#Elisabeth mach auf mein Engel

[none-ofthisnonsense]

Polls for:

Act I (part 1)

Act II (part 1)

Act II (part 2)

[lunatic-fandom-space]

I just saw a very interesting post about the difference between how todolf shippers look at todolf as a fantasy vs how elisatod shippers look at elisatod as a fantasy and i wanted to throw my two cents in regarding elisatod in canon, but Im feeling a lil shy so Im not reblogging it, and this is a pretty small fandom so Im sure youve already seen it or will see it if you just keep scrolling down. In case you havent, the gist of it is that for a lot of elisatod shippers (and for a lot of the people in charge of the more recent german-language productions) one of the biggest appeals of their dynamic is this idea that death doesnt love anyone except for Elisabeth which makes her special, whereas with todolf its more like. Im having a hard time summarizing it in my own words, I guess i personally would say that its literally just the inverse where todolf shippers think that death has a romantic relationship with everyone (or at least everyone who thinks a lot about death and dying) so the 'specialness' of it doesnt matter/doesnt factor into it, its basically just about their dynamic in a vacuum, but i dont think thats what the post was saying ? Whatever, we're talking about elisatod rn so it really doesnt matter

So, for me the most important thing about the love between Elisabeth and der Tod is that its pretty much unrequited until the moment she dies. Like, we have a brief moment of mutual interest when they first meet and she sings the little Wie Du reprise and (in the 1992 prod) he gives her this suggestive look after shes done, but after that its basically all him pursing her when she clearly does not want that, until Rudolf wo bist du where she is finally ready to give into him, but now he doesnt want her, and then they only really fall in mutual love when she dies and they basically have no other choice. This friction where they can never really be in mutual love because Elisabeth never wants to lose her agency or control over her life until she doesnt and tries to give it up, and Tod only "wants" her when shes clinging on to life and rejecting him, is the core of their relationship.

Now, you'll notice that i put the word 'wants' in quotes when i was talking about Tod and thats because i dont think he, as originally witten in the vienna productions, is capable of wanting anything because hes not a person, hes a reflection of the people around him and because of that, his behaviour in any given scene is determined by the context around him. I know thats kind of a clunky way of phrasing that, but I have to do describe it in such a broad and vague way because his behaviour is really not consistant. For an example of what Im talking about, in Elisabeth mach auf mein Engel, he tells Elisabeth that he loves her but hes only doing that in contrast to Franz Joseph; her husband comes up to her trying to burden her with his own problems when she's feeling bad and in need of comfort herself, meanwhile death is offering her unconditional love. Another example that I like is in Die Schatten werden länger reprise, where he has to start the song because Rudolf is too paralysed by fear to articulate his feelings until he has his support

But the moment of death's behaviour being influenced by the people hes interacting with that I find the most interesting, is his introduction during the prologue where the people he's interacting with are the audience. Because during that part of the song, hes essentially playing into the audience's expectation that Elisabeth and death will be a traditional soft tragic romance, hes talking about her in a very gentle and wistful way and in way that subtly implies that she was the only person he ever loved, but then during the actual story, hes treating her very aggressively and their relationship is honestly pretty unpleasant, and we can clearly see that she was not the only person he ever loved because his and Rudolf's relationship is just as intense in a similar overtly romantic way (and arguably more so because its mutual and requited). But then obviously we got Kein Kommen ohne Gehen which essentially contradicts all of this and severely clashes with the entire rest of the elisatod relatio ship, but its late and if i start complaining about that, Im gonna add another 2 paragraphs to this post

So yeah, these are some of my thoughts about elisatod, i have a lot more but its 2am and i just soent two hours writing this and I can feel my brain turn into mush, so yeabh. please let me know what you think

[armandjolras]

Thanks for tagging me @fitzrove! Here are 10 favourite songs with names in the title: some of them are more favourite than others

“Orpheus”, Sara Bareilles

“John 19:41”, Jesus Christ Superstar

“Baba O'Riley”, The Who

“Elisabeth, Mach Auf Mein Engel”, Elisabeth (not just because Elisabeth, the Essen version of this song is actually what made me start liking the musical!)

