This famous classic about a man with a terribly deformed face whofalls in love with the beautiful French opera singer, Christine Daaé,is told long after the events happen. A historian researches theevents surrounding the mysterious disappearance of ViscountChagny and Christine Daaé and this is his story. He learns from hisresearch that this man’s face was so monstrous that even hismother could not look at him when he was a child, and his hope ofever finding love was an impossible dream. Much of what we learnabout this man, Erik, who almost everyone at the time believes isa ghost, comes at the end of the story when all is revealed by thePersian who knew him better than anyone. The story begins whenthe ghost is seen in the Opera on the evening of the retirementparty for the managers. There is a death in the Opera that night aswell. The retiring managers inform the new managers that there isa ghost who can bring disaster to the Opera if he does not get whathe wants. The new managers laugh and do not believe this storyuntil they make the mistake of going against the wishes of theghost. The ghost is in love with Christine Daaé and manages tocarry her away to his underground house on the lake below theOpera. She believes he is the Angel of Music, who her fatherpromised to send to her after he died. To her horror she discovers,when she sees him for the first time, that she is in the grips of aterrible monster. Count Chagny’s brother Raoul, the viscount, isalso in love with Christine but she cannot return his love for fear ofwhat the monster will do if he finds them together. The monster andthe viscount are jealous of each other but the monster is farcleverer and Raoul ends up in Erik’s torture room with the Persianwho is trying to help him find Christine. When it seems that there isno hope and they will die in the torture room, the Persian remindsErik that he saved Erik’s life once. This saves the two men. WhenChristine touches the monster’s hand, mixes her tears with his, andallows the monster to kiss her, he has his first and last taste ofhuman affection and love. He can now allow Christine to go withRaoul. We learn toward the end of the story that Erik was born withno nose and yellow eyes. In fairs all across Europe he learnedmagic. He sang beautifully, was the world’s first ventriloquist, andcould perform unbelievable tricks. When a Persian Princess heardabout him, she instructed her chief of police, known as the Persianin the story, to bring him to her palace in Mazenderan. The kingused Erik’s skills for political murders. Erik built a palace full oftrap doors and secret passages for the king. It was a work ofgenius and the king ordered Erik’s death so that no one else couldhave such a palace. The chief of police saved Erik from death andErik escaped. Finally, he went to Paris, where he worked for
Philippe Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera. During the war,work on the Opera stopped but Erik continued working alone,building trap doors and secret passages. It is his genius, histalents, and his personal tragedy that lead him to a life as thephantom of the opera.
Gaston Leroux, born in Paris in 1868, was trained in law, but chosea career in writing. He wrote stories, plays, poems, novels andscreenplays. His own extensive travels around the world and hisknowledge of the layout of the Paris Opera are cleverly interwoveninto The Phantom of the Opera. He was intrigued by the design ofthe opera house and thought it would be the perfect setting for adetective story. The story remains as popular today as it was whenhe wrote it.
This story is about the great misfortune which can come tosomeone when they are different from everyone else, when thatperson is not accepted for who they are. When people do not lookinto the heart of the man but look at appearances only, they quicklymisjudge that person. This is what happens to Erik. In spite of hisenormous musical talent, his skillfulness as a magician,ventriloquist, architect, and inventor, he cannot join the human racebecause of his terrible face. He wants nothing more thanacceptance, especially acceptance from a woman. He wants a wifeand a normal life in a normal house like other people. He will neverhave these things and he knows it. So he becomes revengeful andtortures those who do not allow him to do as he wishes. He useshis genius to create a mysterious world where he can torturepeople he dislikes. While this is a work of fiction, the character ofErik is sadly all too recognizable. We see in society today terriblecrimes committed by people who have lived as outsiders, whohave not had friends, who live in a world of their own. Vulnerableyoung people, like Christine Daaé and Raoul Chagny, can easilybecome victims of such people. Because they are afraid, they donot go to the police. But it is also the story of the class system,whereby uneducated, poor people are used and discarded by theirsuperiors, as in the case of the servant of Monsieur Moncharmin.It is a story of good and evil, love and hate, jealousy and greed.And, in the end, good conquers evil.
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ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK
1 Find out how many of your students have seen the play orthe movie The Phantom of the Opera. Did they like it? Why?Ask them to look at the cover of the book and read the blurbon the back. They should work in pairs to write a list ofquestions that they hope to find answers to when they read.
2 Ask students to read the Contents and to look up any newwords in their dictionaries. They can write these words in theirnotebooks with the definitions and add any other new wordsas they read the story.
3 Tell the students that the story is told by a man who wants toknow the true story of the phantom in the Paris Opera longafter the events happened. Some of the story comes to himfrom books and letters, some from people he spoke to. Askthem if they have ever read a book told in this way. Whatadvantages are there to writing in this way, do they think?
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION
Chapters 1–3
1 Put students into small groups and ask them to discuss whatthe historian finds strange about these things in the story.
(a) the rope(b) Christine Daaé’s divine voice(c) the ghost at the supper table
2 Ask students to work in pairs and to discuss the effect thesepeople had on Christine’s early life:
3 Put students into pairs and ask some pairs to role play thescene when Raoul finds Christine in the sitting room at theSetting Sun. Ask other pairs to role play their meeting in thegraveyard. Give them enough time to prepare and help themwith pronunciation and intonation. Then allow each pair toperform for the rest of the class.
Chapters 4–6
1 Ask students to work in pairs and to write the letter Christinewrote to Raoul after that night in Perros (page 28). Then askthem to exchange letters and compare what they wrote. Letthe class decide which letter is the best.
2 Ask the students to work in small groups and to think aboutthe events in chapters 5 and 6. Ask them to discuss thechoices Christine makes and whether they think she hasdone the right thing? Then have a whole class discussion.
3 Put students into pairs and ask them to role play theconversation between Raoul and Christine from the pointwhere they come to the eighth floor and see the Persian towhen they look for the ring but cannot find it. After they performtheir role-plays, ask the students what they think Raoul andChristine should do at this point in the story and why.
