Queen of the Night

''"Do you see this dagger? It is for killing Sarastro. YOU must slay him, and make the powerful Circle of the Sun mine for all eternity !" ''

"But Mother..."

''"DON'T SAY A WORD!" - The Queen of the Night and Pamina (before the Der Hölle Rache'' aria)

The Queen of the Night (die Konigin der Nacht in german) is the primary antagonist in the famous 1791 opera The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. She is first introduced as the desperate mother whose beloved daughter was kidnapped, but it ultimately appears that she is in fact the villain of the story, who wants to steal the powerful Circle of the Sun. The role of the Queen of the Night numbers arguably among the most famous in opera and her two collatura aria: O Zittre Nicht Mein Lieber Sohn (Do not Tremble My Dear Son) and especially Der Hölle Rache (the Infernal Vengeance) have become nothing short of legendary.

In more ways than one, the Queen of the Night can be regarded as an early symbol of a free woman, given that she claims something which she regards as her legitimate heirloom, but whose property she was denied because she is a woman. She strongly ressents this, and is willing to defy the patriarcal order who denies her all authority by any mean she can.

thumb|right|400px|"O Zittre Nicht" performed by Natalie DessayThe Queen of the Night is first mentioned by her birdcatcher Papageno, when speaking to the foreigner prince Tamino, who has heard of her as a magnificent and powerful sovereign. Then the Queen's three maid-servants -who saved Tamino earlier from a gigantic snake- appear and show the prince a painting of their abducted princess Pamina. Upon seeing the picture, Tamino instantly falls in love with the beautiful princess and wows to free her.

A rumble of thunder then announces the Queen's arrival and the magnificent monarch appears, clad in night and stars, as if emerging from the Night itself. She then tells Tamino that her daughter Pamina was abducted by the evil sorcerer Sarastro, taking away all her hapiness. If he were to free her beloved daughter, she promises that she would become his wife.

The maiden then give Tamino a magic flute crafted by the Queen of the Night's late husband and Papageno (who accepted this mission if he were to meet a girl to marry) a magic silver bell, telling them to look for three young boys who will guide them.

Tamino and Papageno later get separated. The birdcatcher manages to find Pamina, rescuing her from Sarastro's moorish slave Monostados, and promises her that a prince is on his way to save her and to offer her his love. Meanwhile, Tamino discovers that Sarastro is by no mean an evil sorcerer but rather a wise and holy man, High-Priest of Isis and Osiris and guardian of the fabled Circle of the Sun. Sarastro tells the prince that he only abducted Pamina to keep her away from her mother's evil influence. In fact, the Queen of the Night sent Tamino to kill Sarastro hoping to get rid of her rival and get her hands on the Circle of the Sun.

Tamino then agrees to become one of Sarastro's initiates, in order to prove worthy of Pamina.

Later, as Tamino and Pamina -who are now in love with each other- are about to pass several trials, Monostados, who lusts for the princess and laments that no girl wants him because of his dark skin, attempts to steal a kiss from the sleeping princess; only to be frightened away by the Queen of the Night herself, who sneaked into the temple alongside her three maiden.

thumb|right|400px|"Der Hölle Rache" performed by Diana DamrauThe Queen asks her daughter about Tamino's whereabouts, and shows her true colors. She angrily reveals that her late husband was the previous owner of the Circle of the Sun. Upon dying, he told the Queen that he gave her and their daughter all his lands and riches, so that they would have all they need for the rest of their life, but that she could not inherit the Circle of the Sun, which he would give to Sarastro. The Queen of the Night says that all her power are gone since her husband died and that she wants to obtain the Circle of the Sun. She then gives a dagger to Pamina and orders her to kill Sarastro, otherwise, she would disown her and curse her for eternity.

However, Pamina cannot bring herself to kill Sarastro, and she and Tamino succeeds in all the trials with the help of the three litlle boys and the magic flute. While the two lovers are getting married by Sarastro, the Queen of the Night and her maiden enter the temple, guided by Monostados, who was promised that he would be given Pamina in exchange for his help. The Queen is about to destroy the temple when the sun rises, and the evil sovereign and her followers are banished into the Everlasting Night for all of eternity.

Sarastro then enters, followed by Tamino and Pamina, Papageno and his wife Papagena, and all his initiates, praising both Isis and Osiris and the magnificence of love.

Balthus Dire 23:36, October 13, 2010 (UTC)