The Evolution of Richard Wagner

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Richard Wagner's operas "Parsifal" and "Lohengrin" share common themes such as religion, good and evil, love, lust, and Christianity. It shows how Wagner's typical characters are present in both operas. This essay explores the differences between Wagner's first works, and his last opera.

Table of Contents
Elsa's belief in God
Wagner's Views on Judaism.
"Blood Pollution"
Ortrud, Judaism and Paganism.
Purity and Foolishness
Lust and the Loss of Naivete

From the Paper:

"Although Richard Wagner's operas Lohengrin and Parsifal were written more than thirty years apart, they share many similar themes. Both dramas are intensely religious, although Wagner spent most of his adult life as an atheist, or at best, an agnostic. A closer look at the characters in each opera presents Wagner's favorite archetype, but their interactions and fates are not necessarily the same. Lohengrin, written at the beginning of Wagner's professional career, and Parsifal, written in the last years of his life, exemplify the evolution of a personal philosophy."

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