The Symbolism Of Light In The Magic Flute

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As mentioned earlier The Magic Flute is filled with many symbols that help to unveil the central theme of enlightenment. The word enlightenment is said to have many meanings, one of them being “To enlighten is to impart light or wisdom and enlightenment is a state of new awareness brought about by the figurative illumination”. (Waldoff,Jessica) The symbolism of light is used as an allegory throughout the film to enhance the theme of enlightenment where light is used as a metaphor of knowledge, and in contrast darkness refers to the age of darkness (the period before becoming enlightened) or ignorance. The idea of light, supported through the visuals along with the libretto, assist in advancing the central theme of enlightenment over the course of the film. The visuals alternate…show more content…
This is seen when Tameno says “O eternal night, when will you disappear?/When will the light find my eye?”, at this point Tameno’s quest is more than his search for Pamena, the purpose of his quest is the attainment of knowledge and that of enlightenment. By the end of Tameno’s quest for enlightenment we see in the last few scenes that he in fact comes to a new state of awareness. Imagery supports this idea as the last scene is of the day; we can assume the “night” or potential darkness has been banished along with the Queen of the Night, who is possibly portrayed as the concept of ignorance as she rules the domain of darkness. This is reinforced by the libretto of Sarastro, who in contrast rules the domain of light and is an enlightened individual, in the final scene where he says “The rays of the sun /Drive away the night” and again is reinforced by the chorus “Hail to you who are consecrated!/You pushed through
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