Chapters 7–9
1 Write these events on the board. Ask the students to discussin small groups how Philippe and Raoul feel when theseevents happen.
(a) Raoul takes his gun and shoots the eyes.(b) The newspaper reports the marriage of Viscount Chagny
and Christine Daaé.(c) Christine disappears from the stage.
2 Put students into groups of three. Ask them to prepare a role-play of the conversation between Madame Giry and themanagers when they suspect her of stealing the 20,000francs on pages 54–55. After they perform their role-plays,ask the students what they think happened to the money.
3 Put the students into small groups and ask them to discusswhat Mifroid meant when he said, “This is, gentlemen, the artof the police.” Do they think he is very clever? What doesMifroid think of Raoul, the managers and the Angel of Music?
Chapters 10–12
1 Put the students into small groups and ask them to make alist of all of Erik’s clever tricks and inventions that he uses forhis torture room. Where did he learn these things? Then askthe groups to compare their lists. Ask the class whichinvention they think was his most clever.
2 Elicit from the class the events from Erik’s life in chronologicalorder, and write them on the board. What do these events tellus about the man? What adjectives would the students use todescribe Erik? Make a list. Do they think he was evil?
3 Ask the students to look at the Contents page again and towrite new headings for each chapter. They may prefer towork alone or in pairs. Then let them compare their headingsand discuss their choices.
4 Ask the students to look at the list of questions they hadbefore they read the book. Can they now answer thesequestions? Have any been left unanswered? If so, what dothey think the answers probably are. Have a class discussion.
Teacher’s Notes
Penguin Readers Factsheets
Communicative activities
Chapters 1–3
allowance (n) money providedregularly for a special purpose
angel (n) a messenger and servant ofGod
ballet (n) a theatrical performance inwhich a story is told using artisticdancing and music
box (n) a very small room with an openside which is in the theatre. People cansit in them to watch the performance
box office (n) a place in the theatrewhere tickets are sold
cellar (n) an underground room,usually without windows and used forstoring goods
count (n) a man who has a high socialposition in Europe because of thefamily he comes from
divine (adj) having the qualities of God,or coming from God
franc (n) the former unit of money inFrance
genius (n) a person with great talent
memorandum (n) a note from oneperson to another within the sameorganization
opera (n) a musical play in which manyor all of the words are sung
phantom (n) a ghost
skeleton (n) the complete set of bonesin a human body
skull (n) the bone of the head
superstitious (adj) believing that someobjects or actions are lucky or unlucky
tremble (v) to shake uncontrollably,usually with fear
triumph (n) a complete victory orsuccess
viscount (n) a man with a socialposition below a count
Chapters 4–6
carriage (n) a vehicle with wheels thatis pulled by a horse
chandelier (n) a large decoration madeof pieces of glass that holds lights(electric or flame) and which hangsfrom the ceiling
mask (n) something that covers all orpart of the face to protect or hide it
toad (n) an animal like a large frogwhich has a brownish colour
torture (v) to cause great pain orsuffering to someone to punish them ormake them give you information
trap door (n) a small door that coversan opening in a floor
Chapters 7–9
monster (n) a strange, frighteningcreature or someone who is extremelycruel and evil
safety pin (n) a wire pin that is used tohold two pieces of material together
Chapters 10–12
grasshopper (n) an insect that jumpswith its long back legs and makes shortloud noises
scorpion (n) a tropical creature like alarge insect with a curving tail that hasa poisonous sting
ventriloquist (n) a person who useshis voice without moving his lips so that the sound seems to come fromsomeone else
1 Read the Introduction and answer these questions.
(a) What has the opera ghost done to make the managersdecide to leave their jobs?
(b) Who is telling the story?(c) Why did the man telling the story go to the National
School of Music?(d) Why did he speak to the Persian?(e) What was the Paris Opera built over?( f ) Why did Leroux know so much about the Opera
building?(g) How many floors are underground?
2 Put these events from Leroux’s life in the correct order.
■■ (a) In Morocco, he learned about France andGermany’s struggle for power there.
■■ (b) He formed his own production company.■■ (c) He studied law and received a law degree.■■ (d) He wrote his first successful novel which introduced
the detective Rouletabille.■■ (e) His father died, leaving him a large amount of
money.
ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK
Chapters 1–3
1 Which character in the first chapter…
(a) is in charge of moving scenery?(b) is the singing master? (c) has a private box in the Opera? (d) is in charge of Box Five? (e) is found hanging in the third cellar? ( f ) is the scenery manager? (g) gives a surprisingly talented performance and then
faints? (h) is sick and cannot perform? ( i ) has just returned from a trip around the world and is
going to the North Pole? ( j ) tells Christine, “The angels in heaven cried tonight”?
2 Put the sentences into the correct order.
■■ (a) The retiring managers and the new managers leavethe guests and go to the office.
■■ (b) The managers tell the inspector they no longer wantMadame Giry working for them.
■■ (c) Jammes sees the Opera ghost for the second timeand screams loudly.
■■ (d) Monsieur Richard receives a letter from the operaghost asking him not to sell Box Five.
■■ (e) The managers go to Box Five to inspect it.
■■ ( f ) The new managers are told there is a ghost and thatdisaster strikes when the ghost does not get what hewants.
■■ (g) The managers receive an inspector’s report about aproblem in Box Five.
■■ (h) The man with the Face of Death tells the guests thatBuquet was found hanging.
■■ ( i ) Madame Giry tries to explain to the new managersthat the opera ghost spoke to the people who weresitting in his box.
■■ ( j ) Monsieur Poligny shows the new managers thememorandum book with the strange handwriting inred ink.
3 Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false ones.
(a) As children, Christine Daaé and Raoul played together inthe graveyard at Perros-Guirec.
(b) Christine’s father was a poor farmer, a widower and atalented violinist.
(c) Monsieur Valérius took Christine to Perros-Guirec, whereshe met Raoul for the first time.
