it within himself to love. I found it even more amazing that he found it within himself to let Christine go that is a selfless act that even “normal” humans have difficulties with. |
Shadowsong:
Erik would live, die, or kill for her. Raoul, no matter how much he says he would kill or die for her, doesn’t really have the strength to do either. |
Amanda:
Erik and Christine had such a special relationship. I have read almost everything ever written or filmed that even mentions the phantom of the opera and I have seen it in tons of those versions, the love between erik and christine. christine is the most foolish, silly and shallow girl for choosing raoul over erik. the only version that i like her in is kay’s phantom and i LOVE that version…erik is NOT good looking to all you people who have just seen the ALW movie, he had a serious deformity and he looked dead. but he WAS powerful and mysterious and his personality shone through, that is what made him attractive and christine saw that along with his voice erik even says it himself in ‘phantom’ “My voice was my one beauty…” i am hopelessly in love with erik btw 🙂 i do believe that christine loved him in lerouxs version raoul says that their love is ‘of the most splendid kind that they themselves can’t even admit to’ or something along those lines…why did raoul continuously get so jealous? why did christine stay with erik why didn’t she abandon him when she realized he wasn’t her Angel of Music that her father promised her. christine was frightened of erik, as anyone would be at first but she slowly and surely developed feelings for him…in the final lair scenes or in the ‘you are music, beautiful music’ part of Yeston and Kopit’s version I think it really shows she was ready to stay with erik finally, but he finally knew how much he loved her so he let her go…some people say she kissed him out of pity but I do NOT think that…twice? one would have done the trick nicely but she did it twice and in kays phantom she ‘made a movement towards him’ when Raoul was taking her away and Raoul literally had to death grip her arm to keep from from leaving. Erik is the most beautifully tragic, funny, kind and romantic man that lives. he gave Christine a world of music, love and passion. they completed each other and taught each other much. Raoul was a CHILDHOOD sweetheart who loved christine for her beauty and their memories together…not like Erik did. i can see in a way why Christine chose Raoul though…*shudders* he was safe, stable, rich and lived in a world above ground full of people and light…erik was unstable at times and lived in solitude and darkness. a little love would have done wonders for Erik and he even said “i would be able to do so many things if you were there beside me…as my wife.” my poor angel! it makes me mad when people talk about the phantom of the opera andd they say they love it when they really have no idea!!!!! they just hear Erik or see Erik **Gerard Butler** and are like OMG he’s hot and whatever…they will NEVER understand Erik… I can relate to him as not being beautiful myself and having a great love that went unrequited or was prevented by THAT ONE PERSON…love can make you do batty things to try and make that person care but in the end Erik loved Christine enough to let her go with Raoul and that breaks my heart…Erik’s love was greater than Raoul’s just for that reason. I would have loved Erik despite his face and his temper…Love can truly do wonders and I love him more than life. |
Laura:
I would choose Erik because of the sincerity and purity of his love for me (Christine). With him, I would never fear a disloyalty, a betrayal; I would learn so many things of him in many ways. He’s so handsome and passionate =) |
Amanda S.:
Erik was beautiful in the true sense of the word. He cared so much for Christine, his love was amazing! Yes, he was a murdurer, a drug addict and he was quite ugly, but he was beautiful, his personality and his soul. He was so kind at times, fatherly and endearing. I think this would have continued if Christine had not driven him over the edge at the end…I have read almost everything there ever was about the phantom of the opera and i have seen the show and religously read Susan Kay’s Phantom. I have fallen so deeply in love with Erik’s character that its ridiculous! Erik was a kind man, a beautiful voice, powerful and mysterious…He would have done anything for Christine and I think his devotion and his unrequited love is what makes him so…like us. we can relate to Erik and his feelings. Christine made a terrible mistake, she picked a shallow first love over the passionate and true feelings her and Erik shared. I don’t understand why she picked Raoul. Yes, Raoul tried to save her and whatever but Erik, he showed Christine a new life, gave her wings to fly with. Christine was just to weak for Erik’s devotion and I think Christine is a silly woman! She could have helped Erik, love does wonders for the soul and I think that was all Erik wanted…To be loved, treated like a normal man… I know that I could have seen past his face. |
