Madeleine's Theme

Scotty feels Madeleine’s theme ("Scotty Trails Madeleine") as his love theme. John defines this piece by its “suspensions,” “melancholy air,” and “vulnerability,” all emphasized by the muted strings which dominate the music’s timbre (517).

This is also the theme that transforms into Carlotta’s theme, furthering Scotty’s obsession. In several themes, the Tristan chord from Wagner’s opera Tristan and Isolde is heard repeatedly.

John even claims that it “dominates the 2nd movement” of the film, as it is found in “The Forest” and “The Beach” (525). This symbolizes the love and death theme that seems so important to the premise of the film, furthering the obsession.