(d) Christine’s father told her that the Angel of Music bringsgreat talent to those he visits.
(e) When Monsieur Valérius died, Christine lost her voice,her soul, and her genius.
Chapters 4–6
1 What happened when
(a) Madame Giry told the managers that she had received aletter from the ghost?
(b) Carlotta received a letter threatening her if she appearedon stage that night?
(c) Carlotta sang her only two lines for the second act?(d) the managers returned to Box Five for the third act?(e) the managers returned and found the opera glasses and
remembered Madame Giry’s words?(f) Christine saw Viscount Chagny as she began to sing?(g) Carlotta sang in the third act?(h) the ghost says to the managers,”She is singing tonight to
3 Who speaks, writes or sings these words and to who?
(a) “But you know as well as I do that Christine couldn’tmarry, even if she wanted to!”
(b) “The genius gives her lessons? Where?”(c) “Go to the masked party at the Opera on the night after
tomorrow.”(d) “Dear, it is a tragedy!”(e) “Our lives are joined forever and a day!”( f ) “Who is this Erik?”
Chapters 7–9
1 Who is described in these sentences?
Viscount Chagny the Persian Monsieur Richard ErikMonsieur Moncharmin Raoul Christine Daaé Philippe
(a) He is always in the Opera.(b) His eyes only show in the dark(c) He took out his gun and aimed at the two eyes.(d) The report in the Epoque said he intended to prevent the
marriage.(e) When the lights came back on, she was no longer there!( f ) He continued shouting for a safety pin until a boy brought
him one.(g) He put his hands together and lowered his head, and left
slowly, walking backwards!(h) The face was so white, so full of pain, that they were
seized with pity.
2 Write the missing word in each sentence.
horror torture gun cellar mirror
(a) The Persian told Raoul to hold the __________ in frontof his face at all times.
(b) The Persian and Raoul left Christine’s dressing roomthrough the __________.
(c) The Persian took Raoul down to the third __________.(d) It was the Punjab rope. He threw it down in __________.(e) We have dropped into the __________ room!
Chapters 10–12
1 Answer these questions.
(a) Where did the Persian meet Erik?(b) What was the Persian’s job?(c) Where did Erik learn to throw a rope and kill men with it?(d) Who did Erik work for after he returned to France?(e) What did Erik do during the war?( f ) What could Erik do with his voice that no one before him
could do?(g) Erik was the first person in the world to build something?
What?(h) What did Erik plan to do if Christine refused to marry
him?
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
1 Imagine you were at the Opera on the night the chandelierfell. Write a letter to a friend telling about the strange eventsthat happened in act 3 of Faust that night.
2 There is a musical of The Phantom of the Opera. Imaginethat you have just read in the newspaper that you can wintickets to see it. All you have to do to win is write in 300-400words “Was the phantom really in love with Christine or didhe love only her voice?”
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Published and distributed by Pearson EducationFactsheet written by Coleen Degnan-VenessFactsheet series developed by Louise James
The Phantom of the Opera
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About the authorGaston Leroux, born in Paris in 1868, was trained in law, but chose a career in writing. He wrote stories, plays, poems, novels and screenplays. His own extensive travels around the world and his knowledge of the layout of the Paris Opera are cleverly interwoven into The Phantom of the Opera. He was intrigued by the design of the opera house and thought it would be the perfect setting for a detective story. The story remains as popular today as it was when he wrote it.
SummaryThis famous classic about a man with a terribly deformed face who falls in love with the beautiful French opera singer, Christine Daaé, is told after the events happen. A historian researches the events surrounding the mysterious disappearance of Viscount Chagny and Christine Daaé and this is his story. He learns from research that the man’s face was so monstrous that even his mother could not look at him when he was a child, and his hope of ever finding love was an impossible dream. Much of what we learn about this man, Erik, who almost everyone at the time believes is a ghost, comes at the end of the story when all is revealed by the Persian who knew him better than anyone.
The story begins when the ghost is seen in the Opera on the evening of the retirement party for the managers. There is also a death in the Opera that night. The retiring managers inform the new managers that there is a ghost who can bring disaster to the Opera if he does not get what he wants. The new managers laugh and do not believe this story until they make the mistake of going against the wishes of the ghost. The ghost is in love with Christine Daaé and manages to carry her away to his
underground house on the lake below the Opera. She believes he is the Angel of Music, who her father promised to send after he died. To her horror she discovers, when she sees him for the first time that she is in the grip of a terrible monster. Count Chagny’s brother Raoul, the viscount, is also in love with Christine but she cannot return his love for fear of what the monster will do if he finds them together. The monster and the viscount are jealous of each other, but the monster is far cleverer and Raoul ends up in Erik’s torture room with the Persian who is helping him find Christine. When it seems that there is no hope and that they will die in the torture room, the Persian reminds Erik that he once saved Erik’s life. This saves the two men. When Christine touches the monster’s hand, mixes her tears with his, and allows the monster to kiss her, he has his first and last taste of human affection and love. How can he now allow Christine to go away with Raoul? We learn towards the end of the story that Erik was born with no nose and yellow eyes. In fairs all across Europe, he learned magic. He sang beautifully, was the world’s first ventriloquist, and could perform unbelievable tricks. When a Persian Princess heard about him, she instructed her chief of police, known as the Persian in the story, to bring him to her palace in Mazenderan. The king used Erik’s skills for political murders. Erik built a palace full of trap doors and secret passages for the king. It was a work of genius and the king ordered Erik’s death so that no one else could have such a palace. The chief of police saved Erik from death and he escaped. Finally, he went to Paris, where he worked for Philippe Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera. During the war, work on the Opera stopped, but Erik continued working alone, building trap doors and secret passages. It is his genius, his talents, and his personal tragedy that led him to a life as the Phantom of the Opera.
