The Interpretation of the Opera â€˜Die ZauberflÃ¶te, K.620 â€™ Focused on Psychosexual Development

Kang, Jong Whan; Kim, Taeho; Ha, Jee Hyun

Abstract

Freud wrote that art is the product of the conscience of an artist. He interpreted artistic works in psychoanalytic ways, such as "Leonardo da Vinci and a Memory of His Childhood." Ever since Freud's traditional view, several overtures have been made to approach works of art based on the psychoanalytical developmental theory. Authors analyzed Mozart's opera titled "The Magic Flute" relative to psycho-sexual developmental perspectives. The main character of the opera, Pamina is not independent from the queen of the night, meaning that Pamina manifests a paranoid-schizoid condition. She is mired in a dyadic relationship between mother and daughter, and the queen of the night embodies a "˜bad mother representation."˜ Pamina meets Tamino and could start to make an effort to be independent from the dyadic relationship. For Pamina, it is difficult for her to escape from the trapped developmental process, because of various reasons. While it is difficult for Pamina to escape from the trapped developmental process, Tamino plays the role of a trigger for Pamina to move forward to the next process. The authors interpret Tamino as an Oedipal triggering object which could enable Pamina to escape from the dyadic relationship. A magic flute symbolizes a magical fantasy that keep Tamino and Pamina safe in process of three missions. We think that magic and fantasy could play an important role after the Oedipal or adolescent period when a person engages in developmental stages. In conclusion, the opera "The Magic Flute" has various meanings from a developmental perspective and shows the separation-individualization of a child, Oedipus complex, magical fantasy, and development of ego function.