Camille Gross: Danse Macabre 25 April

      In The Seventh Seal, moments were funny while others were serious but the most eerie feeling was the last scene. After the characters come face to face with Death himself, they participate in danse macabre or the dance of death. I had to read about the film and what they were doing in order to understand.
Sources say that this was used in order to remind people of the fragility of life and "the vain of the glories of earthly life.” Most people participated in this ritual during events like the Black Death. This is such a fascinating concept to read. Since we come from a society where death is perceived as horrifying rather than another part of life, the constant reminder that will happen to everyone scares me. Yet, this ritual or play or however you wish to describe it is used to bring together people since we are all unified in death. After reading more about danse macabre, I’m not sure how to interpret the last scene of The Seventh Seal. Is it as scary as I see it or is it supposed to be comforting to the characters?

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