Chapters 1 and 2: The managers of the Paris Opera House are retiring and have a party. That day, some of the workers see the “Opera ghost” and are very scared. That night, Joseph Buquet is found hanging in the cellars of the opera house. Viscount Raoul Chagny has met Christine Daaé, one of the singers, before and is in love with her. He hears her talking to someone in her dressing room. When he tries to find out who she is talking to, there is no-one there. During the retirement ceremony, the ghost re-appears and then writes letters to the managers giving his orders. However, the new managers do not believe there is a ghost and think the old managers are playing a joke on them.
Gaston Leroux
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Chapters 3 and 4: Viscount Chagny follows Christine back to her home town in Brittany. They knew each other as children and still have a somewhat childish relationship. She tells him that the “Angel of Music”, sent to her by her father after his death, helps her sing more beautifully. However, Raoul doesn’t believe her. Raoul has a strange experience in the graveyard when Christine goes to visit her father’s grave. He sees a shadow which seems to have a face of death. After this, the Opera ghost starts threatening to curse the opera if his conditions are not met. The managers don’t obey him, so a chandelier falls on one of the manager’s servants and kills her during a performance. The performance of Faust seems indeed to be cursed.
Chapters 5 and 6: Christine asks Raoul Chagny to meet her at the masked party at the opera house. He has to wear white and is sworn to secrecy. After talking together at the party, Raoul hides in her room and hears Erik, the Angel of Music, singing. He also sees the face of death again. Christine reveals to him that she is under the power of Erik. He loves her and wants to marry her. She has torn the mask from his face and has seen his monstrous ugliness. Although he has taught her to sing and she has compassion for him because of his misfortune, he terrifies her. While Christine is telling Raoul this and they are walking around the hidden parts of the opera house, they are followed by a shadow.
Chapters 7 and 8: Christine and Raoul have decided to run away together. They decide to go after Christine’s next performance although Raoul wants her to leave straight away. Strangely, their engagement is announced in the paper the next day. During Christine’s performance, the stage turns dark and she disappears. The police are called and the managers and Raoul interviewed. No-one knows what has happened to her. The Opera ghost demands his next payment. However, the managers cannot decide who took the last payment, whether the ghost received the payment or whether someone else, perhaps one of them, took it. They decide to try to trick the ghost or the thief.
Chapters 9 and 10: The Persian, who works at the Opera, helps Raoul try to find Christine and tells him what he knows about Erik, who is, in fact, the Opera ghost. The Persian knows him from the past and says he is a monster. They realize the ghost must be holding Christine prisoner. They explore the opera house and hear Christine, who is trapped in the room next to Erik’s torture room at the bottom level of the opera house.
Chapters 11 and 12: Erik, it seems, has put explosives under the Opera and will blow everyone up if Christine does not marry him. Erik traps Raoul and the Persian in the torture room where he plays tricks on them to torture their minds, and causes intensely hot conditions then threatens to flood the room. They are saved by Christine. She agrees to marry Erik and the Persian also reminds Erik that he saved his life years before, so Erik stops the torture. Afterwards, the Persian finds out that Raoul’s brother is dead, probably killed by Erik. As Christine has let Erik kiss her, Erik frees her. Erik is dying and Raoul and Christine run away together. The Persian tells his story and what he knows about the terrible monster Erik. It turns out that Erik was born with a monstrous face and was displayed in a circus as “the living dead”. He was a magician and was taken to Persia where, he was employed by the royal family to build a palace full of secret passages and trap doors where the king could use his trickery to perform political murders. The king ordered his death so that the secrets of the palace could never be copied. The Persian, however, saved him. After his death, Erik’s skeleton is taken to the National School of Music.
Background and themes
Judging by appearances: This story is about the great misfortune which can come to someone when they are different from everyone else, and when that person is not accepted for who they are. When people do not look into the heart of the man but look at appearances only, they quickly misjudge that person. This is what happens to Erik, in spite of his enormous musical talent, his skillfulness as a magician, ventriloquist, architect, and inventor; he cannot join the human race because of his terrible face. He wants nothing more than acceptance, especially acceptance from a woman. He wants a wife and a normal life in a normal house like other people. He will never have these things and he knows it. So he becomes revengeful and he tortures those who do not allow him to do as he wishes. He uses his genius to create a mysterious world where he can torture people he dislikes. While this is a work of fiction, the character of Erik is, sadly, too recognizable. We see in society today terrible crimes committed by people who have lived as outsiders, who have not had friends, who live in a world of their own. Vulnerable young people, like Christine Daaé and Raoul Chagny, can easily become victims of such people.
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The class system: The Phantom of the Opera is also the story of the class system, whereby uneducated and poor people are used and discarded by their superiors, as in the case of the servant of Monsieur Moncharmin.
The triumph of good over evil: The Phantom of the Opera is ultimately a story of good and evil, love and hate, jealousy and greed. And, in the end, good conquers evil.
Discussion activities
Before reading1 Discuss: In small groups, have students discuss the
title of the book and look at the front cover. Do you know what the word “phantom” means? What other words could you use instead of this? What does this word suggest the book is about? Predict what the story is about and write down your ideas.
2 Research: Have students look up The Phantom of the Opera on the Internet or in books/magazines and see what pictures they can find. What do these pictures or photographs suggest about the story? What do the characters look like? Do you think you will enjoy this story? Write down as many adjectives as you can think of to describe the pictures you find.
Chapter 1Before reading3 Predict: Have students predict what this chapter is
about. What do you think happens in this chapter? The title is a question. What does this tell you about the ghost?
After reading4 Discuss: Have the students discuss the following
questions. What happened in this chapter? What strange events occurred? Do you think the ghost killed Joseph, or do you think he killed himself ? Who was Christine talking to? How do you think you would react if you saw a ghost? Give reasons for your answers.
5 Artwork: Have the students look over the descriptions of the ghost in Chapter 1 and draw a picture of the ghost.
6 Pair work: Have the students work together and write answers to the following questions. What does the ghost request? What would you do if you were the manager? Would you obey the ghost, or do what you wanted to do?
