Love Never Dies
A dramatic change in character occurs in the ten year gap between the musicals. Instead of being Christine's best friend she now competes for the Phantom's attention and is the de facto main antagonist. She is known as the "Ooh La La Girl," and was the star of Phantom's show before Christine arrived.
She plays a critical role in the ending, kidnapping Christine and Raoul's son Gustave, and wildly brandishing a gun at those who have come to rescue him, and then at herself. She furiously berates the Phantom for ignoring her and being oblivious to all she has done to help him a more sympathetic side to her character is shown here as she breaks down and reveals she has been forced by her mother to work for years as a high class prostitute to ease the Phantom's transition from wanted criminal in Paris to Coney-Island based entrepreneur. Her sacrifice has resulted in a desperate, obsessive desire for the Phantom's attention.
The Phantom attempts to soothe her anger by begging her to give him the hurt and the pain and the gun. The Phantom hugs her and blames himself for not seeing all she had done and that although she feels broken he can still see all the beauty underneath. But when he makes the fatal mistake of bringing up Christine's beauty, Meg attempts to commit suicide, but the Phantom tries to wrest the gun from her, which accidentally goes off and shoots Christine. Horrified at what she has done, Meg and her mother run to get help at the Phantom's request while Christine dies in his arms. Meg returns and the Phantom, showing he doesn't blame her for the tragedy, allows her to hug Christine's body and cry over it. The show ends with Raoul arriving at the scene and cradling Christine's lifeless body while Gustave embraces the Phantom, acknowledging him as his father.
Read more about this topic: Meg Giry
Famous quotes containing the words love and/or dies:
“No longer mourn for me when I am dead
Than you shall hear the surly sullen bell
Give warning to the world that I am fled
From this vile world, with vilest worms to dwell:
Nay, if you read this line, remember not
The hand that writ it; for I love you so,
That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot,
If thinking on me then should make you woe.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The symbol of perpetual youth, the grass-blade, like a long green ribbon, streams from the sod into the summer, checked indeed by the frost, but anon pushing on again, lifting its spear of last year’s hay with the fresh life below. It grows as steadily as the rill oozes out of the ground.... So our human life but dies down to its root, and still puts forth its green blade to eternity.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)