1

The Turn of the Screw:

Dissecting the Role of the Ghosts

William White

Mus 480

4/29/2021
2
3

Everybody loves a good ghost story. Nowadays people often grow up listening to stories

from Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981). The love and appreciation for

ghost stories is nothing new, and in October of 1898 Henry James released a ghost story of his

own, a novella by the name The Turn of the Screw. This story has captivated audiences for

decades after its publication and in 1932 Benjamin Britten, at the age of eighteen, heard the story

over the radio1. 22 years later, Britten premiered his operatic telling of the classic ghost stories,

and scholars are still debating over the role of the ghosts and whether or not they are actually real

or are just a figment of the imagination of the governess. In Benjamin Britten’s interpretation of

The Turn of the Screw the ghosts of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel are both real and they serve to

corrupt the children and rob them of their innocence.

By the time that Benjamin Britten had started writing The Turn of the Screw he was

already quite an accomplished composer. It was because of this that in 1952 he was

commissioned by La Biennale di Venezia, a Venetian arts establishment, to compose for them an

opera to be premiered in late summer of 1954. Britten took the commission but was occupied

writing and composing for Gloriana at the time, so was unable to begin his work immediately.

He recalled that Myfanwy Piper had suggested that Henry James’s novella The Turn of the

Screw be made into an opera for television, with much support from Britten’s friend Peter Pears,

and he asked her to start sketching out how it could work.

Once fall of 1953 arrived, Britten’s plate was finally clear, and it looked as though he was

finally going to be able to start his work on the music for The Turn of the Screw. Fate had a bit of

1
Seymour, Claire. The Operas of Benjamin Britten: Expression and Evasion. Woodbridge: Boydell Press,
2004.
4

a different idea, however. Britten began suffering from acute bursitis in his right shoulder which

caused him an immense amount of pain when he tried to use his right arm. It was so bad at

certain points, that in some of his letters, he had to use his left hand to write. Because of this he

was forced to put the opera on hold for a bit longer, making this another opera that would be

written on a bit of a time crunch. After a minor surgery and a good recovery, he was finally able

to start working on the music in March of 1954, just months before the premiere of the opera.2

His assistant Imogen Holst throughout the writing time of the opera had to frequently send

manuscripts of the completed sections to the cast of the opera that would be performing at the

premiere so they would be able to rehearse what they could ahead of their first showing in

Venice. The opera was met with fairly positive reviews and it did not take long for critics and

scholars to begin their interpreting of the work.

The biggest controversy surrounding this opera is whether or not the ghosts of Peter

Quint and Miss Jessel are real. There are two main schools of thought when it comes to this: the

first, of course, being that the ghosts are real; the other suggest that they were manifested by the

Governess due to some kind of Freudian sex repression.3 Although both schools of thought have

their merit, the idea that the ghosts are real is represented in the opera far clearer than the idea

that they are a Freudian manifestation of a repressed character. In The Turn of the Screw the

ghosts of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel are both real and they serve to corrupt the innocence of

both Miles and Flora.

The loss of innocence is a theme that is present in several of Britten’s works, so it’s no

surprise that it finds its way into the forefront of The Turn of the Screw. In Peter Grimes (1941)
2
Seymour, Claire. The Operas of Benjamin Britten.
3
Parkinson, Edward J. The Turn of the Screw: A History of Its Critical Interpretations 1898-1979). PhD
dissertation, The University of St. Louis, 1991.
5

it is the destruction of the innocence of Grime’s apprentices and Ellen. In The Rape of Lucretia

(1946), Lucretia’s innocence is ripped away by Tarquinius. In Albert Herring (1947) it was after

he was named the May King that his innocence was partially corrupted. In Billy Budd (1951), the

title character loses his innocence when he strikes down Claggart in front of Vere. Whether or

not that is the main focus in the opera, this theme usually plays some kind of role in it. James’s

The Turn of the Screw allowed Britten to explore this theme in a way he hadn’t really done

before4. He was given the opportunity to showcase the destruction of the innocence of two young

children and make that the main focus of the opera and do it in an incredibly captivating manner.

The way that the ghosts present themselves throughout the opera is truly haunting.

Ghosts have been represented in theatrical productions in several different ways.

Sometimes they are never directly seen, sometimes they are shown but only the shadows of the

actors playing the ghosts are visible, they are only visible through some kind of screen, or they

are present and just as visible as the living characters. In most productions of The Turn of the

Screw the ghosts are presented in the same manner as the living characters, often using gaunt

makeup and old and tattered clothing to help distinguish them from the living. The ghosts of

Miss Jessel and Peter Quint are shown quite differently throughout the opera and difference in

the way they are represented is a strong reason as to why the ghosts in the story are real.

