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Due Date for Essay: 08/04/2016

Module Code: DI4816 Essay No. e.g. 1, 2, 3 or 4 1

Essay Title: ‘Die Unstillbare Gier’: original sin and temptation in

Tanz der Vampire.

Essay Length: (word count) 2,644 (+398 word

commentary)

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The German language musical Tanz der Vampire (Jim Steinman and Michael Kunze), which

premiered in Vienna in 1997 provides a thorough discussion of the human condition. This reflection

shall focus on the themes of original sin, the Fall, blood, and temptation, as explored in the

characters and songs of Graf Krolock and Sarah Chagal.1

I. Original sin and the Fall

Original sin is prominent in Christian doctrine, and can be defined as ‘a depravity, or tendency to

evil, held to be innate in humankind and transmitted from Adam to all humans in consequence of his

sin’.2 The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that as a result of this, ‘all need salvation and that

salvation is offered to all through Christ’.3

As three of the characters in Tanz der Vampire are Jewish, it is important to also explore the Jewish

conception of original sin (or rather, lack of conception). Rabbi Singer states that ‘the Church’s

teachings on this doctrine are antithetical to the core principles of the Torah and its prophets.’4 For

the Christian, original sin means that people are unable to help themselves without God. However,

one of Moses’ sermons teaches that humans alone can merit their salvation, and that they are

perfectly capable of doing so.5 None of the characters in Tanz feel that they are able to do this, even

the Jewish characters, who beg God to save them from their own tendencies to evil.

II. Gott ist tot! – Graf von Krolock

Christianity does not have a positive view towards vampire stories. Vampires are often seen as the

corruptors of innocents. Additionally, blood is seen as an extremely precious thing in the Christian

tradition, as shall be discussed later. Krolock attempts to play into this role of the corrupter of

innocents. However, he is ultimately dissatisfied with this. Vampires are often portrayed as having a

1
All quotes have been transliterated from the German libretto.
2
“Definition for original sin,” http://www.dictionary.com/browse/original-sin.
3
CCC, n. 389.
4
“Does Judaism believe in original sin?,” http://outreachjudaism.org/original-sin/.

5
Deuteronomy 30:10-14.
negative reaction to the cross, which the vampires (minus the Jewish vampire, Chagal) in this musical

also have. Krolock has an extreme aversion to being presented with the cross, despite his claim that

God is dead. When Alfred and the Professor create a cross out of candlesticks, Krolock is physically

unable to look at it, and has to move far away, thus aiding the escape of Alfred, Sarah and the

Professor. Perhaps during his mortal life he was a Christian, so his sinful nature as a vampire creates

a lot of guilt for him.

In Krolock’s first solo, Gott ist tot (God is dead), he claims ‘God is dead, he is no longer sought after,

we are damned to live eternally, it draws us closer to the sun but we fear the light, we only believe

lies and despise restraint’. As mentioned, Krolock fears the cross, and so, this could be seen as him

fearing Jesus, the ‘light of the world’.

Additionally, he claims ‘what I rescue will perish, what I bless must decay, only my poison will heal

you now’. It is interesting that Krolock uses the word ‘bless’ which is typically associated with a

positive religious action, yet what Krolock blesses decays. The Cathechism of the Catholic Church

states that as a result of original sin, ‘creation is now subject "to its bondage to decay"’.6 Krolock,

who tempts the other characters into his sinful state as a vampire is subject to decay, and in his later

solo, he sings of chains which bind him.

Here, he is tempting Sarah into eternity with dark imagery. Yet, this eternity is very different to the

one which Christianity offers through Jesus. Krolock can even be compared to the snake in Genesis

who tempts Eve, especially when considering Krolock’s use of the word ‘poison’. Unlike the snake,

however, Krolock makes no secret of the dark nature of what he is luring her into. Finally, the words

‘to be alive you have to die’ are similar to the Christian understanding of dying to the world in

baptism, and even entering into the Kingdom of God, but Krolock’s understanding of this idea is

completely different. Interestingly, parts of this song are set to the melody of "Original Sin",

originally written for the album Pandora’s Box and sung by Meatloaf.

