On The Subject of Krolfred…(Part Two)

Part One is (Here).

Alfred, from the beginning, does not at all like Krolock and
honestly is blinded by fear for the most part. I think it’s safe to say all
Alfred actors treat Krolock with a sense of abject terror at the beginning of
“Vor dem Schloss”. Remember, until that point, Abronsius has essentially led Alfred
to believe they’re dealing with heartless, soulless beings that will eat him.
Even when the more accessible of the von Krolocks, Herbert, comes sweeping out
of the castle door, Alfred’s main emotion seems to be fear of the both of them.
You can hardly blame him; he’s been given no reason to think they’re anything
more than monsters.

However, this perception
changes. This part does depend on the Alfred actor in question, but most of
them seem to start seeing Krolock in another light during their one on one
conversation at the end of the scene. Mind you, Alfred hasn’t even mentioned
his interest in Sarah to Abronsius, 
but as soon as Krolock pulls out that sponge, Alfred is trying to gush
about it (I have other things to say about  “diese schwamm” but I’m going
to hold off for now). Krolock receives this excitement kindly, and he’s the
only character to do so thus far, seeing as both Abronsius and Sarah are mostly
annoyed by Alfred’s outbursts. This is certainly key to swaying Alfred’s
perception; he’s a very lonely guy who is constantly put down by both someone
he looks up to and his romantic object. A little bit of attention will go a
long way. Some of Alfred’s dialogue was removed in the shows post-2007, so I’d
like to list it here, within context:

Alfred:
Dieser Schwamm ist für mich,
Sehr viel wert.

Von
Krolock:
Vertrau mir!….

Krolock
allows Alfred a chance to speak, to voice his excitement at the prospect of
Sarah being around, and reassures him that “the desire” he’s after isn’t far
away. Now, in fairness, this could refer to Sarah’s presence in the Schloss,
but with the majority of Krolock’s lines implying double meaning (for example,
“…until your desire makes a woman of you”…”I am a night bird” *nudge, nudge*
*wink, wink*), it’s difficult to take this line entirely at face value. As he
states, Krolock knows what Alfred feels and thinks, and therefore also knows
that Alfred’s sexuality is at a point of instability. Krolock can use Alfred’s
sexual anxiety as an access point.

This
being said, Krolock is also known to have a history with seducing young,
isolated figures. “Die Unstillbare Gier” notably mentions the pastor’s daughter
and Napoleon’s page. Both come from under the umbrella of a very controlling
authority…which sounds very similar to Abronsius, especially considering
Abronsius’ role as the voice of society. Initially, based on Krolock’s pleasant
surprise at Abronsius’ introduction, it seems fair to assume that Krolock’s
interest in Alfred has a lot to do with getting at Abronsius. Previously, he’s
acted as a lover and eventual murderer to not just one but two separate people
with haunting similarities to Alfred. This is the heart of the attraction:
Alfred is Krolock’s type.  

That now brings me to the concept of the dramatic foil and how
that applies to Alfred and Krolock. I often see the opinion that the
relationship is presented on uneven terms, setting Krolock on the same level as
Abronsius, as an external influence. While I can understand why this opinion
exists, I do not agree with it.  

From the very beginning of the show, Alfred and Krolock seem to
have a fair exchange of musical motifs. These are probably the easiest to spot;
the exchange of musical notes and lyrics between “Sie irren, Professor!”
and “He Ho He”, for starters:

Alfred (He,ho,he):
He, ho,
he,
He, wo sind Sie, Professor?

Krolock (Sie irren, Professor!):
He,
ho, he!
Wirklich treffend, Professor!

And continuing to look elsewhere, another
parallel is found in “Carpe Noctem” and “Vor dem Schloss”, this is a literal
note motif, as Krolock sings exactly the notes that inspire the first lines of
Alfred’s nightmare (linked
here and here, if you’re interested in listening):

First Soloist (Carpe
Noctem):
Folg’ mir nach, vertrau’ der Nacht!
Sie nur kann deine Seele retten.

Krolock (Vor dem
Schloss/Wohl dem Mann):
Sink mit mir ins Meer der Zeit
Lern von mir, was es heißt zu leben

They influence each other equally in these exchanges, which to
me, challenges the idea of a “Dark Mentorship”. I think I’d be more comfortable
using that term for Sarah and Krolock, all things considered. Similar to the
musical motifs shared between Krolock and Alfred, Krolock hands down musical
motifs to Sarah. His melody from “Gott ist tot” is found in an exact copy in
“Totale Finsternis”, and Sarah was present to directly hear “Gott ist tot” for
herself. An example:

Krolock (Gott ist tot):
Was ich
rette, geht zugrund.
Was ich segne, muss verderben.

Krolock & Sarah (Totale Finsternis):
Sich
verliern heißt sich befrein
du wirst dich in mir erkennen

The word choice, “hands down” is important, because Sarah and
Krolock are on much more uneven ground with one another, there isn’t an equal
exchange. She very much idolizes and elevates Krolock in her mind, sort of
casting him as this rich and handsome suitor come to whisk her away. There’s a
lot of trust on her end and room for him to influence her thoughts and
feelings. This is very different from the balance that falls into place with
Alfred.

Rather than manipulating Alfred’s thought processes, Krolock
simply addresses the thought processes Alfred might rather keep private to
create a certain sense of intimacy with him. I mentioned their conversation in
“Vor dem Schloss” a bit earlier on and as I said before, Alfred feels very
lonely and isolated. What he wants is the intimacy of being heard and understood.
Although Krolock has been around for some two or three-odd centuries, I believe
that the main reason Krolock knows this right away is that he desires the same
thing.

Krolock does live with Herbert, so he’s not alone entirely, but
being a parent, Krolock will hesitate to share his deepest thoughts and
feelings with his son. This is simply part of being a parent; wanting your
children to believe you have the strength to take care of them, and I would say
that Krolock certainly likes to cast a strong shadow. Of course, that means
Krolock hasn’t had any true emotional support and intimacy outside of what
little he’s shared with Herbert.

And speaking of sharing with Herbert… (Part Three around 12:15 EST)