Kate S.:
He loved Christine so much that, even when she chose him, he let her and Raoul go. |
Caitlin:
I always wonder over this. I would like to think, along with most phans, that if I were Christine, I would have chosen to stay with Erik. Considering the circumstances, though, rather than saying “YEAH” immediately from the comfort of my house, I may not have. Yes, Erik is wonderful, and I adore him. He’s a genius, musically and intellectually. His voice is beyond spectacular (for instance, Hugh Panaro’s MotN = me a puddle) He is passionate, and he is certainly not average! But he is also a murderer, and has spent a good bit of time obsessing over Christine; terrorizing the management, kidnapping her, and, yes, murdering Piangi. In the second act of the show, he doesn’t seem entirely sane. Christine would, no doubt, be scared out of her mind!!! Raoul was the safer choice; she knew that she could trust him and be safe with him, and that he loved her in his own sweet way. Still, I would like to think I would be strong enough to stay with Erik, in spite of everything. |
B-chan:
Erik is passonate and adoreing, while being obsessive. He never takes things lightly, and helped make Christine who she is! |
Valerie Hil:
He’s smarter, more amusing, and more capable of caring for Christine (who most certainly needs taking care of -_-) As you said, in Leroux’s book, Raoul is hysterical for most of the time. Not really relationship material. Also (and yes, it sounds shallow) it’s mentioned several times that Erik drips a certain sensuality. I’d have to say that’s equal to Raoul’s physical attractivness at any rate, and that combined with his talent, intellect and…colorful personality make him the obvious choice. |
Terese:
This may only be me being an emotional marshmallow but I could never hurt anyone like Christine hurt Erik. |
RedDeath:
The phantom is kind and gentle but in the final lair he scares me a little bit, but nevertheless I would have chosen him, Raoul in my opinion is a fop. |
Daniela:
I would stay with Erik. There’s a whole world of emotion to discover with him. |
Little Lotte:
I love Erik who couldn’t? He’s a bit scary but also kind and sweet and Raoul is a twit and completely close-minded unlike Christine who is open minded. I believe with every inch of my heart Christine should have stayed with Erik. I LOVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Marissa:
Why would i have stayed with Erik? Well for one i understand him and he is a genius. I wouldn’t care what his face looks like, it’s what inside that counts. |
Victoria:
He’s handsome despite his deformity, he’s talented, intelligent, and treats Christine as a queen, clearly, loudly, and proudly declaring his love for her, and fighting for her. He writes beautiful music, he’s faithful and loyal, and needs Christine’s compassion and love far more than Raoul, who has been pampered and coddled from birth. In short, he’s the fantasy many women have entertained as the perfect man – myself included! |
Anonymous:
Dude, okay, I’m only 12 so a lot of you will probably just skip over me but believe me, when I first saw the movie, I cried and cried. Thank goodness we were in a dark movie theater.I love Erik. Never in the 2004 movie did it say his was Erik but I am assuming that is his name because that is what other people say. Okay, enough of me babbling. I believe that Erik was the right person for Christine not only because they totally belong together but also because of many things she’s told everyone. I have absolutly nothing against Raoul or his fans who believe that Christine made the right choice(even though I think there is very few) but Raoul just didn’t seem to love her the way Erik did. I know I’m too young to have boyfriends but I go to a privite school and everyone has boy or girlfriends so my friends are always trying to hook me up. I’m a total brain so things never work out. All the boys like the dumb blonds ( no offense) and even though the boys I hang out with ( I’m a total tomboy, I like to be outside on the farm or talking to boys rather than girls) say that other boys think I’m pretty. Sorry, I’m babbling again. Anyway, Christine said she wanted freedom and only Erik could give her that. Raoul is great but she will end up as a mother in a proper household with almost no freedom because of the time period. She also says she wants no more nightime. I know she means no more evil and hate but like the physical