Bruce R. Magee
July 1997

SCHINDLER'S LIST AND THE SENECAN HERITAGE

Conclusion

The Senecan heritage is by no means the only influence on Schindler's List, nor is it even the main influence; Spielberg samples many traditions in the movie. Nevertheless, Senecan drama and philosophy do shed light on the film. The Senecan apocalypse, brought on by outrageous crimes, comes together with the Judeo-Christian apocalypse that provides an escape for the selected remnant. The chorus in Seneca's day had declined from its earlier importance in Greek drama, becoming rather passive and ancillary to the action. Most movies do not have choruses at all. Spielberg brings back the chorus in his two choruses of Germans and Jews, making the Jews central to the action but leaving them rather passive in the process. Much of the dramatic tension takes place between Oskar Schindler and Amon Goeth. Goeth is a villain of classic proportions, in the tradition of characters like Seneca's Atreus. Yet Schindler is another type of descendent of Atreus, one who inherits Atreus' acting ability. Schindler maintains his self-control in situations of incredible danger and suffering and frees the Schindlerjuden as much through his ability to beguile the Germans with his charm as through his willingness to bribe them with his money. Spielberg uses a standard plot structure to redefine Schindler as a man who finds salvation himself in the process of giving it to others. Spielberg thus turns the story of Oskar Schindler into a powerful suitable for a mass audience. Of course, turning the story into a "fable" (Fogel) is a costly process, turning the Jews into often passive chips in a high-stakes card game played by Germans. The movie oversimplifies the moral ambiguities of almost all the parties: Schindler, the Jews, and even the Germans, some of whom helped Schindler as much as they could. The film is a powerful reminder of the evils of the Holocaust and of the good one person can do in the worse of circumstances. We should remember, however, that what we are seeing is not the reality itself.

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