Characters featured in The Magic Flute.
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Tamino
Tamino
A prince who is tasked to save a mysterious queen's daughter from the "evil" Sarastro. He is The Hero of the story, and the wielder of the titular magic flute.
- Bottomless Magazines: Averted. He’s introduced ”with a bow but no arrows,” implying that he ran out of them shortly before the opera began.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: He readily accepts the quest to save the Queen’s daughter, never second-guessing her story.
- Distressed Dude: The play starts with him being chased by a giant serpent, forcing the three ladies to rescue him.
- Failure Hero: Has traits of this. He fails to slay the serpent, and it is Papageno — not him — who later rescues Pamina from Monostatos. However, Tamino does still successfully navigate himself through all the trails of the Brotherhood, albeit with some help.
- Fish out of Water: He is a foreigner, creating a great excuse for the other characters to throw exposition at him (and, by extension, at the audience.)
- The original libretto gives him "the costume of a Japanese huntsman", whatever people in 18th-century Austria thought that was.
- The Hero: He is the protagonist, and does everything he can to be a Knight in Shining Armor, but it takes some time for him to actually grow into the role.
- Love at First Sight: He immediately falls in love with Pamina after seeing her image in a locket.
- Magical Flutist: Becomes one after receiving the titular Magic Flute.
- Prince Charming: Fits this trope to a t.
- Super Gullible: Believes Papageno when he claims to have killed the serpent, even though the man didn’t even notice its corpse without having it pointed out to him. He also trusts the Queen’s story despite not having any evidence backing it up.
Papageno
Papageno
A friendly bird catcher who works for the Queen of the Night. He is roped into aiding Tamino on his quest, and is granted a set of magical bells for his troubles.
- Ambiguously Human: It’s sometimes unclear whether he and Papagena are Bird People or just strangely dressed humans. Averted in both movie adaptations though, where Papageno wears more conventional outfits.
- Butt-Monkey: Put through a Humiliation Conga by the three ladies, before being sent on a rescue mission and eventually put through a series of tests by a brotherhood he has little interest in joining.
- Genius Ditz: Given how out of his element he is for much of the story, it’s easy to forget that he’s a highly accomplished bird catcher, bringing in his wares on a daily basis.
- Idiot Hero: Quite sheltered and ignorant. He doesn’t initially know what a prince is, or that black people even exist!
- In Love with Love: Is very enthusiastic about finding love, even before meeting the object of his affections.
- Interrupted Suicide: Comes very close to hanging himself, but is stopped at the last minute. In Real Life, he has also given his name to the ”Papageno Effect”, which is when works featuring suicide also contain numbers to suicide prevention hotlines or the like.
- The Lancer: The three ladies appoint him to be this for Tamino, though the two of them get along pretty well from the beginning.
- Lovable Coward: Easily frightened, but that only adds to his adorkable nature.
- Not Wearing Tights: All three of the film adaptations remove his bird outfit in favor of simpler clothing. The Bergman version gives him regular peasant's clothes, the Branagh version has him in an army longcoat (with a helmet sporting a fake bird on top), and the Sigl version gives him a plain green jacket with a feathery collar.
- Punch-Clock Villain: A friendly, happy-go-lucky bird catcher who simply happens to serve under the Big Bad.
- The Unintelligible: Briefly, after the three ladies put a mouth lock on him.
Pamina
Pamina
The daughter of the Queen of the Night. The plot kicks off when she is (supposedly) taken by Sarastro, initiating Tamino and Papageno's quest to rescue her.
- Adaptational Wimp: Many stagings cut the spoken lines before her first scene, where the slaves reveal she has successfully outwitted Monostatos and made a nearly successful escape attempt.
- Age Lift: The 2022 film portrays her as a teenager who's roughly the same age as Tim/Tamino, who is 17.
- The Chosen One: Her and Tamino’s love has been sanctioned by Isis and Osiris, which might be why both Sarastro and the Queen want both of them on their side.
- Damsel in Distress: Zig-Zagged Trope. The Queen presents her as such, and urges Tamino to rescue her. However, she later makes it clear that she doesn't care much about her safety, and may or may not herself abuse her physically, depending on the staging. That said, Papageno does legitimately save her from Monostatos.
- Disappeared Dad: In the original libretto, her father has been dead for some time. Though as stated below, this is not always the case in adaptations.
- Holding Out for a Hero: Spends most of the opera hoping that other people will save the day, and her biggest contribution to the plot is giving her beloved the means to succeed in his task.
