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Wagner's Ring Cycle: A Political Metaphor? Paul Andrews argues that Wagner's great epic carries an important racial-nationalist message Richard Wagner is quite rightly considered intellectually 'dangerous' by today's liberal establishment. Wagner's music embodies everything most hated and ridiculed by left-wing intellectuals: racial nationalism, romanticism, honour, heroism, beauty and historical awareness. Rejecting the ugliness and squalor of the industrial age, Wagner looked back to Europe's ancient Germanic and Celtic past for his subject matter. It is for this reason that his music was later championed by nationalist political regimes of the 1930s. Wagner's work is distinctive in that it is almost entirely operatic; also unusual is the fact that the librettis for his operas were written by the composer himself ― a task normally reserved for a poet or literary notable. Dilemma Left-wingers, who monopolise control of the artistic and intellectual life of the West today, face something of a dilemma with Wagner. They hate everything the composer stood for, and yet they cannot ignore his genius. His works are therefore still performed, but with an attempt to 'sanitise' them, for example utilising Jewish conductors (Sir George Solti, James Levine, etc.) or more recently by the use of non-white singers in the principal roles. Since 1945, the staging for Wagner's operas has been perverted by 'modernist' trappings. Thus, in modern productions, the story is liable to be set in a concentration camp or a Soviet tractor factory rather than the setting originally intended by the composer. Of all the great works of Richard Wagner, the most 'political' is the cycle of operas known as Der Ring Des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelungs). The plot of this work has striking parallels with the political decline of the West during the 20th Century. Did Wagner intend the Ring as a kind of political warning? As the cycle begins, the ancient Norse gods are masters of the world. Other races (giants, dwarves, humans) are merely their expendable servants. A situation comparable to late 19th Century Europe's domination of Africa and Asia? The gods, led by Wotan (Odin) have established a civilisation of wealth and culture, in part by exploiting the labour of the other races. The giants for example, are tricked into using their strength to build a great hall, Valhalla, for the gods. Hideous Race Unfortunately, the gods are not as secure as they think. A hideous race of dwarves, the Nibelungs, are also greedy for world power. This power is represented by a hoard of gold from the depths of the Rhine, and specifically a gold ring. At first, the gods think they can use the Nibelungs just as they have harnessed the power of the other races. But the Nibelungs are a dangerous foe because they fight not with brute force but through trickery. Like parasites, the Nibelungs wander upon the earth stirring up trouble against the gods whom they hate and envy. These dwarves believe they are the 'chosen' who will one day rule the world. The gold is eventually stolen by the giants, one of whom turns himself into a dragon and sits upon it until his death ― Wagner's illustration of the pointlessness of materialism. Wotan realises he must recapture the gold before the Nibelungs get hold of it and use it to gain world power. he eventually creates a (human) hero, Siegfried, whom he hopes will defeat the Nibelungs. As an orphaned baby, Siegfried falls into the clutches of the Nibelungs Mime and Alberich, who try to trick him into using his strength to capture the Rhinegold for the dwarves. The Nibelungs are revealed as a truly repulsive race. They try to win Siegfried's help first by threatening him, and then nauseatingly begging for his sympathy by claiming that they are 'persecuted' by the gods. When they think that they are about to get their hands on wealth and power, the Nibelungs squabble over it and Mime kills his brother Alberich. But he in turn is killed by Siegfried, who realises that the Nibelungs are no more than evil parasites who were only pretending to be his friends. For a while, it seems as if the world will be saved. The hero Siegfried kills the dragon and recovers the gold. His bravery and magical weapons make him seem invincible. But the Nibelungs' credo of vengeance leads to tragedy. Just as it seems Siegfried will conquer (and thus save) the world, the evil dwarves have one last trick up their sleeve. The drunken and boastful King Hagen (himself part Nibelung) literally stabs Siegfried in the back, thinking that he will thus win power for himself. With the death of Siegfried, the world falls into chaos. Valhalla goes up in flames, the gods are destroyed and the Rhine overflows its banks, submerging everything. If one compares the complex plot of the Ring with the tragic historical events of the twentieth century, the similarities are almost uncanny. Obviously, Wagner could not have predicted the events of 1939-45, but he certainly had an insight into the racial conflicts which could lead Europe to such a disaster. Personal Qualities The character of Siegfried contains those personal qualities which Wagner felt belonged particularly to the Germanic peoples: honour, generosity and bravery to the point of recklessness. In addition, Siegfried possesses the physical qualities of youth, beauty and strength. In direct contrast is the personality of the Nibelungs: they are hideous dwarves in both the physical and the moral sense. They are greedy and cunning, interested only in wealth and in destroying anything that is beautiful. Hateful and hate-filled, they are driven by jealousy of the gods, and by their desire for vengeance. They have no common culture or community spirit and only work together briefly for a materialistic goal. When that goal is achieved, they end up squabbling viciously amongst themselves. They believe that they are the 'chosen' race who must one day rule the world, yet they have no creative imagination; instead, they can only exist as vicious parasites, working for the destruction of their enemies. The Ring is in many respects a gloomy work. Evil triumphs over good, the great hero is killed and civilisation lies in ruins. Yet even in the midst of this catastrophe, Wagner's story offers hope. For after the great destruction, the waters of the Rhine are seen to recede, with the implication that the struggle is not yet over. Perhaps the gods are to be given just one last chance...?
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