6
CCC, n. 284.
Krolock’s disbelief in God continues into his highly emotional act 2 solo, Die Unstillbare Gier (The

Insatiable Greed). He sings of all of the people he has corrupted since 1617, and the regret he carries

from this, despite the insatiable appetite which drives him. ‘No light illuminates the world, no false

ray of hope’. Here, Krolock is denying belief in Jesus as the light of the world as seen in John 8:12.

Additionally, Krolock feels as though he is stuck between roles: ‘I want to be an angel or a devil and

yet I’m nothing but a creature that always longs for what it can’t reach.’ He does not know how to

reach what he wants because he has no faith. Yet, being one of these biblical characters would be

better than being stuck in the nothingness of being unable to completely fulfil the expected

character trope which is associated with vampires. Additionally, the reference to a creature could be

taken as the snake in Genesis, particularly when viewing the entire musical and his role as the

tempter. All hope for him in this respect is ‘in vain because the hunger never ends’. In fact, none of

the characters, particularly Krolock, Sarah, and Alfred are unable to fulfil their expected and desired

character tropes.

In stating ‘everyone believes that everything will get better someday, so they suffer every woe’,

Krolock ruminates on Christian attitudes towards suffering and life after death, but he is unable to

conform to these beliefs.

Perhaps the most important lyrics of the whole song are:

Many believe in deities of variant forms, in wonder and signs, in heaven and hell, in sin and virtue, in

Bible and breviary, but the true force that rules is the shameful, eternal, consuming, destructive, and

forever insatiable greed!

Krolock knows these concepts, but chooses to deny them. He completely denies the existence of

God as known by characters such as Chagal, Rebecca and Magda, and in fact, ‘the only God everyone

will serve will be the insatiable greed’. Krolock is aware of humanity’s bondage to sin and

temptation, and it is particularly relevant to a society such as ours which often seeks fulfilment in sex
and the possession of material goods. Earlier in the song, Krolock has even expressed that he wishes

to be free, but ‘can’t break the chains that bind’ him. Christianity asserts that Jesus broke the chains

of sin; however, Krolock is forever bound by them due to his denial of faith, and his bloodguilt.

Blood is seen as extremely precious in Christianity, particularly in the context of the Eucharist and

Jesus’ sacrifice. This is perhaps why many Christian groups have an adverse reaction to the many

popular vampire stories in our contemporary culture. The consumption of blood is forbidden in

Leviticus 17:10-13, and God will cut off anyone who does so. Krolock is a representation of this,

particularly as he feels that there is nothing but a void and emptiness, and that he is cut off from

everything but his insatiable greed. Blood represents life in both the Bible and Tanz der Vampire:

blood keeps the vampires as alive as the undead can be, and this is reflected in the ensemble singing

‘she is awakened to life’ once Sarah’s blood has been drunk by Krolock, and she too is transforming

into a vampire.

Interestingly, blood is seen as a life force in other musicals. A good example of this is in Mozart! das

Musical. The child Mozart is constantly on stage writing music and in the act 1 finale, he stabs older

Mozart in the arm to use his blood as ink for the music. Throughout act 2, as Mozart’s blood is slowly

drained, so is his energy for life, before finally, no blood is left, and he dies.

III. Selbst zur Hölle würd ich fahren mit dir! – Sarah Chagal

Sarah is the seventeen year old daughter of Jewish innkeepers Chagal and Rebecca. In Sarah, we see

a strong minded innocent fall into temptation and eventually she is corrupted by Krolock’s bite. She

is the ultimate anti-ingénue; she plays up her innocence despite her deep running desires for sinful

behaviour. Sarah’s costume begins as a white 19th century nightgown, and red is gradually added to

her costume throughout the musical. The colour white is often associated with purity, whereas red

calls to mind lust and sexuality. Thus, there is a visual expression of her journey into succumbing to

and acting upon temptation and her sexual attraction to Krolock.