“Helena”, Ein Wenig Farbe

“Daniel”, Elton John

“Ti Moune”, Once on this Island

“Balaga”, Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812

“Claudia”, She in the Haze

“Soldier and Rose”, Ghost Quartet

Tagging (with no pressure) @szabadmadar, @sebyecosesimili, @me-another-fangirl and anyone else who wants to do it :)

[earthly-apples]

Tagged by @fitzrove 💛

10 songs I love that includes a name in the title, not arranged in favored-order, here we go:

1. Rebecca-Rebecca das Musical, Susan Rigvava-Dumas

2. Wo bleibt Mozart?-Mozart! das Musical: Dennis Kozeluh, Thomas Borchert, Uwe Kröger, Yngve Gasoy-Romdal, Ensemble

3. Herr Mannelig-Garmarna

4. Swan Upon Leda-Hozier

5. Für Sarah-Tanz der Vampire, Aris Sas/Andreas Bieber

6. Ziggy Stardust-David Bowie

7. Carey-Joni Mitchell

8. Rolandskvadet-Harald Foss

9. Le Roi Louis-Chœur Montjoie Saint-Denis

10. Двери Тамерлана (Dveri Tamerlana, The Doors of Tamerlane)-Мельница (Melnitsa)

It was fun!! And musicals out here saving my ass, I don’t know a lot of songs with names in the title🥹 I almost put Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel in the list but for a FJ/Sisi song I like Ich will dich nur sagen more lol

-

Tagging: @fooreblogs @ivqks159 @nick-foo-draws and if I missed any of my active moots up here please forgive me my brain is half-dead from exams…😭🙏🙏

Anyone else who’s not tagged can join too!

[adridoesstuff]

Elisabeth das musical Czech production appreciation pt. 9

Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel with Soňa Hanzlíčková & Michaela Štiková Gemrotová as Elisabeth, Jozef Hruškoci as Franz Joseph and Pavel Režný as Smrt/Death

[sarcasticdolphin]

okay wait now i'm curious... what in your opinion is the highlight of the elisabeth soundtrack?

If you are going to make me pick one song, then probably Act II Schatten, but generally I tend to group the songs.

Group 1 (could listen to on repeat for hours): Alle Fragen sind gestellt, Act I Schatten, Act II Schatten

Group 2 (listen to fairly often): Prolog, Jedem gibt er das Seine, Der letzte Tanz, Die fröhliche Apokalypse, Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel, Milch, Wenn ich tanzen will, Mama, wo bist du?, Maladie, Wenn ich dein Spiegel wär, Am Deck der sinkenden Welt.

Group 3 (will listen to if I'm doing a full rewatch, but otherwise I don't generally seek out): The rest.

[sternenwald]

Elisabeth? Mach auf, mein Engel

For @robhasacoolcloud

Why the song “Elisabeth? Mach auf, mein Engel/ Elisabeth? Open Up the Door, my Angel” is kind of the center of Eilisabeth das Musical.

(Lyrics with English Translations - Video)

I’m not saying it’s the most important song, or the most powerful or anything like that.  Rather, there are many strands in the story that are interwoven, that split away and come back together - and (besides maybe the Prolog and Schlussapplaus)  “Elisabeth? Mach auf, mein Engel” is the one song that *all* the strands pass through and shows all of them at once.

I’m going to try a few different approaches here to describe  all the strands and how they go through.  I hope if find one that works.  I’m starting out by trying to list each one separately.

Franz Joseph:  Has this whole arc going from not really having had the opportunity to understand freedom and liberty, even when it applies to himself... not even having a self separate from Sophie or the Empire (Jedem gibt er das Seine/He Gives himself Away to Everybody), through choosing to spend his life with someone who understands liberty against the wishes of others... to  being able to listen to his emotions and conscience, but still seeing it as a betrayal of himself, “Feelings are forbidden to me/ But when I think of you/ Every calculation falls silent/ I'm disloyal to myself for you” ( Ich will dir nur sagen/I Just Want to Tell You).  To being able to say to Spohie (and through her the Empire) “You hurt Elisabeth and me!” (Streit Mutter und Sohn/Argument between Mother and Son).

