Buffy, the anti-Elsa ?
Jun. 9th, 2007 12:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chaniSo yesterday I spent 4:30 hours (including two interludes) at the opera. I did enjoy that Lohengrin even though I wasn't always convinced by Carsen's mise en scène. The voices were great. Waltraud Meier was a vibrant and flamboyant Ortrud and Mireille Delunsch's performance as Elsa was more than just credible. Ben Heppner sang well too but I must say that he's not very convincing as the young and handsome Swan Knight. He looked a bit ridiculous in his armour, and was still heavy and clumsy in his suit.
Lohengrin isn't my favourite opera but the famous ouverture with the violins is sublime, and so is the prelude before the last Act. Also what I like is the fact it's based on a fake suspense and somewhat of a misunderstanding. The big secret of the Swan Knight that he reveals only in the end is his name...which happens to be the title of the opera!
Of course the secrecy that surrounds the Swan Knight, Elsa being saved by him but not being allowed to question him about his origins and her blind faith in her fiancé/husband is an allegory of Christian's faith since Lohengrin is Parsifal's son and the Knight of the Holy Grail.
Also the opera is more about Elsa and Ortrud than about Lohengrin himself. The two women mirror each other. One is mystical, quite hysterical actually, the other is a calculator, plotting her revenge. One is good and innocent, the other is evil. I can't help thinking of Shakespeare there. Ortrud is to Elsa what Iago is to Othello. She's perfidious but she may be there only to represent that part of Elsa that cannot die...the side that still calls upon the ancient gods (Wotan and Freia), that side that keeps doubting. Ortrud never gave up, she doesn't bow and she's still alive in the end.
What's the connection with Buffy? Well, when BTVS was on and I was posting on the BC&S spoiler board one of my hobby-horses was to seek and point out links to opera works. I found many and I may post someday, on LJ, a compendium of all the opera stuff that we can find on Buffy but until I get around to writing it...
Lohengrin isn't my favourite opera but the famous ouverture with the violins is sublime, and so is the prelude before the last Act. Also what I like is the fact it's based on a fake suspense and somewhat of a misunderstanding. The big secret of the Swan Knight that he reveals only in the end is his name...which happens to be the title of the opera!
Of course the secrecy that surrounds the Swan Knight, Elsa being saved by him but not being allowed to question him about his origins and her blind faith in her fiancé/husband is an allegory of Christian's faith since Lohengrin is Parsifal's son and the Knight of the Holy Grail.
Also the opera is more about Elsa and Ortrud than about Lohengrin himself. The two women mirror each other. One is mystical, quite hysterical actually, the other is a calculator, plotting her revenge. One is good and innocent, the other is evil. I can't help thinking of Shakespeare there. Ortrud is to Elsa what Iago is to Othello. She's perfidious but she may be there only to represent that part of Elsa that cannot die...the side that still calls upon the ancient gods (Wotan and Freia), that side that keeps doubting. Ortrud never gave up, she doesn't bow and she's still alive in the end.
What's the connection with Buffy? Well, when BTVS was on and I was posting on the BC&S spoiler board one of my hobby-horses was to seek and point out links to opera works. I found many and I may post someday, on LJ, a compendium of all the opera stuff that we can find on Buffy but until I get around to writing it...
There's actually a hint at Lohengrin at the beginning of season 7 and it's rather funny. It happens in 'Lessons' during Dawn's first day in the new Highschool. I remember back then when we had only spoilers (the seventh seaosn hadn't started yet), the frantic speculations we made on that scene!
THE TEACHER
Okay, I’m Mr. Lonegrin. Why don’t we go around the room and
introduce ourselves? Let’s start with..
When Buffy bursts through the door, Dawn is telling the other students about herself:
DAWN
I love to dance. I like music. I’m very into Britney Spears’ early
work before she sold out, so mostly her finger painting and
macaroni art. Very underrated. Favorite activities include not ever
having to do this again and—
BUFFY
Dawn!
