Chapter 14

The story--The oracle--The musical symbol of Parsifal--Herzeleide-- Kundry--Suffering and lamentation--The bells and march--The eucharistic hymn--The love-feast formula--Faith--Unveiling of the Grail--Klingsor's incantation--The Flower Maidens--The quest of the Holy Grail--Personages and elements of the legend--Ethical idea of Wagner's drama--Biblical and liturgical elements--Wagner's aim--The Knights Templars--John the Baptist, Herodias, and the bloody head-- Relics of Christ's sufferings--The Holy Grail at Genoa--The sacred lances at Nuremberg and Rome--Ancient and mediaeval parallels of personages, apparatuses, and scenes--Wagner's philosophy--Buddhism-- First performances of "Parsifal" in Bayreuth and New York, (footnote).