nightime, evil is unavoidable. I know she loves the phantom on the movie right after the masquerade song when he starts to sing to Christine and her face totally lights up. Of course he kind of scares her when he yanks the engagement ring she has on as a necklace off her neck but she totally deserves it. I went on I Love Raoul websites just to read what they said and they say she went with Raoul in the movie because he proposed first and knew her longer. Neither are true. Erik started coaching Christine when she came at seven and if I did my math right, she was sixteen when she saw Raoul again and all the movie happened. So that means she could only know Raoul for seven years and totally not all of those years and she knew Angel of Music A.K.A. Erik the Phantom for nine years. Erik did indeed propose first in his own way right after Christine sings Think Of Me when he takes her down where he lives and shows her his freaky manican (however you spell that)of her in a wedding dress. She faints and he carries her over to his bed. So romantic. The last thing I will say is that when he says (or sings) “Christine I love you” I totally fell apart and I don’t get why she didn’t. I don’t even truly know what he is like (or do I) and I felt like totally cussing her out for what she did but I cried instead. He, the abused, hated child deserved way better than the little that she gave him. He deserved all of her but she deserved nothing of him. I don’t hate Christine but I am mad at her. The million times I’ve watched this, I never understood how the rose ended up on her grave. Someone tell me!!!!! |
Melody:
He is a true man. Raoul is an idiot, he only sees Christine as the child she was. Erik looked at her as the woman she was and nothing less. Erik is smart, faithfull, able to understans, talented, and is good looking(for people that only like his left side of his face.) I love all of Erik. |
O.G.’s Angel:
Erik is so much more than anyone can imagine. He loved with a passion that was deeper and more elaborate than any can ever even dream of. He was intelligent, a gentleman, but also belligerent. He wanted Christine to succeed more than anything and would do whatever was necessary to secure her place and her future in opera. Although he loved her he was also willing to allow her to make her own choices, whereas Raoul wanted her to immediantly bend to his will. Erik was protective, but most men are. Erik had his own lodgings, even if they were under the opera house. Raoul lives at home with his family. Although Erik doesn’t have a title or an occupation he has his own calling- even if that calling is as an opera ghost! |
The Phantom’s angel:
The phantom is many things that Raoul is not. He is worldly, very intelligent, but belligerent as well. He isn’t passionless or unromantic quite the opposite. He is everything that one could want. Sure, Raoul is a nice man. Here is one difference not many notice- Raoul tries to pressure Christine into things while the Phantom allows her to express her own free will. Sure, in the end the Phantom is a little too… protective… but aren’t we all when we think we are going to lose a lover, or the one we love? Love is something that many hope for but there is a vast difference between love and lust. The Phantom may seem to have lust for Christine at first because he is always after her, but doesn’t that show that he truly cares for her? He wants her to suceed and he wants her to be happy. He is willing to except whatever choice SHE makes, even in the end. That’s more than Raoul would ever do. If you’ve seen the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical you’ll be familar with the phrase: “Say you love him and my life is over!” As if Raoul would kill himself if she didn’t stay with him. That isn’t a very mature thing to do. The Phantom has his own house, abate, under the opera. He has his own money and his own job. Raoul lives with his family. The Phantom is a musical genius. He is, what I think to be, perfect. |
Carmen:
I would have chosen Erik because of the passion he feels, his singing just mesmerizes me. His loneliness touches something in my heart. |
Meeshe:
To live, to experience real love. to live a love that heightens my every sensation, stirs my every imagination. where senses are abandoned by defenses… where grasped, sensed, tenderness lives. to experience the harshness of lightening and softness of candlelight simultaneously. to choose the opening of my mind and soul in order to unwind my most vivid fantasies. it cannot be fought. only touched. trusted. savored. in the power of the music that He writes, I would submit to a life of being the subject of his composition, his reason. his creation. his dream. Give all of myself, and in return, trust that giving Him all of me would be a completion super of my soul’s desire. |