And Elisabeth, Open Up the Door... is an important step in that arc.  I mean, a lot of people see Franz Joseph coming to Elisabeth that night as being about Getting Laid, which it is.  But it’s also about wanting to have a place where he can be emotionally free.  “ Guarded by your tenderness /And without a wish for one night” “ Be the woman /That understands me”.  And while that is not what Elisabeth’s thinking of - she’s straight-up advocating for Rudolf and herself... it’s kind of interesting that Franz Joseph comes to her asking to be able to be free with his emotions and she basically says “Well, go sort out shit with your controlling mother first, Lol”.  ...Which is exactly the long term solution to that issue. O.o

Elisabeth: So, Elisabeth has this intensity in her (that resonates even with Death) and obviously a lot of deep hurt about how things are run in the Empire and how it’s hurt herself and her family.

And she has this whole arc about harnessing those things and finding a way to express them in the confining forms of Austrian society.  And this is where that really starts.  She’s speaking up in a very personal way for the safety of a child (her son)  who she fears will be hurt in the same way she was, and by the same people.  She says “never again”.  But she’s writing it in a formal letter, and issuing an Ultimatum.  She’s picking up the language of the politics around her and now using it as her own tool in her own hand!  Which sets her up for her whole political arc! All her triumphant championing of Hungary’s freedom! (Eljen and Wenn Ich Tanzen Will/When I Want to Dance)

Death: But this is also one of the places where her relationship with Death really changes.  From curiosity and dark wonder and having a soul that resonates with liberty and Dignity of Risk,... to being straight-up suicidal.  “Flee and you will be free /And all the fighting will be over /I take you out off space and time /To a better reality”  Standing up for herself like that takes a toll on her, and Death speaks of escape.

Which leads to her pushing Death away  more and more because she knows the danger she’s in now, the temptation she now faces.  Which also is a goddamn tragedy in and of itself because Death somehow feeds the spark n her soul and she has so much trouble keeping it alight later. *cries*

Rudolf:  Rudolf - I could write about all day.  But one of the things that is so deep in him, in his soul... that really stands out is his strong sense of Solidarity.  Of reaching out. (Wenn Ich Dein Spiegel War/If I Was Your Mirror)  And you start to wonder where he gets it, because the whole structure of the Empire is based on people tearing eachother down and informing on eachother.  Maybe he got it from meeting with tr Revolutionaries and Hungarian Nationalists?  But no, they might have helped refine it, but he must have had that deep sense in order to reach out to them in the first place. Part of this is just Rudolf being Rudolf, but you still have to wonder where he might have gotten the idea of people standing up for eachother in distress...

Oh...

This is the seed from which he makes a whole garden of flowers bloom in the stone heart of the Hoffburg. *cries*

Politics:  I’ve already laid out how this is the seed for the whole Liberation of Hungary thing in the section on Elisabeth, how this is her stretching her political wings.

But there’s another angle.  In this story, the politics and how you relate to people is intertwined.  How the system traets people is how it treats people, whether that has formal trappings or not.  And we open to a mother begging to the Emperor for the life of her son and his ability to cry out for freedom.  And that same motif is repeated throughout the story - begging and speaking out for freedom, either on our own behalf or on he behalf of others.  And this song is the purest example of that, the purest echo.

Because there will always be sons who cry out for freedom, and mothers that protest... Whether in the greatest houses or the lowest.  And they will keep coming back until they get it right...  Until the World is changed. 

Lass die Welt versinken!

[hilema]

Both @wvnjo and @caelumcorvidae tagged me to share my four favourite songs at the moment, thank you very much, sweeties!!!!! ❤

Milch - Elisabeth (Wien 2005)

Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel - Elisabeth (Wien 2012)

Die Schatten werden länger - Elisabeth (Wien 1992)

Wenn ich dein Spiegel wär - Elisabeth (Wien 2005)

I tag anyone who would like to do this and also: @hiljaisuudesta, @la7eralus, @winterinveins, @warmerkipferl, @go-out-of-wonderland, @thepondstogether

[i-am-aci01]

[New] Elisabeth das Musical - Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel (Multi-Language)

[wheatlev]

Got tagged by @loupgawou!

Rules: Make a new post & spell out your URL with song titles, then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL!

W - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Phantom of the Opera OST

H - Hello Casita! - Encanto OST

E - Er Lebt In Dir - Der König der Löwen OST

A - Alles Ist Hell - Tanz der Vampire OST

T - Tuna Loaf - The Incredible Machine Mega Pack Soundtrack

L - Lazy Scouts - Lazy Town

E - Elisabeth, Mach Auf Mein Engel - Elisabeth OST

V - Voulez-Vous - ABBA Greatest Hits

(Consider urself tagged if u wanna be)

[none-ofthisnonsense]

Uwes Tod looks heartbreakingly earnest in Elisabeth mach auf mein Engel in Berlin 2008 and it hurts

[emptymasks]

Rules: Spell out your url using song titles and tag ten people.

Thank you for the tag @gaymelie and I’ll follow your lead and do it from memory (while stealing the first one from you ha) and I’m going to try and not use the same artist/musical more than once

e - Elisabeth mach auf mein Engel - Elisabeth das Musical

m - M.A.D. - BUCK-TICK

p - Private Pride - SOFT BALLET

t - Talking In Your Sleep - The Romantics

y - You’ll Be Back - Hamilton (took me way longer than I want to admit to think of a song beginning with Y)

m - Music of the Night - The Phantom of the Opera (please don’t tell me the ‘the’ counts it’s 1am i couldn’t think of anything)

a - Alles - 3 Musketiers/3 Musketiere

s - Silent Jealously - X-JAPAN

k - Kiss Me Goodbye - BUCK-TICK (yes i said i wouldn’t use the same artist twice...)

s - Strawberry Lipstick - YUNGBLUD

Tagging (but of course no pressure to do it): @angelofmusic1296 @need-not @ladynephthyss @sloanedestler @pagesofangels @freshbloodandgothicism @flora-gray @batwithdings @phannah--montana @bozzleboz 

[incorrect-elisabeth-quotes]

During : Elisabeth, mach auf, mein Engel

Der Tod: Elisabeth, I love you.

Elisabeth: ... I'm married.

Der Tod: Well, that sounds like a you problem.

[hungarianator]

And Elisabeth for the fandom ask, obviously :D

Favorite Male Character: At first I thought it was obvious, but now I can't decide between Rudi and Tod, but since Rudolf is a side character here and his story isn't as developped here I have to say

Seine Majestät

Favorite Female Character: Sophie Are there any female characters really? Do I have to say it?

Least Favorite Character: Sophie and her always bitching son

Favorite Ship: TODOLFFFFF

and I also have a weakness for Ruccola don't ask for context it's Dracula and Rudi

Favorite Friendship: Lucheni and the Café Gang shut up it counts

Favorite Quote:

"Emlékezz rá, tánba mentünk,

Vitt a vágy és úgy remegtünk,

Mert vágysz rám. Érzem, vágysz rám.

Valld be hát, hogy jobban kellek

Jobban annál, mint a férjed,

Csak a látszat tart mellette,

Csak díszíted ágyát.

De vigyázz, mert az árnyék

Egyre nő, csak nő s az este vár.

E világnak már vége!

Hamar elsüllyed, jöjj, miért is maradnál?"

Worst Character Death: Can I just correct this to

Best Character Death:

hhhhhhhhngh

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment:

1. Rudolf's death but not bc he died but bc Uwe and Jesper ehehehe

2. when Uwe appeared in the obligatory main-character-and-the-two-love-interests-or-villains-sing-together song

3. and when she fucking finished them both off with Ich Gehör Nur Mir Bitches!!!

Saddest Moment: Every time Tod gets interrupted, but especially at the end of Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel (I literally cried tears of frustration I saw that for the first time)

Favorite Location: "The Underworld"

[merinathropp]

Elisabeth das Musical: Song Summaries in English

(And she’s back, with a fresh German musical obsession! Once again, I wrote these for an English friend who is brand new to Elisabeth, as an accompaniment to the 2012 Gesamtaufnahme Live CD, which you can listen to here on YouTube. I think they’re a bit quicker and easier to follow along with than the English lyrics, so here they are, just in case any other new fans can find a use for them. My song summaries for Tanz der Vampire can be found here.)

ELISABETH - 2012 Gesamtaufnahme Live CD - Song Summaries

1. Prolog – Prologue Somewhere in the depths of purgatory, a derisive Italian anarchist named Lucheni is being questioned by an invisible judge about why he assassinated the Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

2. Alle Tanzten mit dem Tod – Everyone Has Danced with Death  Lucheni insists that he merely gave the Empress what she wanted; she fell in love with Death, and Death returned the sentiment. The invisible judge scoffs at such an idea, but Lucheni calls on the spirits of Elisabeth's dead relatives - and Death himself - to testify. The rest of the show is told in flashbacks, with Lucheni narrating.