In ‘Draussen ist Freiheit’ (Out There is Freedom) through to ‘das Gebet’ (the Prayer), Sarah expresses

her desires for freedom and her ‘hunger for bliss’, and this is where red begins to be added to her

costume. Alfred, a young professor’s assistant who has fallen in love with the idea of Sarah sings

with her, but ultimately, the freedom which they seek is different for each of them. Sarah searches

for a land where ‘every miracle is possible’ and where she will be able to live out her wildest

fantasies, whereas Alfred hopes for a life together with Sarah. The ‘dream theme’ has always been

extremely relevant in musical theatre. It is particularly prevalent in the musicals of Rodgers and

Hammerstein, and the most comparable example here is ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’ from The Sound of

Music. Alfred and Sarah are both aware that they seek some kind of freedom, but they are not really

certain about how this freedom really looks. Instead, they are searching for a place where these

miracles could possibly happen.

Once Sarah has distracted Alfred by asking him to get her sponge before she runs away to the

Count’s castle, she looks at the red dancing boots and red pashmina that have been left for her by

the vampires.

Should I, or should I not?

On the one hand it’s wrong,

But on the other hand,

I’ve always dreamt of this.

What’s the harm?

Why shouldn’t I wear them?

Tomorrow I’ll behave,

Today I’ll be weak!

Here, Sarah’s lyrics reflect the thought processes of many before doing something which they know

is morally wrong. She is bartering with herself and her weaknesses. In this, Sarah reflects what the
Catechism has to say on original sin: ‘in that sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act

scorned him’.7 As she has firmly declared to Alfred ‘I already know where I’m going’: into a situation

that will present her with a dangerous temptation. When the fantasy of dancing with the Count at

the ball takes over her mind, she begins to succumb to her temptation, (the vampires tell her not to

ask if she will regret it tomorrow) puts on the red boots, and wraps the red pashmina around her

coat. This visually suggests to us the tainting of Sarah’s purity, and is reflected in what she sings:

Temptation wants to own me completely, and should it destroy me, I don’t care, I can’t resist

anyways!

In fact, Sarah sees running away from her restrictive family to the irresistible danger of Krolock’s

castle as what ‘liberates’ her. However, this does not stop her from praying before she escapes

through the woods. Sarah is shown as praying with the red pashmina gifted to her by the count as a

makeshift tallit. We do not know exactly what she is praying for here, as she does not verbalise her

prayer. However, her mother Rebecca is seen praying in the background, asking God to ‘free

humanity from the urge to do the forbidden, to forgive them their greed, and to stop them from

losing their heads when the animal in them awakens’. The entire ensemble joins in with Rebecca’s

prayer, including the Christian character Magda, and it is a beautiful example of an act of worship in

a musical. It is perhaps comparable to Sabbath Prayer from Fiddler on the Roof in its sincerity;

however, the prayer in Tanz is not quite as accurate due to its more Christian view of sin being sung

from Jewish characters. The beauty of how this act of worship is played out provides the audience

with a positive impression of religious worship. Despite this prayer, Sarah succumbs to the idea of

what will liberate her (being bitten by Krolock) and resolves to run away to the castle.

7
CCC, n. 398
We don’t see Sarah again until the opening of act two, in Totale Finsternis (Total Eclipse). Now

Sarah’s costume is mostly red: the red pashmina is draped over her white nightdress, and she is

wearing the red dancing boots. This red so prominently against the white is a visual representation

of her descent into temptation and lust. She ruminates on the ‘irresistible temptation’ which haunts

her, and declares to Krolock ‘I would even follow you into hell’. Sarah is willing to lose her soul and

salvation in order to yield to her yearnings towards Krolock. Her desires towards him border on

sexual, as she expresses her desire for ‘one moment in which I completely belong to you’, and that

‘sometimes in the night I want to be the way you want me even if I’ll destroy myself’. When Krolock

goes to bite her, he overcomes his own temptation (‘for every hour of waiting our lust will be

enhanced’), before promising ‘I will let you feel what will make you immortal’. Some people of a

religious background critique secular society for choosing temporary and fleeting things which may

make us feel ‘immortal’, even though Christianity posits that only Christ can give us immortality.