7 Role play: Have the students work in groups of four. Old Managers: Two of the students are the old managers and tell the new managers all about the ghost and what has happened in the past. The old managers have to warn the new managers about what might happen if they do not obey the ghost. New Managers: Two of the students are the new managers and laugh at the suggestions of the old managers. They do not believe them and think the old managers either want to keep control or are playing a joke on them.
Chapter 2After reading8 Write: Have students answer the following questions.
Who are Monsieur Armand Moncharmin and Monsieur Firmin Richard? Where is the Opera? Who writes his memories? What does Monsieur Richard do?
9 Discuss: Have the students discuss in small groups everything that has happened in Chapter 2. What happens in Chapter 2? What do the old managers advise the new managers to do? Who do you think wrote the letters, the ghost or the old managers?
Chapter 3Before reading10 Predict: Have students predict who the Angel of
Music is. Is the Angel of Music human or a ghost? Do you think the Opera ghost has anything to do with this?
After reading11 Discuss: Have the students discuss their predictions
about the Angel of Music. What was the Angel of Music? Were your predictions correct? If not, what did you think the Angel of Music would be?
12 Role play: Student A: You are Raoul. You have followed Christine to the graveyard, and then you were found on the church steps. Explain to the police what happened to you, what you saw and what you felt.
Student B: You are a policeman and you need to know what happened at the graveyard and why Raoul was found on the steps of the church. Interview him about what happened. You do not really believe Raoul and you do not believe in ghosts. You think there must be another explanation.
13 Artwork: Have students do a painting, collage, or computer-generated image of the Angel of Music. Have the students think about how they could show that this angel is associated with music. Students could choose to use a genre of music that they like to illustrate their image.
Chapter 4Before reading14 Discuss: Have the students discuss the title of this
chapter. What is a curse? Do you believe curses really exist and can work, or is this sort of thing nonsense? Do you know any stories of famous curses? What do you think this curse might mean in the book? Who or what is cursed?
15 Write: Have the students answer the following questions.
a What conditions does the ghost expect the managers to meet?
b What does the ghost threaten to do if his conditions are not met?
c Who does Carlotta think is threatening her? d If you were one of the managers, what would you do?
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16 Write: Have students do the following piece of writing. You work for a local newspaper and you have heard about the death of a woman killed by a falling chandelier. Write an article about it. You can include what you have heard about the Opera ghost if you want to.
17 Role play: Student A: You are one of the new managers of the opera house. You are discussing what to do after the chandelier death with the other manager. You think it was a freak accident and that you need to check all the safety features of the Opera. You do not think it was anything to do with the ghost and you are worried about what the press might write about the tragedy. You think the death is very bad for business.
Student B: You are also one of the managers. You are very upset about the chandelier death and you think this has happened because you did not obey the requests of the Opera ghost. You must try and persuade the other manager to do what the ghost wants. You think the Opera may be cursed.
After reading18 Discuss: Have students discuss the letter at the end
of Chapter 4. What do you think will happen at the masked party? Why must Raoul keep this meeting secret? Why does he need to wear a white mask and coat?
19 Research: Have the students research the story of Faust on the Internet or in books. Who wrote the story of Faust? What is it about? Then, have the students discuss in pairs whether they think there is any connection between the story of Faust and what has happened so far in The Phantom of the Opera.
20 Write: Have the students work in pairs and imagine they have visited the graveyard with Raoul and have seen the face of death. Ask them to write down as many adjectives as they can think of to describe the face, for example, frightening. Then, ask them to think of as many adjectives as they can to describe how they and Raoul felt when they saw the face: for example, frightened.
Chapter 5After reading21 Discuss: Have students discuss their predictions
about the masked party. Were your predictions correct? What happened at the masked party? Who is Erik?
22 Artwork: Have students imagine that they are going to a masked party. Ask them to design a mask. They must include a clue or clues in their design that says something about their character. Afterwards put the masks on display or have the students wear them. Ask students to guess whose mask belongs to whom.
Chapter 6Before reading23 Write: Have students write down what tragedy they
think occurs in this chapter. Is the tragedy caused by the Opera ghost?
After reading24 Discuss: Have the students discuss everything they
know about the Opera ghost. Who is the Opera ghost? Who is the Angel of Music and the voice? Are these things separate or part of the same thing? Do you think the Opera ghost was once a man?
25 Write: Have the students write a letter from Raoul to Christine. Ask them to remember that Raoul is in love with Christine. Imagine you are Raoul, tell Christine in your letter how you feel about her. Write about her beauty, her beautiful singing voice, her performances and her character. Tell her what you want to happen in the future.
26 Role play: Put students into pairs and ask them to role play the conversation between Raoul and Christine from the point where they come to the eighth floor and see the Persian to when they look for the ring but cannot find it. After they have performed their role plays, ask the students what they think Raoul and Christine should do at this point in the story and why.
Chapter 7Before reading27 Predict: Have the students discuss who they think
disappears in this chapter? Who disappears? How do they disappear? Who is responsible for the disappearance?
After reading28 Discuss: Ask the students if they were right about
their predictions. Who, in fact, disappeared? How did Christine disappear? Did the ghost take her or did she run away? Was it a trick? What do you think?
29 Role play: Student A: You are the police detective investigating the disappearance of Christine. Interview the suspects and ask them lots of questions.
Student B: You are Raoul. You are very distressed at the disappearance of Christine as you were going to run away together. Tell the detective about the ghost and what you think happened to her.
Student C: You are one of the managers. You do not really know what happened to Christine. You think the ghost might be involved, but you don’t want the detective to think you are mad.
30 Write: Ask students to imagine they are Christine. Ask them to write a letter from Christine to Raoul, telling him what has happened to her. Ask students to think about how Christine must be feeling. What do you think has happened to Christine? Has she run away or has she been captured by the ghost? How is she feeling? Is she feeling brave or frightened? Is she angry or has she given up? Remember, she may never see Raoul again, so she needs to say how she really feels.
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Teacher’s notes LEVEL 5PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Chapter 8After reading31 Discuss: Have the students discuss in pairs who they
think took the money. Did the Opera ghost get his payment or did one of the managers steal it? What about Madame Giry? Did she have anything to do with the disappearance of the money?
