ing of the second act she is not
yet herself; she can still laugh like a light-hearted girl, but when she
again succumbs to Tannhaeuser's unearthly (and to her fatal) charm, and
realises how irrevocably he has surrendered himself to Venus, she rises
to true greatness and resolutely faces the swords unsheathed to punish
the offender. Before our eyes she is transformed into the saint who
realises her mission and is ready to take her burden upon her; more
heroic than Beatrice or Margaret, she points to him "who laughingly
stabbed her heart," the road to salvation. Like her two predecessors
Elizabeth prays to Mary for the salvation of her lover--the prayer for
the beloved has ever been woman's truest and most fervent prayer.

The thought of achieving a man's salvation through a great and steadfast
love, is the subject of the _Flying Dutchman_, and plays, as is well
known, an important part with Wagner. Strange to say he has for this
very reason frequently been scoffed at by those who call themselves
admirers of Goethe. Dante-Goethe's great problem of salvation is
represented in _Tannhaeuser_ with the utmost lucidity. The essence of it
is that love can positively intervene in the life of a man whose soul is
turned towards it, but who is confused and beset by temptations. His
vacillating heart feels the love which is brooding over him and
ultimately abandons itself to it, to be saved by its unswerving loyalty.
Maybe this is as much a miracle as "grace," but it is also a psychical
fact, because the love which yearns for the sinner awakens and increases
not only his faith in its power to help, but also in his own strength;
darkness and evil dismay him and he turns towards the light. In
_Tannhaeuser_ this spiritual condition, which is of such primary
importance in the last scene of _Faust_, is clearly expressed; his love
for Elizabeth has been strong enough to kill desire kindled in his heart
again and again by Venus; yet again he is on the point of succumbing to
his senses. The vision of Venus appears before his eyes, but at
Wolfram's exclamation, "Elizabeth!" he realises in a flash that
Elizabeth has been praying for him day and night, and has given her life
to save him. Before this sudden illumination the power of Venus sinks
into nothing; divine love falls into his darkness like a ray of
light--"Oh, sacred love's eternal power!"--it quickens his own love
which is striving upwards, and with the words: "Saint Elizabeth, pray
f