3. Wie Du – Like You Fifty years earlier. There is a family gathering in Elisabeth’s household and her father is leaving to go travelling. Energetic, headstrong young Elisabeth is desperate come along, to escape the trappings of her high society life – but her father insists she stay behind.

4. Schoen, Euch Alle zu Sehen – Nice to See You All Elisabeth's mother tells the family about her eldest daughter Helene's approaching marriage to Kaiser Franz Joseph. Meanwhile, Elisabeth has a near-fatal fall whilst trying to walk a homemade tightrope. Death approaches to claim her life with a kiss, but Elisabeth awakens at the last minute and twists her face away. The two come face-to-face for the first time.

5..Rondo Schwarzer Prinz – Rondo Black Prince Elisabeth is fascinated by Death’s presence. She admits that in his arms, she feels a wonderful ‘freedom’ from the life that suffocates her so much. Death is enthralled. He lays claim to Elisabeth and promises their paths will cross again someday.

6.Jedem Gibt Er das Seine – He Gives Everyone Their Due Meanwhile, at the Hapsburg court in Vienna, the young Kaiser manages the affairs of his country as best as he can. He means well, but rebellion is in the air and under the strict guidance of his mother Sophie, he shows no mercy to his people.

7. So Wie Man Denkt – That's How Life Goes The Kaiser pays a special visit to Elisabeth’s family to acquaint himself with Helene ahead of their impending marriage. Unfortunately, he falls head over heels for Elisabeth instead, and defies his mother in order to pursue her. Elisabeth is charmed by the young Kaiser’s attentions.

8. Nichts Ist Schwer – Nothing Is Difficult The Kaiser and Elisabeth get to know each other. The Kaiser warns her that it won't be easy living with him, but Elisabeth is undeterred; she is falling in love with him too. They promise to always be there for each other, no matter what.

10. Alle Fragen Sind Gestellt – All Questions Have Been Asked The young couple’s marriage ceremony takes place at the Augustinerkirche in Vienna. Death looks on and laughs derisively as Elisabeth delivers her vows.

11. Sie Passt Nicht – She’s Not Right The two families begrudgingly greet each other at the wedding reception. Sophie has taken an instant dislike to Elisabeth, whilst Elisabeth’s father is worried for his daughter’s future happiness, believing that the Viennese court will crush her spirit.

12. Der Letzte Tanz – The Last Dance Death reveals himself to Elisabeth during her wedding dance and gently mocks her for rejecting him, but promises that although she didn't choose him first, she'll choose him last. He warns her that the world around her is a dying one. Elisabeth is frightened, but defiant – and when Death pulls her into a dance of his own, she rejects his advances.

13. Liebe Mit Gaffern – Love With Gawkers After the wedding, Elisabeth and the Kaiser join each other in their new bedroom. Elisabeth admits to him that she feels like an animal being gawked at by the court. The Kaiser sadly tells her that she will need to get used to this.

14. Eine Kaiserin Muss Glaenzen – An Empress Has to Shine The Kaiser’s mother Sophie attempts to teach Elisabeth just what it means to be Empress of Austria. She is cruel and uncompromising. Elisabeth begs the Kaiser to intervene, but he insists that Sophie has her best interests at heart.

15. Ich Gehoer Nur Mir – I Belong Just to Myself Elisabeth's song of rebellion against the court and all that its strict rules enforce. She declares that she is her own woman and belongs only to herself. She vows to forge her own path and find happiness in her new life.

16. Stationen einer Ehe – Stations of a Honeymoon The first years of Elisabeth’s increasingly unhappy marriage. She bears two daughters, but – despite her pleas – is not allowed to raise them herself. Finally, she manages to have their care returned to her by bargaining with her husband.

17. Debrezin – Debrecen Whilst visiting Hungary, one of Elisabeth’s beloved young daughters succumbs to illness and dies. Elisabeth screams in horror when Death arrives to claim the little girl’s life with a kiss.