Aaron:
Personally I would rather choose Christine (sorry Erik!) But if I was in Christine’s position I probably would have chosen Erik because he would have lived for me and died for me if I asked. If Christine had rejected Raoul he would have undoubtably been heartbroken but he would get over it and find some other girl soon enough. He’s young, innocent and Christine was his first love. Yes Erik has had a horrible, violent past but he would give that up in a heartbeat for Christine. Yes he’s hideously deformed but he wears a mask and more than compensates elsewhere. |
Maria:
Although Erik does has his dark side, he is quite enduring also. He has much Wisdom, Depth and understanding. Plus a stupendous voice. There is something about Erik which entrances us all whether it is his firey passion, his genious, his alluring dark side, his sensitive side (who doesn’t like a sensative man?), his overwhelming love and obsession with Christine. He also has a very sweet side to him. He wants Christine to be happy. Also he would do ANYTHING for her to feel safe and secure. Who wouldn’t want a lover that passionate for them? 🙂 |
Anna:
Only Erik… Raoul is NOT a man… Actually I think I will always be waiting for SUCH man who will love me THAT much. but God, keep me from meeting such a man. still, if I were Christine, I would have chosen Erik. why? because he appeals to me whatever he does. |
Juliet:
Very tough call but Raoul is certainly the “sensible” choice. As far as society is concerned and let’s face it, society was a big issue then, a handsome, rich, titled young man was definitely the way to go. It’s true she would be pampered and cared for and admired by all for making such a good choice but would experience a sort of dull, passionless, lackluster happiness. BUT-if Christine had COURAGE, she would have gone with Erik. She would have experienced a passion few people know and it would go on all the days of her life. He would introduce her to ideas and experiences Raoul could never show her and and he would love her with all the power of his soul until he was dead-this story very much reminds me of Wuthering Heights and we all know what happens when Cathy chooses Edgar over Heathcliff-BIG MISTAKE. |
Lacie:
In general: Erik just rocks! He is very passionate, and loves Christine with his whole heart. His voice is one of an angel’s, and his mind is one of a pure genius. He would do anything for Christine (he even lets her go with someone that she loves more, why, I don’t know) and would beleive her no matter what. Raoul, on the other hand, didn’t beleive Christine about the Phantom, until he actually saw him. Also, since he’s such a whimp and scared of Erik, he made Christine sing in the opera which she was begging and pleading him not to make her do, but he still risked the women that he “loved” so he would be safe. Erik would never do anything like that. He would give his whole life to Christine. And when she was in need of the Angel of Music that her father promised her, he wanted to be that for her. He just wanted to make her happy and be her Angel. He was truely in love with her. And for that, he truly is the Angel of Music. |
Isis:
Erik is WAY better than Raoul because he is: 1) Talented. All Raoul can do is play the hero and act noble. 2) Loving. He loves Christine with an intense passion stronger than Raoul’s teenage- crush-like love. 3) Every other reason listed in the article. |
PhantomPhreak:
he is hot. “hot” means: musical genius. overall genius. his deformity. his corpseness. (musical passion connects me with him most, i totally understand how even though the world denied him everything, Music would always be there for him. acutally, the more of a crappy past you’ve had, the more things you’ve gone through, it makes you feel for him more. and i’ve experienced crappy,dark,things in my life, things that just shouldn’t have happened.) his humor. his punjab lasso. his boat. the roses. his niceness. his wiseness. ok i’ve rambeled on quite a lot, but, i think Erik is the most special person ever to have |
Natalia:
I would’ve stayed with Erik because he had such a hard life and needs love to brighten up his life. |
Scarlett:
I would have stayed with Erik because he’s so sweet and he would do anything for me (if I were Christine). And he could make me laugh, cry,or fear him (unlikely) with his music. It’s like instead of talking all he has to do is sit down at anything with a keyboard, he can show how he feels though music, and I think that is a wonderful and God given talent. So I would REALLY have stayed with him, even if I didn’t love (which I do!) It would only be a matter of time and patience. Another thing is that he’s beautiful, no one can sing like that and not be beautiful! |
