Det sjunde inseglet
"The story of a challenge to death."
The Seventh Seal - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Jag vill ha vetskap. Inte tro, inte antaganden, utan vetskap. Jag vill att Gud skall sträcka ut sin hand, visa sitt ansikte och tala till mig.
— Antonius Block
Context:
This is part of Antonius Block's confession in the church to a hooded figure he believes is a priest, but is actually Death. It's a moment of profound vulnerability where he lays bare his spiritual torment and the reason for his quest.
Meaning:
"I want knowledge. Not faith, not suppositions, but knowledge. I want God to stretch out His hand, reveal His face, and speak to me." This quote encapsulates the core of the knight's existential crisis. It highlights the central theme of the film: the struggle of a rational man who can no longer accept faith alone and demands empirical proof of God's existence in a suffering world.
Tron är ett svårt lidande, vet du det? Det är som att älska nån som är därute i mörkret men som aldrig visar sig, hur högt man än ropar.
— Antonius Block
Context:
Antonius says this to Mia, the actor's wife, while they are sharing the simple meal of strawberries and milk. It's a moment where his inner turmoil briefly surfaces amidst a scene of peace and simplicity.
Meaning:
"Faith is a torment, did you know that? It is like loving someone who is out there in the darkness but never appears, no matter how loudly you call." This line powerfully conveys the pain and frustration of belief in a silent God. It frames the knight's spiritual struggle not as an intellectual puzzle, but as a deeply emotional and unrequited love.
Jag ska minnas den här stunden. Stillheten, skymningen, skålarna med jordgubbar och mjölk, era ansikten i kvällsljuset. [...] Jag ska bära minnet mellan mina händer varsamt som en skål fylld till brädden med färsk mjölk. Och det ska vara ett tecken för mig, och en stor tillfredsställelse.
— Antonius Block
Context:
Spoken during the idyllic picnic with Jof and Mia's family. It is the knight's moment of grace, where his agonizing search for meaning is momentarily forgotten in the simple pleasure of the present.
Meaning:
"I shall remember this moment. The silence, the twilight, the bowl of strawberries and milk, your faces in the evening light. [...] I will carry this memory between my hands as carefully as a bowl filled to the brim with fresh milk. And it will be a sign for me, and a great satisfaction." This is the turning point for the knight. He realizes that meaning and salvation are not found in the supernatural, but in the small, perfect moments of human connection and earthly beauty.
Jag har inga hemligheter. [...] Jag är okunnig.
— Death
Context:
After the knight distracts Death to allow the family to escape, Death checkmates him. The knight asks if Death will now reveal his secrets, and this is Death's reply, confirming the ultimate void of knowledge that Block has been fighting against.
Meaning:
"I have no secrets. [...] I am unknowing." This revelation from Death is one of the film's most chilling and profound statements. It confirms the knight's greatest fear: that there are no answers after death, no grand revelation, only oblivion. It underscores the film's existentialist perspective that meaning must be created within life, as there is no guarantee of it beyond.