Plot summary
The Phantom of The Opera is a gothic novel, combining romance, horror, mystery and tragedy, which is, according to Leroux, based on a true story.
1.Leroux's original 1910 novel is set in late 19th-century Paris at the Opéra Garnier, which was built between 1857 and 1874. During construction it became necessary to pump underground water from the foundation pit of the building, creating a huge subterranean river. The employees claim that the opera house is haunted by a mysterious ghost who wreaks chaos and destruction when displeased. Joseph Buquet, the lead scene shifter of the opera house continually tells stories of how he has seen the \house workers) to the ballet girls who are very frightened of this \opera. Joseph Buquet goes on later to say that \ghost had Death's head!\and changes his story to say that \ghost had a head of fire, but with no body attached to it!\but later described the body as being \Ghost?\on the opera ghost. \He uses the \facade to send the managers of the Opera Garnier repeated threats of catastrophe should they not pay him a monthly salary of 20,000 francs and perpetually reserve Box Five for him at every show. This arrangement, unbroken during the many years of the managers' tenure, is abruptly terminated when two new proprietors, Armand Moncharmin and Firmin Richard, take over the opera house and refuse to give in to what they view as empty threats, thinking that it is a practical joke by former managers.
2.Meanwhile, Erik has taken on a protégé, Christine Daaé. He explains to her that he is the \of Music\voice lessons through the wall of her remote dressing room. Under the tutelage of her new teacher, Christine makes rapid progress in her vocal studies and mysteriously achieves sudden prominence on stage when she is selected to replace Carlotta, who was suddenly ill that day. Christine stuns the audience with her seemingly new vocal talent when she performs selections from Faust. During the performance she faints on stage, which deeply troubles her good childhood friend Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny.
3.Erik becomes envious(羡慕的，嫉妒的) of Christine's relationship with Raoul and finally appears to her in person, wearing a mask to hide his features. He takes her to his dark world beneath the opera house. Christine quickly finds that there is nothing angelic（似天使的） about Erik; she learns with disappointment that he is \ghost are one and the same - just a man. She comes to know him as malicious（恶毒的）, volatile（轻浮的）, dangerous and somewhat bitter, yet also brilliant（杰出的） and pitiful（令人同情的）. She is infuriated（激怒） at having been deceived（欺骗） and demands to be set free. Erik promises to release her after five days. After some awkward（尴尬的） moments (dining（吃饭） by herself while he watches, being shown his room which looks like a death chamber（死了人的房间）, his bed a coffin（棺材）), Erik and Christine eventually begin a duet（二重奏） from
Othello（奥赛罗：莎士比亚四大悲剧之一）, and Christine rips（撕） off his mask, dying of （死于）curiosity. \（超人般的） cry of grief and rage（愤怒） which he uttered（表达） before that terrible sight reached my eyes\Christine later tells Raoul. Erik is furious（狂怒的） at having his deformity（畸形） exposed（揭露） to someone who, he thinks, could love him. He threatens（威胁） to keep her in his home forever, but later changes his mind. Christine is released, but only after promising to return by her own will and swearing never to give her love to anyone else. Christine returns several times out of pity and fear.
4.However, Erik isn't the only one with an envious nature. After Christine's debut performance, Raoul overhears her succumbing to a tyrannical, yet supernaturally beautiful, disembodied voice in her dressing room (Erik). He becomes suspicious that another man is taking advantage of her innocent belief in an \of Music\in order to seduce her. He starts spying on her in an attempt to find the mysterious seducer. Christine suddenly becomes aware of this and is very angry but, after Erik reveals himself to be the Ghost (and after Raoul's threat of leaving Paris on a suicidal polar expedition), she decides to tell Raoul, on the roof of the Opera Garnier, everything that has happened between her and Erik. The two of them plan to run away from Paris and the \
5.Erik eavesdrops on their conversation, and comes up with another one of his ingenious plans of action. He abducts Christine from the stage during her final performance at the Opera Garnier as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust, at the point where Christine, as Marguerite, is appealing to the angels to carry her soul to heaven (the aria is best known as \follows them down into the depths of the cavern beneath the opera house, and is guided to Erik's house by a character known as the Persian. Unfortunately for both of them, the route they take to Erik's house leads instead to a torture chamber (a catoptric cistula), where they are captured by Erik. Raoul and the Persian listen helplessly as Erik rages at Christine, accusing her of lying to him and betraying him. He threatens that should Christine not marry him, he will destroy the Opera Garnier. Christine, already on the brink of suicide, sadly accepts his proposal at 11pm the next night, Erik's \
6.Eventually, Christine shows Erik genuine sympathy and displays her love for him by being kind to him despite his extreme ugliness, not running away when he takes off his mask, and even kisses him on the forehead. This grants Erik a happiness he never thought possible. In despair, Erik releases Raoul and Christine and gives them his blessings to marry. He asks only that Christine come back after his death, and bury him with the ring he gave her. Erik dies three weeks after he lets Christine and Raoul go.
7.Right before his death, Erik delivers a dramatic monologue expressing his grief, in which he describes how Christine was the only woman to let him kiss her, his brief euphoria when she kissed him, his despair at having the love of his life betrothed to another, and his gratitude to the Persian daroga (Persian for \