32 Role play: Put the students into groups of three. One student is Madame Giry and the other two students are the managers. The managers think Madame Giry has stolen the 20,000 francs and they question her closely. Madame Giry says she is innocent and is upset and annoyed that the managers suspect her. Have the conversation.
Chapter 9After reading33 Discuss: Have students discuss this chapter. Who are
the “dead bodies”? Are they really dead? What do you think the torture room is? Who does it belong to and who has been tortured? By who?
Chapter 10After reading34 Pair work: Have students work in pairs and try and
remember as many things as they can about Erik from this chapter. Ask them to write down what they can remember in note form.
35 Discuss: Put students into groups and have them discuss the following questions. Should you judge people by their appearance? What dangers are there in doing this? Why did Erik become the monster he was? Was he like this because of how he had been treated as a child and later in life? If Erik had had other opportunities, do you think he would still have become a murderer? How are people treated in your society if they are different from others? How are disabled people treated in your society? Are there any ways you could improve how these people are treated?
Chapter 11After reading36 Write: Ask students to imagine they had been in the
torture room too. Ask them to write an article for the local newspaper about their frightening experience and how they managed to escape.
37 Discuss: Put students in pairs and ask them to discuss the character of Christine Daaé. Why did Christine behave the way she did? Why didn’t she try to escape from Erik? Why did she agree to marry him? Was she scared or did she have any feelings for him? Was she weak in your opinion? What would you have done in her position?
38 Write: Ask the students to imagine that the Opera ghost has caused another tragedy at the Opera. Ask them to write an article about it for the local paper. Remind them to include references to what has happened before. Another tragedy has occurred at the Opera. What is it? Is it another murder? Is it an accident? Who was involved? Did anyone see what happened? Who caused it? Was it the work of the Opera ghost or just a coincidence? Is the Opera cursed? Has the ghost made any threats recently? Has the Opera ghost been looked after or is he angry about something?
39 Write: Ask the students to imagine they are Erik and they are dying. Erik is looking back over his life and trying to decide whether what he did was good or bad. Erik wants to write his life story starting with his childhood. Imagine you are Erik and you are writing your life story. Do you feel happy or sad about the life you have lived? Do you regret the murders you have committed? Would you have treated people differently if you hadn’t been ugly? What would you have done differently? Start with your childhood and write about your life. Remember to include how you felt and how people treated you.
40 Role play: Student A: You are Raoul. You don’t understand why Erik has been so horrible to you and why he has nearly killed you. You are trying to understand this. Ask the Persian what he thinks and what he knows about Erik’s life.
Student B: You are the Persian. You need to answer Raoul’s questions as fully as you can. You know Erik is an evil man, but you also know his background. Explain to Raoul how Erik has become the evil monster he is.
Chapter 12Before reading41 Discuss: Put students in small groups and ask them
to discuss who, or what, they think Erik really is. Is he a ghost or a man? Do you like him, hate him, or feel sorry for him? Do you think he should force Christine to marry him?
After reading42 Discuss: Ask students if they have changed their
opinion of Erik having read this chapter. Who do you think Erik is now? Is he a man or a ghost? Were you correct or have you changed your mind about Erik?
Vocabulary activitiesFor the Word List and vocabulary activities, go to www.penguinreaders.com.
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c Pearson Education Limited 2008 The Phantom of the Opera - Activity worksheets � of 2
Activity worksheets LEVEL 5PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Chapters 1–31 Whichcharacterinthefirstchapter…? a is in charge of moving scenery? ……………………………………………… b is the singing master? ……………………………………………… c has a private box in the Opera? ……………………………………………… d is in charge of Box Five? ……………………………………………… e is found hanging in the third cellar? ……………………………………………… f is the scenery manager? ………………………………………………2 Answerthefollowingquestions. a What are the names of the old managers of
the Opera? ……………………………………………… b What do the old managers warn the new
managers about? ……………………………………………… c Do the new managers believe the old? What
do the new managers do? ……………………………………………… d What requests does the ghost make? ………………………………………………3 Writetrue(T)orfalse(F)nexttoeach
sentence. a La Sorelli is a manager of the Opera. c b Joseph Buquet is a serious type of man. c c The dancers at the opera are ballet
dancers. c d Gabriel is the stage manager. c e Joseph Buquet is found hanging in the
opera. c4 Underlinethecorrectword. a Monsieur Moncharmin has written down his
complaints / memories. b Monsieur Mercier is the singing teacher /
scenery manager. c The opera showing is Midsummer Night’s
Dream / Faust. d Philippe and Raoul Chagny are brothers /
cousins. e The opera house is in Berlin / Paris.5 Answerthefollowingquestions. a Write down two things the old managers
advise the new managers to do. ………………………………………………
b What will happen if the new managers do not do these things?
9 Whathappenedwhen…? a Madame Giry told the managers that she had
received a letter from the ghost? ……………………………………………… b Carlotta received a letter threatening her if she
appeared on stage that night? ……………………………………………… c Carlotta sang her only two lines in the second
act? ……………………………………………… d the managers returned to Box Five for the
third act? ……………………………………………… e the managers returned and found the opera
glasses and remembered Madame Giry’s words?
………………………………………………10 Answerthefollowingquestions. Afterthechandelierfell,whathappenedto a Carlotta? ……………………………………. b Christine Daaé? …………………………….. c Madame Giry? ………………………………11 Whospeaks,writesorsingsthesewordsand
towhom? a “But you know as well as I do that Christine
couldn’t marry, even if she wanted to.” ……………………………………………… b “The genius gives her lessons? Where?” ……………………………………………… c “Go to the masked party at the Opera on the
night after tomorrow.” ……………………………………………… d “Dear, it is a tragedy!” ……………………………………………… e “Our lives are joined forever and a day!” ……………………………………………… f “Who is this Erik?” ………………………………………………
12 Choosethecorrectword. talent beautifully enthusiastic doubt performance Count Chagny was right. No (a)………… had
ever equaled this one. Christine Daaé had shown her true (b) ………… for the first time to the surprised and (c)………… audience. There were many famous pieces (d) ………… sung by the singers of the day, but Christine Daaé had been, without (e) …………, the best.
