Ana Sucaldito
Mrs. Wilson
AP Multicultural Literature B
15 January 2013

Consumed

            Obsession, though seemingly benign, is as dangerous as a disease. Obsession consumes the characters of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera, but the fulfillment of the obsession ultimately decides the character’s ultimate fate.
            Shakespeare’s syntax and diction reveals Lady Macbeth’s insanity as she reappears in Act V, Scene I. Her random interjections, such as “Hell is murky, “(V.I.40) highlight her madness to the others in the scene, a doctor and the gentlewoman. Hyperbaton, the inversion of word order, emphasizes the reversal of the natural order—the downfall of a once powerful woman. Yet, vestiges of her power still linger. The doctor and the gentlewoman worry that “she has spoken what she should not” (V.I.52). Even when mad, Lady Macbeth’s words hold power.
             One of Lady Macbeth’s most famous monologues takes place in Act V, Scene 1 as she proclaims, “Out, damned spot!” (V.I.39). The spot appears again and again, taunting and haunting the Lady. Its meaning comes from earlier in the play when Macbeth states that his hands will never be clean of murder, lamenting his guilt. Lady Macbeth’s hallucination of a spot of blood symbolizes her own guilt and remorse rearing its head. Shakespeare emphasizes her guilt through hyperbole, as well as through rhetorical questions as she questions whether “these hands ne’er be clean?” (V.I.48).
             Lady Macbeth’s obsession stems from her fatal flaw. Ambition. Power is what matters to her. Even in her madness, she uses it as a buffer, claiming “What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to/account?” (V.I.41-43). Her obsession with power is what destroys her, riddling her with guilt and making it so that others would never “have such a heart in [their] bosom” (V.I..64). Obsession takes such a toll on her that she longs for death, to go “to bed, to bed, to bed” (V.I..74).
            Lady Macbeth’s guilt, which ultimately causes her to commit suicide, originates in her past; similarly, Erik’s past haunts him, a past where he existed only as “a subject of horror and terror” (Leroux 261). Like Lady Macbeth, Erik goes to horrendous lengths to keep the object of his affection: Christine Daaé. He orchestrates “the kidnapping of Christine Daaé, the disappearance of the Vicomte de Chagny and the death of his elder brother” (Leroux 1). Erik lost much of his humanity in Persia, yet the catalyst to the previous events was Christine’s rejection.
            While both Erik and Lady Macbeth became consumed by maddening obsessions, Erik was able to regain a measure of sanity. The return of Erik’s sanity and the complete loss of Lady Macbeth’s originates from the outcome of their obsession. Lady Macbeth accomplished her goal: Macbeth held more power than anyone. This was her downfall. Her obsession for power so overwhelmed her that, when realized, she had no longer had anything left to live for. “What’s done [could] not be undone” (V.I.74); she committed suicide.
            But Erik could never fulfill his dream; he could never have Christine’s love. Even if he forced her into marriage, she would commit suicide and always cherish Raoul. Christine’s promise to be his “living wife” (Leroux 252) to save Raoul allowed Erik to give up his obsession, restoring his sanity. However, it still has taken a toll on him. All Erik had the energy to do was long for “his end [which was] near at hand” (Leroux 254).

Obsession, like power, corrupts anything it touches. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera, obsession consumes Lad y Macbeth and Erik, driving them mad—and once consumed, sanity can only be regained when the obsession is let go.