All I Ask of You Analysis

So far, I mentioned two love triangles in musicals- Les Mis and Wicked. Phantom of the Opera is another, but the difference is this musical is centered around a love triangle. At the same time, there is some unpopular opinion when it comes to the couple found in it. Unlike several fans of the musical, I love the Christine and Raoul pairing. “All I Ask of You” is the romantic duo the two of them sing, which is very gorgeous and angelic. It really does show their love for each other.

RAOUL
No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide-eyed fears
I’m here, nothing can harm you
my words will warm and calm you
Let me be your freedom,
let daylight dry your tears.
I’m here with you, beside you,
to guard you and to guide you…

CHRISTINE
Say you love me every waking moment,
turn my head with talk of summertime…
Say you need me with you now and always…
Promise me that all you say is true
that’s all I ask of you

RAOUL
Let me be your shelter
let me be your light
You’re safe, No one will find you
your fears are far behind you…

CHRISTINE
All I want is freedom,
a world with no more night
and you, always beside me, to hold me and to hide me…

RAOUL
Then say you’ll share with me
one love, one lifetime
let me lead you from your solitude
Say you need me with you here, beside you…
anywhere you go, let me go too
Christine, that’s all I ask of you…

CHRISTINE
Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime…
say the word and I will follow you…

BOTH
Share each day with me,
each night, each morning…

CHRISTINE
Say you love me…

RAOUL
You know I do…

BOTH
Love me – that’s all I ask of you
Anywhere you go let me go too
Love me – that’s all I ask of you…

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Phantom of the Opera

Raoul and Christine are meant for each other. As expressed in “All I Ask of You”, Raoul clearly loves Christine. In the song, you can tell that Christine trusts Raoul that he will protect and comfort her. She has obviously been frightened by the Phantom, and in this moment, Raoul is quick to comfort Christine even though he still doesn’t believe the Phantom exists- after all, he is still new to the Paris Opera House.

The melody is so romantic showing how much the two of them love each other. Yes, Raoul doesn’t believe Christine at times, but he loves her. Christine says “all I want is freedom” and Raoul does say he will give her that and his love. The Phantom, on the other hand, is too dangerous and violent, and will not give her what she wants.