Chapters 7–913 Whoisdescribedinthesesentences? Choosefromthefollowing: Viscount Chagny the Persian Monsieur Richard Erik Monsieur Moncharmin Raoul Christine Daaé Philippe a He is always in the Opera. ………………… b His eyes only show in the dark.
………………… c He took out his gun and aimed at the two
eyes. ………………… d The report in the Epoque said he intended to
prevent the marriage. ………………… e When the lights came back on, she was no
longer there! ………………… f He continued shouting for a safety pin until a
boy brought him one. ………………… g He put his hands together and lowered his
head, and left slowly, walking backwards. …………………
h The face was so white, so full of pain, that they were seized with pity. …………………
c Pearson Education Limited 2008 The Phantom of the Opera - Progress test � of �
Progress test LEVEL 5PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Chapters 1–31 Answerthefollowingquestions.
a What are the names of the new managers of the Opera?
……………………………………………………b In which city is the Opera situated? ……………………………………………………c Who is Christine Daaé? ……………………………………………………d What happens to Joseph Buquet? ……………………………………………………e What is the surname of Philippe and Raoul? ……………………………………………………f What demands does the ghost make? ……………………………………………………
2 Underlinethecorrectanswer.a Christine Daaé and Raoul Chagny knew each other
from the Opera / childhood.b Christine goes to visit her father’s home / grave.c Christine’s father is from Germany / Scandinavia.d Perros-Guirec is in Paris / Brittany.
3 Putthecorrectwordinthesentence.social performance tongue retirementartistic retiring whispersDuring this time, the(a)………… ceremony was taking place. The most important people in the (b)………… and (c)………… world of Paris had met in the entrance hall of the Opera after the(d)………… . Sorelli waited for the arrival of the(e)………… managers with a prepared speech on the tip of her (f )………… . Behind her, the corps de ballet, young and old, discussed the events of the day in (g) ………… .
a At midnight …..b If you love me …..c Raoul saw a red foot followed by another …..d Raoul answered “Maybe” with so much desperate
love …..e He kissed her hands and went away, ….. 1) then the whole red coat of Red Death met his
eyes. 2) cursing Erik and promising himself to be
patient. 3) be in the little room behind the stairs. 4) that Christine could not hold back the tears. 5) do not let yourself be recognized.
5 Writetrue(T)orfalse(F)nexttoeachsentence.a The ghost wants Madame Giry to get her job
back. c
b The ghost wants Carlotta to sing in the opera. c
c The ghost threatens to “curse” Faust if his conditions are not met. c
d At the end of Act II of Faust, the managers see the ghost in Box Five. c
e Carlotta sings beautifully during the performance. c
Chapters 7–96 Answerthefollowingquestions.
a What will happen to Christine if she takes off the ring given to her by Erik?
……………………………………………………b Why does Raoul shoot the cat? ……………………………………………………c Who is Monsieur Faure? ……………………………………………………d What is Monsieur Faure investigating? ……………………………………………………e Who lives in the Rue Rivoli? ……………………………………………………
7 Tick(3)thesentenceswhicharetrue.a Erik tried to drown the Persian. c
a c to be confusedb c a tragedyc c an emotiond c to be jealouse c a cursef c a ventriloquistg c mysterioush c a genius 1) Something very sad like an accident. 2) A person who can do tricks with his voice. 3) To want something that someone else has. 4) Not to be clear in one’s thinking. 5) Someone who is extremely talented. 6) A feeling. 7) Something strange. 8) A spell that brings bad luck.
The Phantom of the Opera
c Pearson Education Limited 2008 The Phantom of the Opera - Answer keys � of 4
4 a Monsieur/M.DebienneandMonsieur/M.Poligny b LaSorelli c theOperaghost d JosephBuquet e MadameGiry/Meg’smother f Monsieur/M.Moncharmin g ChristineDaaé h PhilippeGeorgeMarie/CountofChagny i Raoul j Monsieur/M.FirminRichard k Mr.Daaé/Christine’sfather l Monsieur/M.Valérius m theAngelofmusic5 a TheyoungballetdancersrushintoLaSorelli’s
b ThedeadbodyofJosephBuquetisfoundhanginginthethirdcellarunderthestage.Thisscareseveryone;theythinktheOperaghostisresponsible.
c Afterfaintingattheendofherperformance,Christineiswithadoctorinherdressingroom.Raoultriestoseeherbuthastowaitoutsidetheroom.WhenChristineisaloneinherdressingroom,Raoulhearshertalkingtoaman.Hesearchestheroomaftersheleaves,buthefindsnoone.ThismakesRaouljealousandupset,anditmakesthereaderbelieveintheexistenceofaphantom.
d Atthewonderfulpartyfortheretiringmanagers,everyoneseesamanwithastrangefaceandholloweyessittingattheendofthetable.Everyonebelievesthatthisperson,whodoesnotspeakoreatordrink,istheOperaghost.Thisgivesthereadermoreproofthattheghostisreal,butnothingisdefinite.
e TheinspectorreportsthattherewerepeopleinBoxFivemakingalotofnoiseandannoyingothers.Theywerelaughingloudly,werenotintheirrightmind,andmadestupidremarkstotheinspector.ThisshowsthattheOperaghostwillmaketroubleifanyoneusesBoxFive.
f ChristinewaswithherfatherinPerros-Guirec.AtthebeachChristine’sbeautifulsingingcapturedRaoul’simagination.Whenthegirl’sscarfwasblownouttosea,Raoulrescuedit.Christinelaughedandkissedtheboy.Thiswaswhentheirlovebegan.
g RaoulfollowsChristineintothegraveyardbesidethechurchatPerros-Guireclateatnight.Heseesherprayingatherfather’sgraveandhehearsthemostperfectmusic,apiecethatChristine’sfatherusedtoplaywhenhewasalive.WhenChristineleaves,skullsrolltowardRaoulandheseestheshadowofaman.RaoulfollowsthemanandseesthefaceofDeathwithapairofburnt-outeyes.Hefeelsthathehasseenthedevilandhefaints.Thisismoreproofthatghostsandphantomsarerealinthisstory.