18. Die Schatten Werden Laenger – The Shadows Are Growing Longer Death warns Elisabeth once again that the world as she knows it is passing away. He goads her to admit her fixation with him and accept his love. Despite her grief, Elisabeth is immovable and refuses him for the second time.

19. Die Froehliche Apokalypse – The Merry Apocalypse Years pass. In a Viennese coffee-house, intellectuals debate the sorry state of the nation and predict an upcoming ‘apocalypse’ of sorts. It is mentioned that Elisabeth has given birth to a male heir named Rudolf. 

20. Kind oder Nicht – Child Or Not Back at court, the lonely little crown prince Rudolf begs to see his mother. The Kaiser’s mother Sophie refuses, declaring that Rudolf is too soft and needs be trained as a soldier and an Emperor.

21. Elisabeth, Mach Auf Mein Engel – Elisabeth, Open Up My Angel A miserable Elisabeth gives her husband an ultimatum regarding the treatment of herself and her children at court. Whilst the Kaiser considers the ultimatum, Death attempts to seduce Elisabeth into taking her life, promising that it will give her the freedom she so badly craves. Elisabeth hesitates, but ultimately throws him out, declaring that she still has control over one thing in her life: her considerable beauty. She will use it to gain the influence she needs.

22. Milch! – Milk! Milk is growing scarce and the people are growing angry. Lucheni further stirs their rage against the monarchy by telling them the vain Empress Elisabeth is using all the milk for her baths.

23. Uns’re Kaiserin soll sich wiegen – Our Empress Will Sway Elisabeth gradually becomes obsessed with her appearance in an attempt to exert some measure of control over her life. Her maids assist her by preparing a ludicrous array of expensive treatments and remedies.

24. Ich Will Dir Nur Sagan – I Want You To Say The Kaiser accepts Elisabeth's ultimatum. She appears dressed in a white dress with diamond stars in her hair (i.e. the famous real-life portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter). She reiterates her conviction to remain true to herself and take control of her life. Death looks on and reminds Elisabeth that her beauty won’t last forever. When her time runs out, he will be waiting.

INTERVAL

25. Kitsch! Lucheni sells souvenirs and mocks Elisabeth’s celebrity status. He declares her fame is nothing but a myth and a sham: the real empress was a pathetic, self-obsessed woman, but history has rewritten her story as a fairytale.

26. Ejen Elisabeth is crowned queen of Hungary and beloved by the people for her beauty and influence. She delights in their adoration. 

27. Wenn Ich Tanzen Will – When I Want To Dance Elisabeth tries to revel in her newfound fame, insisting she needs nothing and nobody to be happy anymore. Death gloats that she is weaker than she’s ever been and needs him more than ever. A passionate confrontation occurs between the two, and Elisabeth yet again rejects Death’s advances. 

28. Mama, Wo Bist Du? – Mama, Where Are You? A deeply unhappy young Rudolf calls for his mother at night, but only Death hears him. He befriends the little prince, promising ominously to remain at his side always.

29. Nervenklinik – Insane Asylum Elisabeth pays a charitable visit to the local insane asylum, where she meets a deranged young woman who believes she herself is the Empress, portraying an unsettling reflection of Elisabeth’s own tumultuous mental state.

30. Nichts, Nichts, Gar Nichts – Nothing, Nothing, Nothing At All Elisabeth reflects on having achieved nothing in her life. The freedom she always longed for has evaded her and she has become a lost, apathetic woman. Yet she still cannot bring herself to choose Death – or the kind of madness that she sees before her – to escape the life she hates so much.

31. Salon in der Hofburg – Parlour in Hofburg Ever since the Kaiser accepted Elisabeth’s ultimatum – and Elisabeth’s subsequent rise in popularity – Sophie and her advisors have held less influence over his decisions. They grow more frustrated by the day. 

32. Wir oder Sie - Her Or Us Sophie and her advisors discuss how best to break Elisabeth's hold over her husband. They decide to find a pretty young ‘affair’ – a prostitute – to do the job for them.

33. Das Wolf’sche Etablissement – The Wolf Establishment Lucheni looks on as a royal advisor enters Frau Wolf’s infamous salon…

34. Nur Kein Genieren - Don't Be Embarrassed …to pick up a prostitute for Elisabeth's husband, unaware that the girl is infected with an STD.