DAWN
What?
BUFFY
We have to go. It’s not safe.
DAWN
But…
BUFFY
We… I mean, I saw…
Buffy realizes that she can’t give any sort of explanation for what she saw that
will sound rational to the other people in the class.
MR. LONEGRIN
Can I help you?
BUFFY
No. I… Dawn, I just thought you were in danger… of smoking.
She starts to back out the door.
BUFFY
I’ll be around.
All the students turn and stare at Dawn.
DAWN
(horrified)
I also have a sister.
It's funny on so many levels and not only because Buffy's behaviour is embarrassing her sister. First we have that teacher whose name sounds like Lohengrin and who's all about giving identity and details about oneself which is so not Lohengrin-like!
It's also funny when you think that Dawn used to be that girl whose real identity, that is The Key, was such a big secret in season 5 ! It's also interesting that the coming of Dawn had been forecast in Buffy's dreams during season 3 (the dream she shared with Faith) and season 4 (Restless) just like Elsa who first saw Lohengrin in a dream. In "Restless", besides Tara's famous line in Buffy's dream, there's a subtle mention of Dawn in Willow's dream about the kitty who hasn't told her name yet.
From another perspective we could see Dawn as young Gottfried to a Buffy/Elsa. In Wagner's opera the Swan turns out to be the lost young Duke of Brabant, Elsa's brother whom she had been accused of having murdering(Ortrud changed him), and Gottfried is turned back into his human form at the end of the opera. The theme of metamorphosis is tied up with Dawn's journey. In season 3, in the B/F dream Dawn is mentioned as a kitty, and again in "Restless". When she showed up at the beginning of season 5, Miss Kitty Fantastico stopped being showed on screen and later in season 7 we were told that Dawn caused it by using a crossbow ! Indeed she metaphorically killed the cat by taking her place. From then on, Dawn sort of became everybody's surrogate daughter, including the daughter of Tara and Willow. During season 6 the protection of Dawn was challenged by Buffy's depression. OMWF echoed it very well. Later Tara was killed and Willow(playing Ortrud's role there) threatened to reverse Dawn to her previous state of ball of green energy.
But of course the true Lohengrin of the show is Buffy herself since she's The Slayer. Like the Knight of the Grail she's been sent on a mission to protect innocence and she's got a supernatural strength to do so. How many times did she rescue Dawn? Dawn is to Buffy what Elsa is to Lohengrin, a beloved innocent to save and to protect.
In season 7 we even saw Dawn having doubts about her sister-knight in CWDP. Buffy wouldn't choose her eventually.
Besides at the beginning of "Lessons" we see Buffy training Dawn, teaching her how to cope with vampires. Buffy is her teacher. It makes sense that the first teacher that Dawn meets later is Mr Lonegrin!
Of course this is emphasized by the fact that Buffy is hired by Wood to work in the highschool and it also foreshadows the rest of the season when Buffy is invested with new responsibilties with the Potentials and teaches them to slay vampires!
I love it when everything is connected. *g*
One last thing. Lohengrin is basically about revealing yourself, your true identity (Lohengrin) but also your dark side and your weaknesses (Elsa who let Ortrud poison her faith and make her doubt). It's exactly what we saw in season 7 so I do think that that Mr Lonegrin was a big clue that Joss gave us in the first episode to set the story.
From Willow who "wanted to be Willow again" and feared her powers to Anya who felt "Selfless", to Spike who no longer knew who he was and what he was capable of, to Dawn who believed that she might be a potential too, to Andrew who kept telling himself stories, to Buffy herself who doubted and yet chose, they were all struggling like Elsa against an ennemy that seemed external but that was rather inside of them, the First Evil.
THE TEACHER
Okay, I’m Mr. Lonegrin. Why don’t we go around the room and
introduce ourselves? Let’s start with..
