Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Reading the play, I found myself with a countless number of questions. Why is Tamino alone in the desert? With whom do the three ladies align themselves? How does the Queen of the Night know Tamino is a trustworthy character to save her daughter? How can Tamino know who is actually evil: the Queen or Sarastro? Why does the Queen want Pamina to kill Sarastro?

Papageno reminds me of a very immature, jolly fellow. However, his intentions seem hasty and careless. He was willing to take credit for saving Tamino’s life. He accidentally saved Pamina from Monostatos’ lustful attempts . He could not resist the urge to speak during his trials. He only agreed to marry the old lady until he found his true love, Papagena. I personally did not enjoy his presence in the play. I found him annoying.

Sarastro explains to Pamina:

“A man must guide your hearts,
for without him all women tend
to step outside their own sphere of activity.”

I found this statement offensive. I immediately questioned Sarastro’s capabilities and authority to kidnap Pamina and be the “man/father” figure in her life. However, this was written in the eighteenth century, so my mindset is very different from that of Mozart’s intended audience.

For some odd reason when I read the opening act with the three ladies, I immediately thought of the three witches in Macbeth. Maybe it is just the power of three? Or perhaps the way they conversed with each other mimicked the three witches in Macbeth in my mind.

I found the whole ending of the opera hastily written and I hope that when we watch the opera next week, it is executed well, with time for me to process what is actually happening.

ehughes1 says:

October 8, 2014 at 11:10 am

I totally agree with you when you said that you found yourself with a countless number of questions. I was constantly confused by what the characters were saying and read on so that my questions would hopefully be answered. In my opinion, Papageno lacked the qualities of being a true sidekick to Tamino: he acted cowardly, talked incessantly, and a mischievous little rascal overall. Your image of a man with a lock over his mouth perfectly exemplifies Papageno’s need to shut his mouth! I equally shared your distaste when Sarastro made that offensive statement towards women, but you do provide a great reason for why this is. Today in the twenty-first century, we have experienced a mindset influenced by third-wave feminism. But back in the eighteenth century when this opera was written, there was no such thing as feminism and women were always supposed to be subservient to men.

Sydney Marino says:

October 8, 2014 at 7:31 pm

I agree that the play was very rushed towards the end. It left me with many questions, like yourself, and a bit annoyed. I’m hoping seeing the play will make it a bit more obvious to the whole meaning of the story. Now only if the subtitles could appear in the air! That would be perfect. I also do question Sarastro as a father figure. We are in another century, so our view is drastically different. So, seeing Sarastro just want to throw Pamina into a guys arms and basically tell her to obey them is ridiculous. However, in that time, it was acceptable. Makes me appreciate the era I was born into.