- In the Blood: In the Bergman movie, she does eventually end up in a position of leadership — much like her mother — as Sarastro gives her and Tamino joint control of the Brotherhood upon his retirement.
- Light Is Good: Generally wears much brighter clothes than the Queen of the Night and her servants.
- Neutral Female: Played With. She refuses both to kill Sarastro and the advances of Monostatos. A side effect of this is that she ultimately doesn’t end up doing much to advance the plot.
- Official Couple: With Tamino. Official enough to be approved by the gods themselves.
- Poor Communication Kills: She’s just about Driven to Suicide because Tamino took a vow of silence without telling her, making her think that she was being ignored by him.
- Princess Classic: Fits the trope pretty well, and she is the Queen of the Night’s daughters.
- Related in the Adaptation: In both the Bergman and the Branagh adaptations, Sarastro is her father, giving the whole opera the air of a custody battle gone way off the rails.
Papagena
Papagena
Papageno's eventual lover. She first appears as an old crone to test Papageno's character, then transforms into a beautiful young woman before his very eyes.
- Advertised Extra: For the 2022 film adaptation; she appears on the poster
alongside the rest of the cast, even though she doesn't show up until the end. - Ambiguously Human: As with Papageno, her costume can sometimes make her true nature unclear.
- Demoted to Extra: The 2022 movie cuts out all of her scenes except for her duet with Papageno, which doesn't happen until the last ten minutes.
- Distaff Counterpart: To Papageno, complete with a coincidentally similar name and — depending on the production — an identical outfit.
- Early-Bird Cameo: In the Bergman movie, she appears during Papageno's introduction, watching him from offstage.
- Fisher King: In the Bergman movie, her and Papageno's emotional states symbolically cause the seasons to shift.
- Fun Personified: Very much so, though — like Papageno — she's far from incapable of experiencing great sorrow.
- Shallow Love Interest: While not without her quirks, her role in the story basically amounts to being one half of the Beta Couple.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Possibly. Through unknown means, she disguises herself as an old woman — sometimes played by a different actress — to put Papageno through a Secret Test of Character.
The Queen of the Night
The Queen of the Night
A mysterious monarch who appears before Tamino, commanding him to save her helpless daughter from the evil Sarastro... at least, that's what she wants him to think. In reality, she's just using him and Pamina to get her hands on the coveted Sevenfold Circle of the Sun. That, and she wants Sarastro dead and buried.
- Abusive Parents: Her most famous aria essentially consists of her screaming at her daughter, telling her that she’ll be disowned of she doesn’t commit a murder against her will. Some productions even have the Queen physically beat Pamina during this scene.
- Ambiguously Human: It’s not clear whether she’s a magician like Sarastro, one of The Fair Folk, or some kind of goddess.
- Ambition Is Evil: She covets the powerful Sevenfold Circle of the Sun, which seemingly contains The Power of the Sun, which her husband used to keep before he died and willed Sarastro. She is implied to be unworthy, and that getting her hand on it would spell disaster.
- That being said, it comes as a nasty case of
Values Dissonance to modern viewers, for it is clearly said that she is unworthy because she is a woman and that women should not dable in such things (a clear metaphor of political and spiritual power.) So she can come across as claiming her legitimate heirloom which she feels was unfairly taken away from her. Still does not legitimate the pretty extreme measures she takes though...
- That being said, it comes as a nasty case of
- Big Bad: A huge spoiler back then and now as big a case of It Was His Sled.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She first appears to Tamino playing the eplored mother and gentle, caring figure parts top notch, but she is in fact a monster of raging hatred and bitterness.
- Brought Down to Normal: She claims that her husband's death deprived her of her might. Which happened in Real Life in many a noble widow.
- Dark Is Evil: It's right there in the name, and she generally looks the part.
- Death by Adaptation: Is Driven to Suicide in the Branagh movie.
- Heel–Face Turn: The Glyndebourne production actually ends with the Queen making amends with Sarastro. For context, this particular staging take place during the women's suffrage movement; at the end, the once-sexist Sarastro expresses his newfound support for the movement, pleasing the Queen and allowing them to bury the hatchet.
- Named by the Adaptation: According to The Labyrinth, her name is — fittingly enough — Luna.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: She is believed to have been a Take That! against Empress Maria Theresa. This would make her role as the Queen of the Night a metaphor for the real ruler’s opposition toward the Enlightenment movement.
- Sorcerous Overlord: One of the earliest gender-reversal of the trope. While she seems to rule fairly enough to gain her subject's admiration and respect worldwide, she is an evil magic-wielder ruling a domain and threatening the peace of the land.