Neither of the ghosts make an appearance until Act I Scene 5 when the Governess spots

the ghost of Peter Quint in a window of Bly Manor. After this, their presence is almost always

there, whether they are or not. Miss Jessel’s first appearance is at the lake in Act I Scene 7. In

4
Whittall, Arnold. "The Chamber Operas." In The Cambridge Companion to Benjamin Britten, by Mervyn
Cooke, 95-112. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
6

both of these instances neither of the ghosts speak, but the way they show up sets the tone for the

rest of the opera.

Miss Jessel serves as a representation of a more traditional ghost. She tends to show up

out of nowhere and will disappear just as fast as she appeared, most of the time this occurs in

places where she dealt with some kind of trauma in her life. This is why we see her frequently by

the lake and in the classroom. In the novella, it is revealed that she likely had some kind of affair

with Peter Quint, became pregnant, and passed when she was on vacation. It is hinted at that her

death was a suicide5. Now she haunts Bly Manor and has clung to Flora hoping to share her pain

and misery. This is also present in her music. Ghosts are often depicted to have shaky voices and

a haunting sound and this is definitely a strong characteristic in the music of Miss Jessel. In

scenes other than Act II Scene 1, Miss Jessel often just repeats Flora’s name and beckons for her

to come. In the top line of figure 1 Miss Jessel calls to Flora. The frequent interval jumps are

used to represent the traditional shaky, wavering spiritual voice as she calls for Flora.

Figure 1 - Act I Scene 8 – At Night6

5
James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw. London: William Heinemann, 1898.

6
Britten, Benjamin. The Turn of the Screw. London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1955.
7

Later on, when Miss Jessel appears in the classroom, in Act II Scene 3, she speaks with

more full thoughts, revealing that the classroom is where her suffering began. Whether this was

suffering at the hands of Peter Quint, or something else is not revealed, but throughout the scene,

the same wavering voice can be heard. This is shown in figure 2 when Miss Jessel proclaims that

she is weary but unable to rest. This proclamation comes off almost like a cartoony ghost with

the upward beginning, and a descending pattern for the back-end of the sentence.

Figure 2 - Act II Scene 3 – Miss Jessel7

Peter Quint on the other hand is represented much differently. He is much more present

when he shows up, but he still only shows up in a few places, the window, the tower, and the

bedroom. When he shows up, he also frequently beckons to Miles, but despite this, he frequently

has lines that have much more substance. This is possible as he has managed to draw Miles in

more than Miss Jessel has managed thus far with Flora. In his dialogue, he suggests that he wants

Miles as a servant and friend who will follow where he leads, and he frequently suggests things

to Miles. For example, in Act II Scene 4, Quint, suggests that Miles take the letter that the

governess intends to send to the children’s uncle. Miles ends up following the instruction and

this is alone good evidence that the ghosts exist. If they were simply manifestations of the

Governess, why would they appear in the lives of the children when the Governess isn’t present

as they do in Act I Scene 8.

7
Britten, Benjamin The Turn of the Screw.
8

Quint’s music is much more melodic and flowy than that of Miss Jessel. The music that

Britten wrote for Quint also shows up more frequently than that of Miss Jessel. There are a few

times in the opera where Quint isn’t directly present, but the orchestration hints that he is,

especially in scenes that feature Miles. His music has lots of melismatic figures typically

featuring a downward line with a small jump back up. This can be seen in the bottom line of

music in figure 1. Another example is in figure 3, from the same scene. This theme is a known

motif that shows up in both the music of Peter Quint and the Governess. For the Governess (seen

in figure 4), it shows up when she is showing her intent to protect the children, where for Quint it

is used when his intent to corrupt Miles is being shown. This theme is known as the Tutelage

theme (coined by Clifford Hindley), the Catalyst theme (Patricia Howard), or the Corruption

theme (Peter Evans)8. This theme consists of several multiple downward lines ending with an

upward pattern that ends with a sustained note. This theme shows up nearly twenty times

throughout the opera.

8
Hindley, Clifford. "Why Does Miles Die? A Study of Britten's "Turn of the Screw"." The Musical
Quarterly, Vol. 74, No. 1, 1990: 1-17.
9

Figure 3 - Act I Scene 8 – At Night9

Figure 4 - Act I Scene 1 - The Journey10

This theme is a great piece of evidence as to why the ghosts exist. If Britten didn’t feel

like the ghosts were real and that their directive to corrupt the children was important, then he

likely wouldn’t have felt the need to create a theme that is used so frequently throughout the

opera. Those that claim that the ghosts are nothing more than manifestations of the Governess

would likely argue that since Quint and the Governess share this theme, that the theme simply

springs from the Governess to her manifested ghost, but this is not the case. Although the

Governess is the first to present this theme to us, it is far more present in the music of Quint, and

all throughout the opera, he sings this theme. The theme shows up again in Act II Scene 4 just

before Quint tries to convince Miles to take the letter that the Governess has written. He is

actively making an effort to get Miles to do something that he knows he shouldn’t, corrupting

him even further and he manages to succeed in this. If the ghosts weren’t real, then Miles

would’ve taken the letter for no reason other than to do something that he shouldn’t.

