Victoria Mortis (1921) by Owe Zerge, Swedish painter (1894–1983).
INTRODUCTION
This movie’s story has deep roots in European history. It has moral and philosophical lessons we can learn from. These lessons could improve our society’s struggle with Death, grief and the meaning of life. These are existential moral and philosophical questions this movie tries to address.
The Seventh Seal
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Revelation 8:1-13
The Seventh Seal, a 1957 Swedish film by Ingmar Bergman, is a profound exploration of faith, death, and the search for meaning in a world ravaged by the plague. It is considered a classic of world cinema, as well as one of the greatest films of all time. It established Bergman as a world-renowned director, containing scenes which have become iconic through homages, critical analysis, and parodies.
THE STORY
Here are the main characters:
Knight Antonius Block
A disillusioned knight returning from the Crusades, wrestling with doubt and fear of death. Antonius is fighting his existential angst while the more ignorant people around him seem to be happy. His efforts to find God and the only way to meet God seems to be through death He seeks answers about God’s existence before succumbing to the plague.
Death
A personified figure who plays chess with Block, a metaphor for the inevitability of death.
Jof and Mia
A wandering troupe of artists and actors, traveling performers who represent a joyful and life-affirming positive approach to existence.
THE CRUSADERS
Antonius Block is a crusader. The crusader fights for what is right, protecting themselves and others from injustice. Truth is their strongest defense. They are honest and cannot be swayed by deception. True Crusaders carry the shield of Righteousness, and wields the flaming Sword of Justice and his Armor is Truth. The crusader is a historical knight fighting for a religious mission, but with a stronger emphasis on moral principles. It can represent anyone who fights for a just cause, like a truth-seeker, or someone defending the innocent. It portrays the crusader as a powerful but noble figure, someone who inspires hope and courage.
THE PLAGUE AND DEATH ARE EVERYWHERE BACK HOME…
When the crusaders return home after their successful mission of defending Christ, they are shocked by the tragic situation in their homeland ravaged by death. How and why did their God allow this to happen?
The bubonic plague (Black Death) claimed many lives and left a lasting mark on European culture, reflected in art, literature, and philosophy, with themes of death, suffering, and the fragility of human life becoming more prominent.
Death playing chess (in Swedish: Döden spelar schack) is a monumental painting in Täby Church located just outside Stockholm, Sweden. It was painted around 1480–1490, by the Swedish medieval painter Albertus Pictor. The painting depicts a man and a skeleton at a chessboard.
The Black Death swept across Europe in the mid-14th century (1346-1353). Estimates suggest it killed 25-30% of Europe’s population, with some regions experiencing losses as high as 60%. This massive death toll led to labor shortages, disrupted agricultural production, and weakened the overall economy.
The Church’s authority was shaken as many questioned the effectiveness of prayers and religious rituals in the face of the pandemic. Some saw the plague as divine punishment for sins, leading to increased religiosity in certain communities. Flagellant movements emerged, where people publicly whipped themselves as a form of penance to appease God. The plague also exacerbated social anxieties and led to scapegoating of minorities, particularly Jews, who were often blamed for the ooutbreaks. To some the plague challenged the concept of divine providence and God’s justice. These times are called the ‘Dark Ages.’
CHALLENGING DEATH
Block encounters Death while traveling and challenges him to a game of chess, hoping to postpone his fate and find answers to his existential questions.
Block: Who are you?
Death: I am Death.
Block: Have you come for me
Death: I have walked at your side for a long time now.
Block: That I know.
Death: Are you prepared?
Block: My body is afraid, but I am not.[Death approaches Block]
Block: Wait a moment.
Death: You all say that. But I give no respite.
Block: You play chess, do you not?
Death: How do you know that?Block: I've seen it in paintings, heard it in the songs.
Death: I really am a rather skilful chess player.
Block: Even so, you can't be more skilful than me.
Death: Why do you want to play chess with me?
Block: That is my business.
Death: You are right about that.
Block: My condition is that I may live as long as I resist you. If I checkmate you, you set me free.The film explores the human struggle to find meaning and purpose in life, especially in the face of mortality. Block’s doubts about God’s existence reflect the spiritual crisis that can accompany suffering and hardship.
ANGST: GOD’S SILENCE
Understanding the historical context of the Black Death adds depth to the film’s themes of angst, uncertainty, and the search for solace in a time of tragedy. These events were viewed then in apocalyptic terms. Hence its title the ‘Seventh Seal’.
The word angst was introduced into English from the Danish, Norwegian, and Dutch word angst and the German word Angst.
Block asked: "Is it so cruelly inconceivable to grasp God with the senses? Why should He hide Himself in a mist of half-spoken promises and unseen miracles?"
And he continues, "I want knowledge, not faith, not suppositions, but knowledge. I want God to stretch out His hand towards me, and reveal Himself and speak to me... I call out to Him in the dark but no one seems to be there."
Death suggests, "Perhaps no one is there."
The knight answers: "Then life is an outrageous horror. No one can live in the face of death, knowing that all is nothingness."
The same angst was expressed in Nazi concentration camp.
“If there is a God, He will have to beg my forgiveness.” (Wenn es einen Gott gibt muß er mich um Verzeihung bitten.)
A phrase that was carved on the walls at Mauthausen concentration camp cell during WWII by a Jewish prisoner.
ENDING
Jof and Mia’s love and joy seem to leave a lasting impression on Block. They are artists full of life and dreams.
Despite the bleak backdrop, the film emphasizes the importance of human connection and finding joy in simple things, as embodied by Jof and Mia. Jof and Mia’s saving seems to be Block’s ‘last good deed’ after he realized that happiness seems to be in the little things. Recall his line ‘I shall remember this hour of peace: the strawberries, the bowl of milk, your faces in the dusk. Mikael asleep, Jof with his lute. I shall remember our words, and shall bear this memory between my hands as carefully as a bowl of fresh milk.’
SACRIFICE
The film is rich with symbolism, such as the wild strawberries representing a fleeting but precious moment of joy or the chess game representing the struggle between life and death.
In the game of chess, a sacrifice is the deliberate giving up of a chess piece by a player, allowing or even forcing the opponent to capture it. A sacrifice happens in chess when one player intentionally gives up material to achieve a different or larger goal. Block’s act of sacrificing the game and potentially his own life to save Jof and Mia could be seen as a moment of redemption.
Perhaps he finally finds meaning in helping others, even if it means giving up his own chance to cheat death. It reminds us that even in the face of mortality, acts of selflessness and compassion can trick death and defeat fate.
The film leaves the interpretation of Block’s fate ambiguous. He may have outsmarted Death, or he may have simply accepted his mortality.
In a selfless act, during the climactic moment of the match, Antonius disrupts the game, sacrificing the board that represents his life, in order to enable Jof and Mia’s escape into the night.
After witnessing Death, Jof realizes the need for him and his family to leave in order to survive.
Death comes to meet his next victims:
Block’s act of sacrificing the game and potentially his own life to save Jof and Mia could be seen as a moment of redemption. Perhaps he finally finds meaning in helping others, even if it means giving up his own chance to escape death.
See also: WISDOM OF DEATH
Yves Messer 