6 a Inthispassage,theOperaghostdemands20,000francspermonth.MonsieurMoncharminandMonsieurRichardlaughatthisandtreatitasajoke.
b Theylaughatthisletter,too.TheythinkthattheoldmanagersareplayingatrickonthemandwanttokeepBoxFiveforthemselves.TheysendticketsforBoxFivetoMonsieurDebienneandMonsieurPolignybutintendtodothisonlyonce.
c Theyareannoyedbytheletterfromthetworetiredmanagersbecausetheythinkthejokeisgoingontoolong.
d Theyareannoyed,amused,andthenangrywithMadameGiry’sexplanations.Theythinksheismadandtheyfireherfromherjob.AfterthistheyinspectBoxFiveforthemselves.
c Pearson Education Limited 2008 The Phantom of the Opera - Answer keys 2 of 4
Answer keys LEVEL 5PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
9 a angry b confident c optimistic d nervous e confused f emotional10 a white b black c graveyard d near e liesto f tragic g mirror h thesamecreature11 a cheerful b anxious c excited d amazed e insulted f desperate12 Inthefirstlettertothetwonewmanagers,O.G.
h ChristinehearsthePhantom’svoice;theroomchangesandsheismysteriouslyoutsidetheroom;astone-coldhandseizesherwristandcovershermouthwhenshetriestoscream.
i ChristinerecognizesthePhantom’svoice;hetellsherhisname;sheseesthefacebeneaththemask;shehearshimplayhismusic.
15–17 Openanswers18 a F b T c T d T e F f F g T19 a envelope b stealing c backward d safety e empty20 a F b T c T d F e F f T21 a RaoulthinkstheeyesbelongtoErik,hisrival,and
hewantstokillhim. b Christineissingingwithallherheartandsoul,and
c Pearson Education Limited 2008 The Phantom of the Opera - Answer keys � of 4
Answer keys LEVEL 5PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
24 Openanswers25 a 4 b 6 c 8 d 2 e 3 f 1 g 7 h 526 a HEAR b HEAR c SEE d SEE e FEEL f HEAR g HEAR h SEE i SEE j FEEL k FEEL l FEEL27 a 6 b 4 c 1 d 5 e 3 f 228 a ChristinepersuadesErikthatshewillbehisliving
b Heisatalentedinventor.Hesingsbeautifullyandwriteswonderfulmusic.Heisaskilfulbuilderandarchitect.Heisgreatmagician.Hecanthrowaropelikeacowboy.Hecantortureandkillpeopleinmanydifferentways.Heisagreatventriloquist.
c WhiletheywereinPersiaErikhelpedthePersian,andthePersiansavedErikfrombeingkilledbythePersianking.
10–13 Openanswers14 Acurseisamagicalspellthatbringsbadluck.15 a Tokeephisboxforhimandnottosellit,togive
himanallowanceandtoallowChristineDaaétosing.
b Hethreatenstocursetheperformance. c CarlottathinksthatChristineisthreateningher. d Openanswers16–18 Openanswers19 Faust isaplaybyGoethe(German).Faustsellshissoul
Activity worksheets key1 a JosephBuquet b Gabriel c theghost d MadameGiry e JosephBuquet f Mercier
The Phantom of the Opera
c Pearson Education Limited 2008 The Phantom of the Opera - Answer keys 4 of 4
Answer keys LEVEL 5PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
2 a MonsieurDebienneandMonsieurPoligny b TheytellthemabouttheOperaghostandtheneed
toobeyhim. c No,theydonotbelievethem.Theylaugh. d AnallowanceandBoxFive3 a F b T c T d F e T4 a memories b scenerymanager c Faust d brothers e Paris5 a Theyadvisethemtohavenewlocksmadeandto
honoranyrequestmadebytheghost. b DisasterwillstriketheOpera.6 Thecorrectorderis 1 c 2 h 3 f 4 a 5 j 6 d 7 g 8 i 9 b 10 e7 a T b T c FHerfathertookher. d T e FWhenherfatherdied.8 Openanswers9 a MonsieurRichardkickedheroutofhisoffice. b Sheaskedallhersupporterstoattendthatnight’s
performance. c Theaudiencewereenthusiastic. d Theyfoundaboxofcandy. e Theyfeltsomestrange,coldairaroundthem.10 a Carlottawasunwell. b Christinedisappeared. c MadameGirygotheroldjobback.11 a MadameValériustoRaoul b RaoultoMadameValérius c ChristinetoRaoul d ChristinetoRaoul e aman’svoicetoChristine f Raoultohimself12 a performance b talent c enthusiastic d beautifully e doubt
13 a thePersian b Erik c Raoul d Philippe e ChristineDaaé f MonsieurMoncharmin g MonsieurRichard h ViscountChagny14–15 Openanswers
Progress test key1 a MonsieurArmandMoncharminandMonsieur
FirminRichard b Paris c Asinger d Heisfounddead(hanged). e Chagny f BoxFiveandanallowance2 a childhood b grave c Scandinavia d Brittany3 a retirement b social(artistic) c artistic(social) d performance e retiring f tongue g whispers4 a 3 b 5 c 1 d 4 e 25 a T b FHewantsChristine. c T d FTheyseesignsthathe’sbeenthere. e FShehasthevoiceofatoad.6 a Shewillsufferhisrevenge. b Hethinkshe’sseentheeyesofthefaceofDeath. c Thepolicedetective d ThedisappearanceofChristine e ThePersian7 a,banddaretrueandshouldbeticked.8 a 4 b 1 c 6 d 3 e 8 f 2 g 7 h 5