Sarah finally yields to temptation at the ball. Here, she enters the stage in a blood red dress,

symbolising her full submission to Krolock. When she is bitten, Totale Finsternis is reprised

instrumentally, before they reprise it whilst singing. Although the words are the same, there has

been subversion of both of their hopes. The bite represents her fall into sin, and ultimately, she feels

dissatisfied. The moment did not live up to her idealised portrait of union with Krolock, and is

reflective of the way so many feel after committing a morally dubious act. The ensemble, however,

claim that now she has had her sexual awakening and lost her blood, she is ‘awakened to life’. This

turns Moffit’s argument that the offering of blood in the Mosaic cult did not symbolise the

presentation of death before God, but that of life on its head. It is a skewed version of this Judeo-

Christian understanding.8

8
David Moffit, Blood, Life, and Atonement: Reassessing Hebrews‘ Christological Appropriation of Yom Kippur,
p. 10.
Eventually, in the reprise of Draussen ist Freiheit, the newly born vampire Sarah corrupts Alfred by

biting him. Perhaps here they could be compared to Adam and Eve. This is illustrative of how Eve is

portrayed as the temptress, leading Adam astray into sin. Here, Sarah does the same: she bites him,

and encourages him to lick up the blood which has spilled from his own neck. This is comparable to

Genesis 3:12: “the woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate

it.”

Tanz der Vampire explicitly grapples with theological themes in relation to the fallen nature of

humanity. Although a gothic comedy, we may perhaps see the darker side to human nature as seen

through the lens of Christian attitudes towards the Fall reflected in these characters. This musical

reflects the existential angst of many when confronted with their behaviour, as sometimes we all

feel ‘die Unstillbare Gier’.9

9
The insatiable greed.
Commentary

The first time that I watched Tanz der Vampire, I was struck by how explicit the theological themes

are in the musical, particularly that of original sin and temptation. Tanz der Vampire is not afraid to

deliberate on the darker side of our nature, something which I personally have not seen discussed in

this way in musical theatre, and I thought that it would be interesting to explore further.

I chose Krolock and Sarah out of all of the characters, as they clearly represent the ‘tempter’ and the

‘tempted’, and their songs (and in Sarah’s case, costuming) grapple the most with the issues which I

wished to deliberate in this reflection. Every song in Tanz der Vampire raises important theological

considerations, but I felt that the ones chosen most interestingly contended with the themes which I

wished to consider.

Krolock’s solos are the most overtly theological, and their titles (translating to ‘God is dead’ and ‘The

Insatiable Greed’) alert this to us immediately. It is really interesting that the one character without

any faith is the one who discusses God, heaven, hell and eternity the most.

Sarah is the character in musical theatre that I most relate to, especially in my struggles to

understand teachings in my own (now somewhat lacking) faith (Catholicism) in opposition to my

deeply run desires for freedom without constraints. Although Draussen ist Freiheit does not explicitly

mention any of the prominent themes of this reflection until about half way through the ten minute

song, I still felt as though it would be interesting to discuss how the ‘dream theme’ makes its way

into this musical too – even German language musical theatre cannot escape it!

The topic of blood is one that struck me only about three quarters of the way through writing this

reflection, yet it is one that is so important for Christianity. Tanz der Vampire seems to twist so many

Christian teachings, and all of the characters are left corrupted and completely unsatisfied by this.

The behaviour and feelings of the characters when they succumb to temptation is exactly what I had

been warned of by many Catholic friends if I were to relent to desires contrary to Church teaching.
Ultimately, Tanz der Vampire is absolutely loaded with biblical imagery and is undaunted by musing

on the dark desires of human nature which came as a result of the Fall.