The Hungarian conductor István Kertész believed that we should not relate this to the fairy tale on which it was based, but that Bluebeard was Bartók himself, and that it portrays his personal suffering and his reluctance to reveal the inner secrets of his soul, which are progressively invaded by Judith. In this way he can be seen as Everyman, although the composer himself was an intensely private man. Here the blood that pervades the story is the symbol of his suffering. The Prologue (often omitted) points to the story that is portrayed as occurring in the imagination of the audience. While Kertész felt Judith is a villain in this sense, Christa Ludwig, who has sung the role, disagrees, stating that she only voices all that she has heard about Bluebeard. She refers repeatedly to the rumours ("hír"), "Jaj, igaz hír; suttogó hír" (Ah, truthful whispered rumours). Ludwig also believed that Judith was telling the truth every time she says to him, "Szeretlek!" (I love you!).