Talk:The Magic Flute
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Plot summary for lead
editI replaced
The allegorical plot was influenced by Schikaneder and Mozart's interest in Freemasonry and concerns the initiation of Prince Tamino. Enlisted by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter Pamina from the high priest Sarastro, Tamino comes to admire the high ideals of Sarastro. He and Pamina both join Sarastro's community, while the Queen and her allies are vanquished.
with an older version:
In the opera the Queen of the Night persuades Prince Tamino to rescue her daughter Pamina from captivity under the high priest Sarastro; instead, he learns the high ideals of Sarastro's community and seeks to join it. Separately, then together, Tamino and Pamina undergo severe trials of initiation, which end in triumph, with the Queen and her cohorts vanquished. The earthy Papageno, who accompanies Tamino on his quest, fails the trials completely but is rewarded anyway with the hand of his ideal female companion Papagena.
Reasons:
- The view that the plot is allegorical (i.e. about Maria Theresia) is controversial, and perhaps is even acquiring the status of a crackpot theory; see Libretto of the Magic Flute for discussion.
- The Freemasonry claim is certainly common but it is now called into question by thoughtful people; see again Libretto of the Magic Flute. While it may still have adherents, in general we don't put controversial speculation into the lead as if it were fact.
- The old plot summary I restored is hardly any longer but has some really essential things: the trials the characters undergo, and the character Papageno (who I suspect has more stage time than anyone else).