Liza:
Erik’s passion for Christine carries a sorrowful sweetness stronger than death, a plunge into a rich sensuality that only darkness can offer-caressing her like clouds of black silk. |
Jacqueline:
I would have chosen Erik because, well, he has a lot of other beauties and there are other beauties besides looks. I think this is one of those times where I can actually say “don’t judge a book by its cover”. You know I would really enjoy having someone that devoted to so devoted they would kill for me, wow. He can really sing too, that’s awesome. |
The Backstage Observer:
I think Christine made the only possible choice, although it’s not what any of us really wanted to see her do. Erik had a NEED for her, but neediness eventually stifles and destroys a relationship. Erik had to learn to love himself before he could love Christine in a healthy way. The real tragedy is, how can a man in his position possibly learn to love himself until someone loves him? And Christine did not love him. So she could not help him. I guess the upshot is, Erik’s only hope was to fall in love with someone who loved him first – and hiding away in the dark was never likely to make that a probable occurrence. So he is doomed – unless we rewrite the story with a new female character…YES! |
Jarrad:
I think she should have chosen Erik because he’s MUCH sexier then Raoul. |
Lee:
I agree with you one hundred percent! Erik had so much love for Christine, but I think in his own way he was a bit naive too. He didn’t express his love in a way that could let Christine love him back. He was never loved in a way that could let him imitate that kind of love for Christine. Erik’s love to me was definitely stronger; however, I do believe that Christine made the more practical choice, but I still would have rather seen her end up with Erik. Of course she had always had an attatchment to Raoul which might help explain her choice. (Still prefer Erik though! Who could not give into him?) |
Meredith:
I really think that Erik loved Christine but didn’t know how to show it. He had a bad childhood and that scared him for life! Yes, I saw the play and the guy wasn’t half bad… but now Gerard Butler! He is smokin… and the mask is kinda sexy… so if he just kept that on i would be fine if I was Christine. In the movie, where you can see facial expressions, he looks so sad after he sees Raoul and Christine singing “All I Ask of You.” He was very passionate and romantic, and I personally thought Raoul was a beast in the movie… so Christine is crazy. But that means he’s still single……. |
Kayleigh:
I totally agree with you. I would have picked Erik for his talents personality and the adoration he had for Christine he did everything for her. Some of it went a little far but he did it in the name of love for any guy to love me that much I would be head over heels. She was naive in her choice, her and Raoul were both young, it’s almost like the typical high school romance now. Also the phantom was a strong man and able to handle anything, and even though Christine didn’t chose him he still gave her roses and loved her. No one can beat that. Besides he was cute even with the deformity, it’s what inside that counts. |
Marine:
Erik is NOT handsome, he is NOT hot. Gerard Butler is not the real Erik. If you think he is, you have not understood the story. He looks like a corpse ! I’d like to say I would finish with Erik because of his onship with him… maybe… After getting used to his face = for about 3 years . And so would anybody else. Denying it would be foolish But his true personnality is something a mamagnetism(sp?) but I know, in real life, if I ever saw a man like him. The first thing I would do is either stare or look away. So would anybody else. It would take a looong time to get used to it. |
Jesse:
well, I read the original version and also watched the 2004 movie version of PoO, and well … erik rocks, he’s a…. undescribable… but I think he’s too crazy for me in the original. Society has had it’s effect on him, making him rude and selfish. He can’t take account for he’s own actions. I would be tempted to choose him because he’s mystical and magical, but I would be frightened that in a few months/ years, I’ll say or do something wrong and he’ll go crazy.I don’t say that I would choose Raoul. Never! He’s a silly boy, and I’ll prefer a grown strong man, who knows what he wants and how to get it. This is for the original… In the movie .. Christine’s a .. well, a selfish, manipulative girl who doesn’t really know what she wants.I would defenetly choose the phantom. Why? Because even before I knew him, hearing his voice would make me love him. I easily fall in love and would have fallen for him, while he was an angel of music. In time, when I find the truth I would love him even more because of the darkness araound him. I think I’ll find it enchanting and mystical and would have given up to him. I wouldn’t even have noticed Raoul. I only wish I had Kay’s version so I could have better observations.. but oh well 🙂 Phantom of the opera forever!!! |
