The Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera as an Example of an Artist Suffering from Bipolar Disorder

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Joel Schumacher, as an artist suffering from affective bipolar disorder. In order to substantiate this thesis, I analyse selected scenes in which particular symptoms of both phases of the illness, which are depression and mania, can be observed in the behaviour of the man. My analysis is grounded in the relevant theories presented in the work of Waltz. Using information provided by the scholar, I analyse the mental state of the Phantom in terms of his bipolar disorder. The article starts with the introductory part, followed by the analysis that is divided into two sections, each focusing on a particular phase of the illness. In the first section, I investigate the scenes from the movie that show symptoms of mania that are discernible in the behaviour of the Phantom. The second part focuses on his depressive phase and