When Buffy bursts through the door, Dawn is telling the other students about herself:
DAWN
I love to dance. I like music. I’m very into Britney Spears’ early
work before she sold out, so mostly her finger painting and
macaroni art. Very underrated. Favorite activities include not ever
having to do this again and—
BUFFY
Dawn!
DAWN
What?
BUFFY
We have to go. It’s not safe.
DAWN
But…
BUFFY
We… I mean, I saw…
Buffy realizes that she can’t give any sort of explanation for what she saw that
will sound rational to the other people in the class.
MR. LONEGRIN
Can I help you?
BUFFY
No. I… Dawn, I just thought you were in danger… of smoking.
She starts to back out the door.
BUFFY
I’ll be around.
All the students turn and stare at Dawn.
DAWN
(horrified)
I also have a sister.
It's funny on so many levels and not only because Buffy's behaviour is embarrassing her sister. First we have that teacher whose name sounds like Lohengrin and who's all about giving identity and details about oneself which is so not Lohengrin-like!
It's also funny when you think that Dawn used to be that girl whose real identity, that is The Key, was such a big secret in season 5 ! It's also interesting that the coming of Dawn had been forecast in Buffy's dreams during season 3 (the dream she shared with Faith) and season 4 (Restless) just like Elsa who first saw Lohengrin in a dream. In "Restless", besides Tara's famous line in Buffy's dream, there's a subtle mention of Dawn in Willow's dream about the kitty who hasn't told her name yet.
From another perspective we could see Dawn as young Gottfried to a Buffy/Elsa. In Wagner's opera the Swan turns out to be the lost young Duke of Brabant, Elsa's brother whom she had been accused of having murdering(Ortrud changed him), and Gottfried is turned back into his human form at the end of the opera. The theme of metamorphosis is tied up with Dawn's journey. In season 3, in the B/F dream Dawn is mentioned as a kitty, and again in "Restless". When she showed up at the beginning of season 5, Miss Kitty Fantastico stopped being showed on screen and later in season 7 we were told that Dawn caused it by using a crossbow ! Indeed she metaphorically killed the cat by taking her place. From then on, Dawn sort of became everybody's surrogate daughter, including the daughter of Tara and Willow. During season 6 the protection of Dawn was challenged by Buffy's depression. OMWF echoed it very well. Later Tara was killed and Willow(playing Ortrud's role there) threatened to reverse Dawn to her previous state of ball of green energy.
But of course the true Lohengrin of the show is Buffy herself since she's The Slayer. Like the Knight of the Grail she's been sent on a mission to protect innocence and she's got a supernatural strength to do so. How many times did she rescue Dawn? Dawn is to Buffy what Elsa is to Lohengrin, a beloved innocent to save and to protect.
In season 7 we even saw Dawn having doubts about her sister-knight in CWDP. Buffy wouldn't choose her eventually.
Besides at the beginning of "Lessons" we see Buffy training Dawn, teaching her how to cope with vampires. Buffy is her teacher. It makes sense that the first teacher that Dawn meets later is Mr Lonegrin!
Of course this is emphasized by the fact that Buffy is hired by Wood to work in the highschool and it also foreshadows the rest of the season when Buffy is invested with new responsibilties with the Potentials and teaches them to slay vampires!
I love it when everything is connected. *g*
One last thing. Lohengrin is basically about revealing yourself, your true identity (Lohengrin) but also your dark side and your weaknesses (Elsa who let Ortrud poison her faith and make her doubt). It's exactly what we saw in season 7 so I do think that that Mr Lonegrin was a big clue that Joss gave us in the first episode to set the story.
From Willow who "wanted to be Willow again" and feared her powers to Anya who felt "Selfless", to Spike who no longer knew who he was and what he was capable of, to Dawn who believed that she might be a potential too, to Andrew who kept telling himself stories, to Buffy herself who doubted and yet chose, they were all struggling like Elsa against an ennemy that seemed external but that was rather inside of them, the First Evil.
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-09 04:23 pm (UTC)I love it when you make connections like these. Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2007-06-10 10:04 am (UTC)