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Wagner's music has the capacity to cast a spell over the listener, to transport him or her to realms of unimaginable ecstasy. Wagner's operas are unique in that he wrote not only the music, but also the libretto, thus inventing a new musical genre—the musical drama. The epic opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelungs) is a musical drama that reflects the composer's attitude toward gods and subhumans, representing Aryans and Jews, respectively. The music as well as the plot and action of the opera may evoke in the listener archaic fears that may elicit a reaction either of repulsion or of great admiration. It is possible that these polar reactions parallel the split existing in Wagner himself regarding his attitude toward Aryans and Jews. I will examine that attitude as reflected in The Ring libretto and compare it to that expressed in his essays and letters.
Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen comprises four operas: Das Rheingold (first performance, Munich ), Die Walküre (first performance, Munich ), Siegfried (first performance, Bayreuth ), and Götterdämmerung (first performance, Bayreuth ). The story revolves around a magic ring that grants its owner the power to rule the world. The ring was forged by Alberich, a Nibelung dwarf, from gold stolen from the Rhinemaidens. With the assistance of the demigod Loge, Wotan, king of the gods, steals the ring from Alberich, but he is forced to hand it over to two giants, Fafner and Fasolt, as payment for building his fortress, Valhalla. Shattered over losing the ring, Alberich places a terrible curse on it: until it is returned to him, whoever does not possess it will