From Kathryn:
I think Erik is sweet and loveable I didn’t like it when Christine went with Raoul if I chose either Raoul or Erik it be Erik because he’s sweet and romantic I wouldn’t chose Raoul because didn’t help Christine when her father died and he didn’t even notice her until she became Prima Donna so I still think Erik is the best and he is a musical genuis,I like his song “Past the Point of No Return” Duet. |
From Sarah Guzman aka “Damien”:
1. The poor guy’s been through alot. 2. He has nice hair. Even if it’s a wig, and his real hair is brown. 3. He has green eyes like me. 4. He can be EVIL like me. That’s why I am called “Damien”. 5.He and I play an instrument. ex: He plays the organ and I play a “mariachi guitar”. Well, that’s it. |
From Opera Girl:
I would have chosen Erik because… 1. He IS handsome!! 2. He is sexy and passionate and loving in his own mysterious way! 3. He’s VERY seducing and passionate. 4. He has a great sense of humor. I still can’t believe Christine choose Raoul. I guess Raoul’s ok, but why couldn’t he just let her go. Obviously Erik had been through more and needed what love he could get! I think Raoul was being a bit possessive. I mean he tried to convince her it was just a dream! How inconsiderate is that? It’s like calling her a child! Note to Raoul Christine is no longer Little Lotte! She’s her OWN woman!! (BTW Erik is soooooo much more sexy than Raoul!!) Erik also showed strength that no other man could have shown. He had a horrible past and the one thing he wanted was taken away! (Christine) “Point of No Return” is the most seducing and passtionate song I’ve EVER heard. If that didn’t effect Christine what would have? Music is the way Erik expressed himself. And Christine was the only who listened. Why did she choose Raoul!!?? I know I would have choosen: Erik, my Angel of Music!!! |
From Kelly:
There’s just something about Erik that I like, even though I haven’t seen the entire movie, or read the book, or seen the musical… he’s just really cool, in my opinion. Maybe it’s just because I hate Raoul! |
From Izabella Ramos:
I agree with all the listed reasons. I love the phantom… |
From Rillen:
I would definitely choose Erik for many reasons. First of all..he is compassionate and down right hot. Even without the mask. He honestly doesn’t look that bad. Also, he cares about Christine at a level that Raoul could never match as long as he tried. The Phantom is so mysterious and with all the difficulties he has faced in his life he stil manages to become a master at so many differnt forms of art, including compistiton and music. He most definitely has done more to deserve Christine than Raoul ever did or will. What I find the worst, is that in the movie, Christine goes and gives the ring BACK to Erik — why would she do that?? It seems completely cold hearted to me, especially after everything that they went through. The least she could have done was keep it as a momento of the man who truly loved her. Another thing, is look at the lengths Erik went to get her? I mean all Raoul did was show up and tell her she was crazy before saying,,” oh by the way I love you”..like wtf?!?! ok…that is just shallow. The phantom was willing to show his face out in the public which had for many years treatd him with no campassion and like he was an animal not worthy of respect. tro dot that it takes guts..to do the one thing you fear the most for someone is to show truly passionate love! |
From Michelle:
THERE IS NO CHOICE! It has to be Erik! The passion and the history that the Phantom and Christine share is beyond comprehension. He has sung to her in her sleep for years, he trained her, and she almost faints each time she hears his voice. Raoul cannot compare. THERE IS NO CHOICE! |
From KAS:
