Symbols in Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal"

Symbols in The Seventh Seal
In Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, the apocalyptic mood of the film necessitates rich symbolism throughout. That the film opens with the Biblical passage from Revelations depicting the four horsemen of the apocalypse and all of the signs that follow after-- including the opening of the seals of heaven-- sets the stage for a film outside of the constraints of time. The struggles of the characters throughout are timeless, beginning with that of the Knight. He is the seeker, the purist who would sacrifice everything of himself in his quest after truth and knowledge. It is his thirst for the secrets of God and the universe that drives him to risk his life in a game of chess with Death, while the world surrounding them is ablaze with the plague. In one particularly poignant scene, the Knight even approaches a woman cond...