The exploration of existential themes in films is always prevailing, but few are as unapologetic in their humanistic self-doubt as in the movie The Seventh Seal (1957) by Ingmar Bergman. Following the main characters, the Holy Knight and his cynical Squire, we see how they traverse medieval plague-ridden Sweden on their journey to the Knights’ home. The main theme, as Bergman himself stated, is that “The Seventh Seal is an allegory with a theme that is quite simple: man, his eternal search for God, with death his only certainty” (Stubbs, 1975, p. 66). With the main theme being established, there are still other philosophical topics central to existentialism throughout the film, such as Albert Camus’s The Plague, which explores how society deals with a deadly plague and how morality and the injustices of life are confronted. Such an idea is expanded on by Professor Hart who when speaking on the key themes of The Plague expresses that most evils in life are faceless and often inevitable, how the absurd confronts us all, and to deny these evils, or to attempt to escape them is what Camus would label as “philosophical suicide,” actions and themes that very reminiscent in the film (Hart, 2025, Module. 7).
Ingmar Bergman was born in 1918 in Uppsala, Sweden. Being the son of a Lutheran pastor, religion was highly influential in Bergman’s life, and this is highly evident in the major religious themes in his works, as well as in The Seventh Seal. Growing up in such a highly religious household, Bergman was acquainted with the devil at an early age, as he was privy to witnessing life and death on an incredibly personal level, as his father would conduct funerals, officiate weddings, conduct baptisms, and write sermons (Stubbs, 1975, p. 63). When Bergman turned nineteen, he stated that he had a crisis of religious faith, and in turn rebelled against the protestant church, causing a great shift in his mentality of how he perceived God and faith (Stubbs, 1975, p. 63).
Sharing some similarities with Søren Kierkegaard, they both grew up in highly devoted Lutheran households and Scandinavian countries. Kierkegaard focused on how his faith and philosophy were interconnected. The subjectivity of the human experience is a key insight into the nature of faith, the absurdity, and irrationality that come with faith are what defines a person when it pertains to searching for the value in one’s values, such as interpersonal questions that are asked in the film (Hart, 2025, Module. 2). The genesis of The Seventh Seal was the original play called Wood-on-Painting in which it shared common elements of the final film, but the prevailing themes of the study of self-doubt, and morality throughout stayed true, as it would be characterized as a “morality play” for the viewers (Pressler, 1985, p. 96). Cruelty in the depictions of medieval and religious paintings that would be in churches inspired Bergman, as seeing such demonstrative paintings of sheer cruelty and violence impacted Bergman as a kid; such cruel and demonstrative religious illustrations are very prominent in the film (Stubbs, 1975, p. 66).
Further illustrating the unbreakable bond and influence that religious faith had on Bergman, the title of the film is derived from the Book of Revelation in the Bible, as God’s book of secrets is described as a scroll with seven seals. When the last day of judgment arrives, the seventh seal will be broken, and man will know the secrets of God. After opening the seal, there will come great destruction in seven vials of wrath, and then a voice from heaven will proclaim, “It is done” (Stubbs, 1975, p. 66). This John C Stubbs poignantly emphasized as being the only words spoken in the film by the morose girl (Gunnel Lindblom), the squire had befriended, even further supporting the theme of man searching for God, despite knowing death is the only certainty (Bergman, 2018, 1:34:30).
The film begins on the beach in medieval Sweden, quickly establishing two opposite characters, the Holy Knight (Max Von Sydow) lying on the rocks by the beach pensively staring at the sky, lost in deep thought, and the Cynical Squire (Gunnar Björnstrand) sprawled out on the rocks, eyes closed, attempting to maximize every second of extra sleep that he can (Bergman, 2018, 02:45). The Knight laid beside his chess board, and is met by the inevitable presence of Death itself (Bengt Ekerot) an incredibly tall figure draped in all black, with an incredibly pale round face. Death states that he has been long at the Knight’s side, and asks the Knight if he is ready for death, to which the Knight responds “My flesh is afraid, I am not,” and just before death takes the Knight, he interjects asking for them to play a game of chess, to which death states that “I do not grant reprieves” cementing the inevitable death (Bergman, 2018, 04:58). The two agree to play chess, with the agreement that as long as the Knight holds back death in the game he is allowed to live, and if the Knight were to win he will be set free, this game of chess is played until the end of the film, which allows the two to convene, discuss events and philosophical questions.
