What is the underlying conception of human nature that informs Richard Wagner’s operatic reforms? This study locates the answer to this question in the Romantic notion of the unconscious. Wagner grappled with the unconscious in his libretti, scores, and writings, thereby creating a seminal new form of musical theater. With its examination of the ways that anthropological phenomena such as identity and memory are interlaced with theater history, this book presents an interdisciplinary approach that casts new light on the works of Richard Wagner.