The Malo Malo theme shows us however that deep down, Miles doesn’t want to be

thought of as a naughty boy. The first time that we hear this short song is in Act I Scene 6 when

Miles is asked to recite his Latin. The song is used because the lyrics of the song can help

separate the different endings and meanings of different Latin words. In Latin, the words malo

9
Britten, Benjamin The Turn of the Screw.
10
Britten, Benjamin The Turn of the Screw.
10

malo malo malo literally translate to I wish to be in an apple tree rather than a naughty boy in

adversity. This famous Latin mnemonic is what this theme is based on. This theme shows up two

other times in the opera. Once in the scene before Quint convinces Miles to steal the Governess’s

letter to his uncle, and the second being sung by the Governess immediately after Miles died.

Both times Miles sings it, he seems to be slightly nervous, and the lyrics seem to hold some kind

of weight to him beyond just helping him to remember the different Latin words. The music for

this theme has something of a hallmark of Britten’s music. The entirety of the theme consists of a

series of alternating major and minor thirds. Britten frequently uses bitonality to indicate some

kind of moral difference between characters or when a character is forced with some kind of

major decision. Although, it is not a direct use of bitonality, the presentation of the conflicting

major and minor thirds is a great representation of the decision between good and bad that Miles

is being forced to make.

The situations that the theme shows up in help to show that Miles doesn’t want to fall

under the influence of Peter Quint, and when the Governess sings this to close out the opera, it

feels like she is singing it in solidarity to celebrate Miles having stood up to Peter and casting

him out. Peter wants nothing more than to corrupt and steal the innocence of Miles, but Miles

doesn’t necessarily want this. He just wants to be in his proverbial apple tree rather than be a

naughty boy and face what that comes with.

Miles’s death is the final point of evidence for both the fact that the ghosts are real, and

that their real purpose is to rip away the innocence of Miles and Flora. In the final scene of the

opera, Quint makes his last-ditch effort to get Miles to follow his lead so that he can fully corrupt

the child. With the support and encouragement of the Governess, Miles is finally able to break
11

the hold that Quint has over him and manages to expel his spirit from himself and, as far as the

audience is aware, from Bly as well.

This deed did not come without a price, however. Nearly immediately after telling Quint

to leave, Miles runs into the arms of the Governess and dies. The force required to break away

from Quint’s hold was too much for his young spirit and thus his body gave out. Before he died

however, the tutelage theme rears its head once more in the music of both Quint and the

Governess. For the Governess it shows up when she tells Miles that there is nothing she wouldn’t

do for him, where for Quint, it is only present when he is calling out to Miles and saying farewell

after he died. The use of the motif after he dies is reinforcement that although the boy died, Quint

was not quite successful in his task. Although it cost him everything, Miles was able to save

himself from the grasp of Quint.

All throughout the opera there is plenty of evidence that the ghosts are real. Although

some still argue that the ghosts aren’t in fact real, there simply isn’t enough evidence in the story

to suggest that they are just the manifestations that they claim them to be. The story is

intentionally vague, but at its very core it really is just a ghost story. A poor woman is sent to a

haunted house in the middle of nowhere to care for two children and protect them from danger.

When she signed up for the job, she had no idea what kind of dangers she would really have to

protect them from and what it would cost both her and the children.
12

Bibliography

Athanesiou, Evangeline Katerina. "An Operatic Contribution to a Literary Conversation: Location

Henry James' Ambiguity in Benjamin Britten and Myfanwy Piper's Turn of the Screw."
Order No. 10807807. University of Maryland, College Park:
https://search.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/operatic-contribution-literary-
conversation/docview/2075895276/se-2?accountid=11667. ProQuest Dissertations &
Theses Global., 2018.

Britten, Benjamin. The Turn of the Screw. London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1955.

Cargill, Oscar. "Henry James as Freudian Pioneer." Chicago Review 10, 1956: 13-29.
13

Felman, Shoshana. "Turning the Screw of Interpretation." Yale French Studies 55/56, 1977: 94-
207.

Herbert, David. The Operas of Benjamin Britten. New York: Columbia University Press, 1979.

Hindley, Clifford. "Why Does Miles Die? A Study of Britten's "Turn of the Screw"." The Musical
Quarterly, Vol. 74, No. 1, 1990: 1-17.

James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw. London: William Heinemann, 1898.

Parkinson, Edward J. The Turn of the Screw: A History of Its Critical Interpretations 1898-1979).
PhD dissertation, The University of St. Louis, 1991.

Seymour, Claire. The Operas of Benjamin Britten: Expression and Evasion. Woodbridge: Boydell
Press, 2004.

Whittall, Arnold. "The Chamber Operas." In The Cambridge Companion to Benjamin Britten, by
Mervyn Cooke, 95-112. Cambridge University Press, 1999.