ABSTRACT
This chapter takes on the traditional stereotype of Brünnhilde as a godlike symbol of compassion and love whose role in the final opera is largely defined by her final scena. Once again using Othello as a touchstone for analysis, the author shows how Wagner intended for Brünnhilde to suffer the torments of jealousy - just as Othello had - but not to die in despair as her literary predecessor had, but to transform the pain of existence into a constructive vision for humankind. In this way, Brünnhilde represents a Hegelian solution to tragedy - that pain and sorrow are merely the instruments of historical regeneration.