- Villainous Legacy: Tries to invoke this with her daughter, but Pamina is less than enthusiastic.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Renowed as a Benevolent Mage Ruler by her subjects, though her daughter comes to view her in a far more negative light.
- Villain Song: Der Hölle Rache (The Infernal Vengeance), in which she reveals her true colours and threatens to disown her daughter unless she murders Sarastro. Props to Mozart for writing one before it was cool. It is universally recognized as far and away one of the hardest and most famous aria in history, due in no small part to its very high and fast paced staccatos.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Played With. She plays up the image of being a weak ruler who needs a strong hero to rescue her captive daughter, but she’s later shown to be perfectly capable - but not particularly interested — in doing so on her own. What she really cares about is killing Sarastro, which she would legitimately need help with.
Sarastro
Sarastro
The high priest of Isis and Osiris, and leader of the Brotherhood. The heroes are led to believe that he's some sort of tyrant, but we learn later on that he's actually a very noble ruler. He is also the one who puts Tamino and Papageno through the temple trials.
- Adaptational Heroism: Several adaptations severely downplay his sexism.
- Animal Motifs: Is introduced riding in a chariot pulled by lions, and looks quite lion-like in the Bergman movie.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Has no issues with having Monostatos tortured for his attempted assault of Pamina.
- Big Good: Despite what the Queen wants Tamino (and the audience) to think, he is the benevolent force of the story.
- Dating Catwoman: In both the Bergman and the Branagh film, he previously had a relationship with the Queen, basically making her his Psycho Ex-Girlfriend.
- The Good King: His subjects see him as such.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: The Queen and her maidens make him out to be an Evil Sorceror. However, upon meeting him Tamino comes to see the man as the Big Good.
- High Priest: Serves as such for the Brotherhood, worshipping Isis and Osiris.
- Pet the Dog: Both films make sure to include scenes showing his kinder side, helping us see just why he’s the better party between him and the Queen.
- Noble Bigot: He and his brotherhood (including Tamino) make quite a few misogynistic comments. This is largely a case of Values Dissonance, as such views were actually pretty in line with Freemason doctrine of the time.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: The three ladies claim that he can take any form, though he never displays this ability in the opera.
Monostatos
Monostatos
Sarastro's head slave. He's a schemer who's driven by his lustful desire for Pamina.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: In the 2022 film, though it's downplayed. He's still a slimy creep, but at least he never betrays Sarastro, nor does he try to kill Pamina.
- Adaptational Ugliness: Several productions tend to give him a much more exaggerated appearance, further emphasizing his villainy. Julie Taymor’s version resembles a human vulture, and in both the Royal Opera and Komische Oper Berlin productions, he Looks Like Orlok.
- Adapted Out: Some productions cut the character completely, based on the assumption that he’s actually rather superfluous to the overall narrative.
- The Aloner: His name even means “stand alone” in Greek.
- Butt-Monkey: Is stopped from having his way with Pamina, gets hypnotized by Papageno’s bells, is tortured on Sarastro’s orders and finally partakes in the Queen’s attack on the temple, which ends up being a complete failure.
- Blackface: Used to portray him in many productions. Averted, however, in the 2006 film, where he was played by an actual person of color, Thomas Randle.
- Dirty Old Man: Both the Royal Opera production and 2022 film portray him as an old man, making his advances on Pamina feel even creepier.
- Driven to Suicide: The first two movies have him die by his own hand, even though he returned in the official sequel.
- Knight of Cerebus: While not completely without a comedic side, the Bergman movie still mostly portrays him as a genuinely intimidating presence, making him seem less silly than in some other adaptations.
- Les Collaborateurs: While he starts out as the Token Evil Teammate, he eventually betrays Sarastro and joins forces with the Queen.
- Naughty Birdwatching: In the Branagh film, he spies on Pamina from afar using a large telescope.
- Race Lift: In the Bergman movie he's white, and all references to his race are cut.
- Reimagining the Artifact: The Values Dissonance surrounding the character has made him a challenge to adapt. Some productions downplay his racist elements by rewriting the libretto and/or trying to play him as less of a caricature. The Branagh film played with it by adding other interracial couples, making Monostatos come across more as a delusional incel trying to excuse his own unrequited attraction.
- Where da White Women At?: He explicitly obsesses over Pamina because of her pale skin, claiming that black men are doomed to live without love.
The Three Ladies
The Three Ladies
A trio of ladies who serve under the Queen of the Night. They rescue Tamino from the jaws of a serpent, and are quick to swoon over him while he's unconscious. They later grant the magic flute and bells to the heroes, setting them off on their journey.
