In Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera”, Webber presents the distinction of appearances versus reality and how the two are so greatly affected by both people and society’s standards through emotional appeal by the use of music and change in facial expressions of characters. The music in “The Phantom of the Opera” changes to reflect what is happening in the scene and is ultimately used to reveal the two sides of the Phantom, who he is in front of other people and who he is around Christine, the only person who has ever showed him compassion. The facial expressions of the Phantom also emphasize the different sides of the Phantom through the change you notice when he is around others rather than alone, transitioning from angry and cold to anguish and a desire to be loved. 

When the Phantom is around people other than Christine, the music that is played is dark and intense, reflecting the way the people feel towards the Phantom and the reputation society has always given him. The Phantom was born with a birth defect that caused his face to be deformed and because of that he has never been treated with kindness or compassion therefore causing him to act out in violent or cruel ways. The music that is played in scenes where the Phantom is present creates the sense of fear of the audience and affects the way the viewer characterizes the Phantom. He becomes someone who people associate with hate and disgust because that is exactly what the music is meant to do. However, when the Phantom is alone with Christine, the music shifts to a softer and sweeter melody. This music represents who the Phantom is when he isn’t being judged by others or viewed as the monster society labeled him to be. This change of music affects the emotional side of the audience, causing the viewers to rethink who the Phantom is as a character and may even sympathize his situation and think about it from a different perspective. It’s so important that this is acknowledged because it is a continuous problem in today’s society that someone acts in a way that is different than who they really are because they have never been given a chance to be themselves. Using music is so effective this way because it’s a story within itself and makes the theme that much more impactful and influencing. The different music associated with the Phantom creates and highlights how different appearances and reality can be and that is something that can change the whole meaning of the piece and really bring to life the characters and who they are compared to who people think they are. 

The change in facial expressions of the Phantom is also a way to create and show the differences between appearances and reality, who the Phantom is and who society thinks he is. Similar to the music, the Phantom’s facial expressions when around others is cold and bitter, reflecting his feelings towards society. While the music is mostly used to represent how others view the Phantom, his facial expressions are more used to represent how he feels towards others. This influences how the audiences views the Phantom on a different level. The Phantom’s anger and animosity persuades the audience to fear the Phantom and view him the same way the society made him out to be. In another way, the Phantom’s facial expressions when he is alone or with Christine, influence the audience to understand the Phantom on a different and deeper emotional level. The transition from cold and harsh facial expressions to soft and compassionate facial expressions create a personal connection between the Phantom and the audience, causing the difference between appearances and reality to be considered. There are so many factors that affect the different ways the Phantom acts that it is almost inevitable for the audience to consider who he may really be and why he might act the way he does when he is around people other than Christine. Rather than using more obvious ways, Webber’s use of the facial expressions is an effective detail because we more often than not associate emotions with expressions which motivates the audience to notice the changes. It causes the viewer to think on a deeper note what is really happening and how it may affect or even change the plot. 

Both the use of music and facial expressions successfully create the purpose of the distinction between appearances versus reality. Neither set a specific character quality of the Phantom and that emphasizes that people do portray themselves differently under different circumstances. Noticing the details of the music and facial expressions are critical to fully comprehend the change of the Phantom’s character. There is never a shift from simply anger to happiness, it’s more of a shift from bitterness and coldness to suffering and a desire to be shown compassion. Noticing the change of the music and the facial expressions together really create those tones and bring to life the different sides of the Phantom. It’s these specific details that influences the audience to notice the difference between appearances and realities and how it’s related to the Phantom and this specific film. 

“The Phantom of the Opera” has so many different uses of visual rhetoric to achieve its purpose, as different as music and facial expressions. These strategies are effective when they are built off of emotions because an audience usually takes away feeling more than anything else. Whether it’s through the use of music or through the use of facial expressions, Webber does an effective job of appealing to the emotional stand point of the audience to get across his purpose of appearances versus realities and how the two can be completely different because of the standards and expectations society holds. 