I wish to say a few things in general, and sincerely hope you do not mind. Erik does show apathy in many situations; Kaye’s Erik and ALW’s Erik during the Lair scene show this best. He is passionate about music and he is passionate about Christine. Also, I detest people saying Erik is hot. No. He is a living corpse. His head is exactly like a skull. This is why I dislike the ’04 movie: Gerard Butler is too hot and the make-up people did a very poor job on his deformity. So, ending that is the fact that if you still find Erik sexy, there is in all probability a chance that you are into necrophilia. Personally, there are two reasons why I would have chosen Erik: His music- I want a guy who is a talented musician, and dammit I don’t give a shit if he’s deformed or not! (JOJ makes me swoon!) He’s a sociopath- It’s smarter to fall in love with a psycho than to tell him you hate his guts and you’re gonna go with the good-looking dude. Having said that, Christine went with Raoul for a reason. Many reasons, actually. I’m sure you’ve heard all the arguments before and I hate to waste your time. I am an E/C phan myself, but I see exactly why Christine did not go with Erik- except in the Charles Dance version, Dance!Erik was so adorable and almost normal- except his deformity and of course his manic depression. I’ll go into the Raoul stuff on the Raoul’s Defense page, not because I like the fop (by all means, I want to throw him into some medieval torture device- like an iron maiden) but because I feel like speaking up for Leroux’s Raoul. |
From Cheryl Struthers:
Erik’s love for Christine is much stronger than Raoul’s love for her. Why you ask? Well, I will tell you Because Erik was there for her when she was little, when her father died. He was her AOM. (( Angel Of Music )) Raoul didn’t notice Christine untill her Debut in Hannible. Personally, I think he was in love with the little girl he met a few years back. I do hate Raoul, sorry for all you Raoul Lovers but I’m an Erik lover 100 percent. Erik is talented, he’s a genius. He’s Passionate, he adores Christine to no end and would do anything for her. Looks don’t matter, it’s whats on the inside that counts. Inside Erik had a beautiful soul. Christine Should have stayed with Erik, but I think she chose Raoul because she was a scared Naive girl and never understood the Passion and Love Erik had for her. Yes, Erik had his temper but all he wanted was to be loved and accepted, that is not much for a man to ask for. Christine was naive and didn’t understand Erik’s feelings for her. (( Obviously )) Erik loved her just as much as Raoul, if not more. That is all I am saying for now. |
From Amanda:
What I saw of Raoul, he was naive. Erik on the other hand cared more for Christine than even himself. Honestly if I was Christine, I would have stayed at the opera house with Erik. |
From Madey:
Well because Erik is a MAN! enough said… no seriously, like omg, the phantom is so romantic and passionate. like seriously if i had the choice between sex and the phantom, i would so pick the phantom cuase you’re really picking both. you get what i’m saying? and dude he is so protective, like seriously he’s perfect…i had more reasons but the fact that i’m thinking about the phantom and christine right now just distracted me..WHY DIDNT SHE PICK HIM!! raoul is a woman in disguise i swear!!! the phantom is the real man here..omg!!! |
From Alexandria:
It really bugged me(in the movie) when Christine was trying to explain to Raoul that she had seen the Phatom of the Opera and that she had been to his lair, and he was trying to convince her that it was a dream, when obviously she was terrified, and it took him for ever to tell her that he loved her. Plus the Phantom is so much sexier, in his mysterious ways. |
From Stacey:
I would love to have Andrew Lloud Webber over for a discussion with a few of the people who have answered this question! Yes, I prefer Erik, and in the person of Gerard Butler! (Sorry, Stacy! But that man oozes danger, genius, vulnerability and sex appeal!) Of course, Erik is presented as a sympathetic character in Mr. Webber’s opera/movie. We are supposed to prefer him. He is the title character. I know this will not sound pro-Erik. It is more to say that Christine is not stupid. She is young and protected. Christine has known him as an angel (her father?), then a passionate seducer that wants her to live underground forever. Then when she tries to lovingly remove the mask, he knocks her down and calls her names. After this, he gently returns her to the safety of the theatre. Next, he kills Buquet because she doesn’t get to sing the lead in an opera! Talk about mood swings and anger problems. She does see his kind and creative spirit but has also seen a much, much darker side, too. That’s a lot for a 16 year old girl to handle. She is too young to know “real” love, and Erik’s sure doesn’t look like it! It looks controlling, unstable. Maybe Madame Giry should have told her a little more about who her teacher was. I get the idea that Madame Giry “gave” Christine to the Phantom. My daughter are new “phreaks”. We have seen “Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera” and I have started reading the original book by Gaston Leroux, so I don’t know as much as some of the people who have answered these questions about the Phantom. I want more time for Christine and Erik to talk after she tells him “This haunted face holds no horror for