- Affably Evil: Especially in the Bergman movie, where they are portrayed as a cheerful trio of Cute Witches who gladly sing along with our heroes. Really, their main instance of antagonism amounts to them urging Tamino and Papageno to leave Sarastro and rejoin their side.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: They have hints of this, especially when they all have a fierce argument over who gets to stay behind and guard Tamino, only to revert to their Proper Lady personas and deny that they were in any way trying to get rid of the others.
- Dark Action Girl: They are all members of the Queen’s Amazon Brigade, and are introduced stabbing a giant serpent to death.
- Dark Is Evil: They often wear black outfits, much like their queen.
- Demoted to Extra: The 2022 movie greatly diminishes their presence, and they only appear in about three scenes before vanishing completely.
- The Dividual: They have pretty much the same personality and role in the story. Even their argument in the opening number happens because all three of them want the exact same thing — or rather, person — for themselves.
- Humiliation Conga: They put Papageno through one as punishment for Stealing the Credit for slaying the serpent.
- Mouth of Sauron: Seem to serve this role, as Papageno claims to have never met the Queen in person but carried out all business transactions with them. They also offer Tamino his quest and pardon Papageno on the behalf of their ruler.
- Named by the Adaptation: They're given actual names in the Komische Oper Berlin production: Mrs. Schwatz, Madame Klatsch, and Frau Tratsch.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: Particularly in — again — the Bergman movie, where they come off as a group of gleeful — and slightly lustful — pranksters. Even their darker temptation scene during the trails still has them briefly hanging uposide-down just for the heck of it.
- Rule of Three: There are — aside from some potential silent extras — three maidens serving the Queen.
- Villainesses Want Heroes: All three of them fall for the unconscious Tamino. Taken further in the Bergman movie, where they also have No Sense of Personal Space with him.
The Three Boys
The Three Boys
Three adolescent spirits who are summoned to guide Tamino and Papageno on their quest.
- Adaptational Species Change: In the 2022 movie, they are portrayed as sprites rather than child spirits.
- Ambiguously Human: It’s often not made quite clear whether they are regular kids or supernatural beings.
- Angel Unaware: At least in productions where they don’t look overtly supernatural.
- Ascended Extra: Lydia Steier's 2022 production puts the boys front and center, reinventing them as a trio of brothers who are told the story of the opera by their grandfather. The ladies eventually invite them to join the narrative, and they take on their usual roles from there.
- Cherubic Choir: The 1975 film even has them resemble literal cherubs at one point, albeit with a more modern, less supernatural method of transportation.
- Cool Airship: A hot air balloon, which they use to travel around the land.
- Creepy Child: Sometimes portrayed as such.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: The boys allegiance is rather confusing. They are introduced by the Queen’s maidens and appear to be on their side, but later return working for Sarastro. Averted in the Bergman movie, where they instead introduce themselves when our protagonists ask for the way to Sarastro’s castle.
- Musical Spoiler: Their songs share stylistic traits with those later performed by Sarastro, foreshadowing their connection to him.
- Our Genies Are Different: They are intended to be ”Genii”.
- Rule of Three: Yet another instance of the opera’s Arc Number.
- Spear Counterpart: They serve as this as well as younger, GoodCounterparts to the three ladies.
- Talking Down the Suicidal: They successfully do this to both Papageno and Pamina.
The Serpent
The Serpent
An enormous snake who attacks Tamino in the opening scene.
- Adaptational Species Change: The Bergman film replaces it with a dragon.
- Brick Joke: In the Bergman film, the dragon — or at least the actor playing them — return during the intermission, still wandering around backstage in full costume.
- Decomposite Character: A German 1971 performance featured two serpents, not that this helped them put up any more of a fight.
- Failed a Spot Check: Despite their alleged cleverness, they fail to notice the three spear-wielding women sneaking up on them.
- Informed Attribute: While said to be “cunning”, they show very few signs of intelligence.
- Our Angels Are Different: The Branagh movie turns it into the ”Angel of Death”, a vaguely snakelike cloud of toxic gas.
- Snakes Are Sinister: Introduced trying to kill Tamino, and not given any redeeming qualities.
- Starter Villain: You don’t become much more of one than “killed during the Action Prologue.”
- Truer to the Text: The Sigl film is the first movie adaptation to accurately portray it as a serpent. The previous films changed it to a dragon and a cloud of gas, respectively.
- The Voiceless: Not given any dialogue. It’s unclear if they can’t talk or if they simply never got the opportunity to do so.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Quickly slain during the opening number.