Through the film, we see the Squire and the Knight traverse Sweden as they escort a family of theatre actors, who are incredibly reminiscent of the Holy Family in the Bible, as the couple and their baby are incredibly positive and a bright light in the darkened world. When traversing through the madness, in destination to the Knight’s home, the Knight and Squire stop at a church, the Squire is conversing with an artist who is painting horrible depictions of death and explaining the reason as to why, since the Squire does not see the point of depicting such nonsense, to which the painter simply states “to remind people they’re going to die,” reaffirming the constant that is death (Bergman, 2018, 17:18). The painter continues explaining the depictions he has made, explaining the plague and the horrible effects it has on people in a very explicit and graphic manner, further explaining the depictions of the poor souls who believe the plague is a punishment from God, and that crowds of sinners will flail themselves and others in hopes of appeasing the lord (Bergman, 2018, 19:09). Unbeknownst to the Squire, all these events that left him in such disbelief and disgust, will occur as he proceeds through the country, illustrating the absurdity of it faith, such depictions appeared to be unfathomable and illogical, but soon as Camus believed, he will have to accept these evils.
Whilst the Squire is conversing with the painter, the Knight is struggling with his faith, as he is lost and struggles to believe there is no god, so much so that he begins to have a confession with death, who was impersonating a priest. The Knight expresses his deep concerns with faith, as he cannot fathom going through life without the existence of a God being true; the secrets he wishes to obtain seem so distant to the Knight. Death interjects stating that perhaps there is no God, to which the Knight can only respond by stating “Then life is just senseless horror, no man can live facing death, knowing that everything is nothingness” (Bergman, 2018, 21:55). Such vulnerable and ironic conversation due to the Knight figuratively facing death, illustrates how absurd prolonging and fighting death tends to be, as illustrated in The Plague, as the only answers that arise are more questions, more questions that just prolong the inevitable death, the ability to confront these evils and “find” ourselves in the absurd is what Camus believes to be necessary.
Continuing their conversation, the Knight still believing he is confessing to a priest, reveals his motivations for prolonging the game of chess with death, as he must attend to an urgent matter, confessing that “my whole life has been nothing but futile wandering and pursuits, a great deal of talk without meaning, it’s all been in vain, but I want to use my reprieve for one meaningful act” (Bergman, 2018, 22:57). Unintentionally telling death his reasoning for playing chess, now the Knight has no real secrets kept from him, as he has essentially laid out his whole intentions of prolonging his life. Throughout the film, we see the Knight and Squire traverse the land with the family and how they bear witness to the horrors the plague has dealt to society, and incredibly reminiscent of The Plague, how some people completely lose themselves due to the absurdity of the evil, taking advantage of others and becoming the embodiment of the parasitic plague itself. Such occurrences are seen when the Mute Girl witnesses men rob those who have died, and in an apathetic and malicious manner, rhetorically asks the girl why she is surprised he is robbing the dead, as it is a lucrative business due to the plague (Bergman, 2018, 30:04).
The madness that overtakes society throughout the journey of the film reaffirms the questions Camus asked in The Plague, as now the absurd has completely taken over with evil, and how will morality prevail, due to there being no real logical sense of morality in the absurd anymore. Through witnessing the horror depicted in the church paintings, and the burning of a “witch” in hopes of ridding the plague, the Knight and Squire begin to find themselves within the absurd and their circumstances. The Knight arrives at his home and is greeted by his estranged wife, who has not seen her husband since he left to partake in the Holy Crusades, such events that left the Knight feeling empty and meaningless. When asked if he regretted his choices, the Knight reaffirmed that he has no regrets, but he is glad to be back, despite knowing that death is approaching rapidly (Bergman, 2018, 1:29:41).
In summation, the film ends with the family surviving as they are spared, and witness the group hold hands as they walk up the hill with death, going to meet their inevitable death. Despite not finding the secrets the Knight kept questioning Death on, he was able to save the family from Death and, in essence, the plague, achieving his goal of achieving a meaningful act. The similarities between Albert Camus’s The Plague and The Seventh Seal are immense, despite not knowing what happens to the acting family, one can surmise they are spared death from the plague, and like in the book, it shall randomly disappear.
References
Bergman, I. (Director). (2018). The Seventh Seal [Film; DVD]. The Criterion Channel. (Original work published 1957)
Joret, B. (2019). The art of reality. In Studying film with andré bazin (pp. 47-88). Amsterdam University Press. DOI
Pressler, M. (1985). The idea fused in the fact: Bergman and "the seventh seal." Literature/Film Quarterly, 13(2), 95-101.
Stubbs, J. C. (1975). The seventh seal. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 9(2), 62-76. DOI
Hi, I'm Lucas Lopez. I'm a History student at TMU with a love for cooking and arts because it is neat. Aspiring Tiramisu expert and future Laarb champion 2026