Introduction
Although decades of numerous incarnations have slightly diminished the stature of the vampire, the horror, seductiveness and mystery associated with it remains. Over the years, several themes have been associated with the vampires depicted in various films. The dominant metaphorical representations have been animal appetite, sex, evil and venereal disease. In F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, the vampire, unlike those in similar films, is unattractive and ghastly yet the fascination that grips those around him is remarkably disturbing. In this context, several metaphors emerge. This paper presents the metaphoric functions of the vampire in the film Nosferatu.
The first metaphor in Nosferatu is sexuality. This is because throughout the film there is a dominant attraction between the vampire Orlock and Hutter. There is a dance of seduction between Hutter and the Count which provides homosexual undertones and desires which, coupled with the fact that Murnau was openly a homosexual are arguably deliberate. There are subtle insinuations of homoerotic interaction. Orlock proceeds to shift his attention to Ellen. The sucking of blood by the vampire from humans is a loosely guarded metaphorical representation of sex. This can be seen clearly in the manner in which Orlock consumes Ellen’s blood. His base needs are represented in a sexual nature whose consummation is the drinking of blood.
Another metaphorical function of the vampire is as a representation of Freudian duality. There is a dominant Jekyll and Hyde split represented by the vampire in the sense that man’s civilized nature is placed in stark contrast with a bestial nature. Hutter and Orlock symbolically represent the two sides of one individual. Marnau, the filmmaker depicts Hutter as a man full of innocence who has genuine love and platonic care for his wife. Orlock, however, is brutal and animalistic in every sense. His attraction towards Ellen is driven solely by his primitive needs based on sexuality in a manner that Hutter could not understand. This representation of the count is similar to that described in Freudian terms as the part that humans try hard to suppress. In this manner, Orlock and Hutter are complementary, each providing Ellen what the other cannot.
Another metaphor that is represented by the vampire in the film is disease, death and pestilence. The interplay between light and dark, specifically, night and day in the film coincides with the presence of the vampire. There is an allusion to death, pestilence and disease, all which have a stark relationship with the vampire. This is evidenced by the fact that at the beginning of the film, the setting is in a scenic and bright world in Germany. Bright yellow lighting further underlines the feeling of normalcy. However, when Hutter goes to Transylvania to have a meeting with count Orlock, the lighting suddenly changes to a darkened color. Orlock is a representation of this darkness, which brings about bad things. His dark castle with its elements introduces a world of terror. His dwelling is dirty and unwelcoming, and he is associated with rats. There is a scene in the film where he emerges from a coffin next to which there is another coffin full of rats. This is a metaphorical representation of the vampire’s pestilence and vermin-like nature. The presence of the vampire coincides with the state of disease (the plague) and death in the town. Every moment of the vampire’s presence in the town leads to more suffering and this suffering only vanishes when Count Orlock the vampire dies.
An arguable metaphor in presented by vampirism in Nosferatu is anti-Semitism. While the movie itself is not expressly anti-Semitic, it presents parallels between the vampire, a representation of malevolence and foreignness and the Jew figure in anti-Semitism. This is because Nosferatu rests on the same cultural fears that were dominant in anti-Semitic discourse at that time. This is because the journey to Wisborg by the vampire is a reflection of the widespread nationalistic fear of foreigners at the time of the making of Nosferatu in Germany. Nosferatu moves, and metaphorically so, from the East and brings with him the bubonic plague which is carried by his rats. His arrival at Wisborg changes the once beautifully pristine town into one which is ugly by bringing death and disease. This “invasion” and “infection” narrative is remarkably comparable to entry into Germany by Eastern Jews.
Conclusion
The movie Nosferatu by F. W. Murnau presents several metaphors through vampirism. These metaphors include sexuality, whose consummation is represented by the drinking of blood. The vampire drinks Ellen’s blood in a manner that suggests sexual attraction. There are homosexual undertones also depicted in the film by the vampire. Disease, death and pestilence are depicted by the vampire’s move to Wisborg, which transforms the town into a disease-ridden and filthy place full of vermin. The vampire also brings about the metaphor of anti-Semitism whereby there are stark parallel between the vampire and the Jew rhetoric in Germany around the time of the First World War. The Duality between characters is also dominantly represented by this allegorically rich film.