35. Die Maladie – The Malady The Kaiser has begun his affair. Elisabeth, whose obsession with her appearance has developed into anorexia, falls severely ill. Death arrives in guise of a doctor and diagnoses her with an STD which she has caught from her husband, telling her of the Kaiser’s infidelity. Elisabeth despairs, crying out that she will kill herself.

36. Die Letzte Chance – The Last Chance A euphoric Death reveals himself, ready to embrace Elisabeth at long last. But Elisabeth’s despair turns to rage: she casts Death out with finality, swearing for the last time that she will never give in to him. She declares that her husband has in reality set her free - she will desert him and leave court to travel the world, just like her father.

37. Ist das nun dein Lohn: Bellaria – Is That All You Wage: Bellaria Elisabeth leaves court. The Kaiser accuses Sophie of having come between him and his wife; she does not deny it, but insists that she only ever wanted the best for him. Death arrives to claim Sophie’s life shortly after.

38. Ratlose Jahre – Restless Years A restless Elisabeth travels the world, unable to find peace in spite of her newfound freedom. The Kaiser begs her to come home - the empire is in upheaval, and he doesn’t know how to handle Rudolf, who is growing up fast and becoming more and more unstable. 

39. Die Schatten Werden Laenger – The Shadows Are Growing Longer In light of Elizabeth’s rejection, Death falls back on the severely depressed Rudolf. The prince succumbs to his seductions far more easily than Elisabeth, but always pulls back at the last second, unable to embrace Death and take his own life. Unperturbed, Death stirs Rudolf up to rebel against his father and the imperial politics instead.

40. Rudolf, Ich Bin Ausser Mir – Rudolf, I’m Out of My Mind The Kaiser is furious with Rudolf for agitating citizens against him. In contrast to his father. Rudolf holds highly liberal views which he believes will save the ‘faltering Reich’. The two have a heated argument. 

41. Hass! – Hatred! Lucheni looks on as a parade of nationalists hold a protest march. They declare the Jewish population responsible for all mishaps and accuse the crown prince Rudolf of having an affair with a Jewish girl.

42. Wie Du – Like You reprise Elisabeth returns home and is visited by her father's ghost. She realises that she has come very far from her ideals as a girl: she will never be as free as she was then and will never be like her father.

43. Wenn Ich Dein Spiegel Waer – If I Were Your Mirror Rudolf comes to speak with his mother. He implores her to beg the Kaiser for mercy on his behalf. If they can settle their differences and mend the scandal that has the world talking, his honour will be restored. But Elisabeth refuses to beg the Kaiser for anything – her pride will not allow it – and turns Rudolf away.

44. Mayerling-Walzer – Mayerling Waltz Rudolf commits suicide in Death’s triumphant arms.

45. Totenklage – Funeral The court is in mourning and Elisabeth is inconsolable. She lays herself over Rudolf’s coffin, begging him for forgiveness and blaming herself for his death. When Death appears, she offers herself to him at last. But Death seems to realise his actions have created an empty shell of the woman Elisabeth once was – and at the last moment, he rejects her.

46. Mein Neues Sortiment – My New Range Lucheni notes that Elisabeth's grief is good business for souvenir sellers.

47. Boote in der Nacht – Ships In the Night The elderly Kaiser makes one last plea for Elisabeth to return to his side. She tells him that they have grown too far apart. They reminisces about times past, how they promised to always be there for each other – and how dismally they failed.

48. Alle Fragen Sind Gestellt – All the Questions Have Been Asked Death claims each of Elisabeth’s relatives, one by one. The dying Kaiser suffers a terrible nightmare and sees the Hapsburg empire ‘sinking’ around him. Death arrives to claim his life, joyfully declaring Elisabeth as his. Death throws Lucheni the murder weapon and the Kaiser breathes his last.

49. Das Attentat – The Murder Back in the depths of purgatory, Lucheni is reaching the end of his tale. He himself slips into the events of the story in order to play out his assassination of Elisabeth, stabbing her with a file.

50. Der Schleier Faellt – The Veil Descends Elisabeth’s soul goes to meet Death. Proud and content, she greets him ruefully as an old friend. As he bends to kiss her at last, she reminds him that in spite of everything, she never stopped fighting and still belongs only to herself. Death smiles and corrects her: she belongs to him now. He claims her life with a kiss and she dies in his arms.