me now. It’s in your soul that the true distortion lies.” In the movie, you can see him briefly hang his head and maybe resign to the fact that Christine is not repulsed by him without his mask. He gets his power from the mask. He would have to learn to live as a completely different person. (I’m sure he would have traded the mask for Christine!)But no, pretty boy Raoul comes in. Bad timing, irony, all those literary themes. Even though I don’t want them together, here is one other theme that runs through my mind that sort of speaks in defense of Raoul/Christine. Erik never takes her feelings into consideration. He assumes she will fall in love with her. I also think Erik has fallen in love with an “ideal,” his own angel of music. He may be in love with Christine the singer, but really know nothing of Christine the young woman. He feels he owns her because he taught and brought out her voice. (“Your chains are still mine! You belong to me”) This is not a real love. This is why they need to talk at the end! The kiss at the end is important because it is the only freely given, loving physical contact Erik has known. She doesn’t say she chooses him, but she accepts him and his disfigurement intimately. She touches him on the side of his face that he calls loathsome. This must be what breaks through to Erik. Here is where I think he does truly understand “selfless” love. What I would like to see is a book about Erik and Christine getting away from the crowd. Maybe the lair entrance was sealed. They were able to get out through one of Erik’s secret tunnels. They started a life somewhere else. She taught him how to be himself and not hide behind the mask. He continued to teach her to sing and she became a great diva in another country. They had the greatest love story ever written! |
From Emily J:
I would have chosen Erik cuz i need a genius to explain stuff to meh , honestly . -_- and i love music , so i fell in love with ” Point Of No Return” when i heard it , i swear !and that fop Raoul can get any gal he wants , BUT he’s a fop , and i dont go for rich guys . and when i first even saw Phantom Of The Opera , i loved the mysterious look the mask gave him , it was downright awesome , most of my friends can’t stand the movie now , i talk about it so much . and i love the fact he has so much passion in him ,cuz i can’t stand it when people forget about me and pretend that i’m not there -_- can’t stand that . and i think that the part of his face where hes deformed isnt that bad !!!! i think he’d be a good protector , honestly ^_^ ok i think i’m done commenting , lol |
From Chris:
i think he is hot….am i wrong? |
From Krissy:
Because he’s strong. Even though the world’s done nothing but shun him since day one, he still manages to find it in his heart to love someone. |
From Brandyn:
Its simple really Raoul was as you said a twit. He was moronic and just to childish. Erik on the other hand has everything. (except looks, which dont matter)Christine was blinded by his looks and didnt see his inner beauty. He loved her enough that he would give up anything for her, which in the end he did, his happiness. He would have given her the world. So all in all Christine was in a word a witch. She knew she was making Erik miserable by leaving, a truely nice person (Erik) would have sacrificed their own happiness. Alas she picked wrong. If she picked Erick, Raoul would have got over it. He’s rich, handsome, and young. Its only a matter of time before he found someone else. |
From kudasango:
Yeah, Raoul may be rich, but for anyone who has payed attention in the novel, Erik was quite wealthy as well. But money has nothing to do with why I would have chosen him. Putting aside the pity thing, and the whole “he’s 50 she’s 20” thing, he was for the most part very kind and gentle with Christine. ^_^ yay kind and gentle! He has a very cynical view on the world, as do I, and, as you’ve stated, he has a good sense of humor. But that’s just me personally. Music is my life…music is his life, get the chemistry? muahahahahahaha! *sorry, phan girl moments happen quite often* Besides, there’s something to love in a sexy stalker. ^_^ If Christine had really paid attention and tried to understand him, she could have gotten past the whole mask ordeal, as could most people…i’m just rambling now. so…i’m done. |
From Mary:
As you said, Raoul was inexperianced. He could get any girl he wanted, being the Vicomte. Erik on the other hand…I’m pretty sure he couldn’t get just any girl. I mean, a lot of girls are really shallow, and don’t care what a guy looks like, as long as he’s cute. I, personally, see the inner beauty. Erik has so much passion, and…individuality. He’s beautiful. And hey, it helps that he’s tall, dark, and handsome, right!? Lol. |