After years of studying the operas of Richard Wagner, I've finally figured out the character, Wotan:

[Aristus]

He's a corporate CEO! - He acts like a god, wants to rule the world, hires other people to do his work for him, refuses to pay them, and then gets outraged and indignant when they demand that he pay them what they've earned.

- He steals the wealth belonging to someone else (who also stole it from its rightful owners, by the way) assuring everyone that he, at least, will put it to good use, and then clumsily loses the wealth because he values it more than people

- He sires succeeding generations to help him regain the lost fortune, ignores the warnings of a powerful regulatory agency, becomes an absentee father, viciously punishes family members who insist that he do the right thing, and after years of struggle, and after failing to attain the elusive treasure he covets the most, declares that he doesn't really want it anymore, and then sets the building on fire.

- There! 14 hours of opera distilled into three paragraphs!

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

1. You might have mentioned the trophy wife, Fricka.

Also, Wotan attempts to renege on his payment to Fasolt and Fafner, offering them the stolen ring instead of the promised payment of his sister-in-law, Freia. His willingness to sell Freia to get a mansion shows his basic contempt for his underlings.

I trust that you are aware of the most famous summary of The Ring Cycle, by Anna Russell.

[Aristus]

2. Fricka isn't the trophy wife. She's the career-builder wife.

If Wotan has a trophy wife, it's mother of the Volsungs; and he keeps her well out of sight, like a cheating CEO with his mistress.

And the first paragraph is all about Fasolt and Fafner, and Wotan's contempt for their labor.

Love the Anna Russell! I have ever since I was a kid...

[justhanginon]

3. Thank you for the Anna Russell clip.

I had not seen that before and enjoyed it immensely.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Sounds a bit like John Galt.

But can you imagine anything more tedious than an opera based on Atlas Shrugged any other Ayn Rand tome? Phillip Glass should write the score.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

5. If Glass were to write the score, I would hope that he would draw his inspiration

From his most famous piece, 4'33"