Tag: krolfred

On The Subject of Krolfred…(Part Three)

Part Two is (here)

Herbert plays an important role in
considering Krolock and Alfred’s dynamic because of his status as Krolock’s son.
He’s Krolock’s direct and I’m assuming only offspring, as well as his heir, and
most definitely the closest un-living person Krolock has in his life. He knows
Krolock’s tells and habits inside and out, and undoubtedly Krolock knows his as
well, certainly brought closer by the loss of Herbert’s mother and Krolock’s
wife. This is a very tight-knit family dynamic, and leaves little room for any
misinterpretation between them.

For instance, in “Wenn Liebe in dir ist”,
Herbert begins by telling Alfred that his father is “ganz begeistert” with him.
The word “begeistert” can be used in a number of contexts and it can mean a
number of different roughly similar things, but in this case it most likely
means that Herbert perceived that Krolock was pleased or even excited by
Alfred’s arrival. The word itself is fairly common, but given Krolock’s
somewhat secretive nature, I’m inclined to believe it’s quite meaningful here.
Krolock’s son, certainly, would know when he’s shown an exaggerated interest in
someone or something.

Of course, we don’t know much about
Krolock and Herbert’s backstory as a family aside from the possible mention of
Herbert’s mother as Krolock’s first victim. As such, Herbert seemingly hasn’t
had influence very far outside of his father’s alone, and judging by the
striking similarities in personality, they’re a close family. That being now
established, there are clear connections between Herbert’s more playful,
flirtatious moments and Krolock’s. It isn’t often that Krolock tries to
instigate a laugh, but when he does, he seems to enjoy the result (See: The
group laugh in “Vor dem Schloss”). Plainly, un-life must be a bleak place
without at even a little bit of dark or self-deprecating humor, and I don’t’
think Krolock would have stuck out the many lonely centuries without at least a
touch of warmth within him.

Alfred becomes attuned to that warmth and
emotional depth during both the course of “Wohl dem Mann” and “Die Unstillbare
Gier” (though it’s my understanding that Alfred is not a bystander for every
production during “Die Unstillbare”, and so I’ll limit my discussion on that
one). “Wohl dem Mann” is most simply summed up as a seduction, a true attempt
at lulling Alfred into a sense of safety and intimacy, because as stated
before, Krolock knows it’s what he wants. He uses very specific, choice words
for this, and the lines that are most direct are:

Krolock
Lern von mir, was es heist zu
lieben, (Learn from me what it means to love)
Lös die Fesseln der Moral (Loose
the fetters/chains of morality)
Folge deinen verborgenen Trieben (Follow your
hidden urges)

If you
were unsure before of whether he recognizes Alfred’s sexual anxiety or not,
those lines will indicate that he most certainly does. For Alfred, love and
sexual attraction are directly linked, which is exactly why he labels his first
interaction with Sarah as love at first sight. Krolock, on the other hand, has
been around the block a bit more and likely knows that the easiest way to
access Alfred’s sexual insecurity is through the mention of “love”. Alfred
desires both sexual satisfaction and romantic love, and via the conflicted imagery
of Carpe Noctem that I discussed earlier on, he doesn’t believe those things
can occur with the same person at that juncture. He feels an overwhelming
physical inclination to Krolock, and he believes that the innocent affection he
feels for Sarah can’t be found there specifically because of Krolock’s
vampirism.

This is
where “Die Unstillbare Gier” becomes relevant.

If we’re looking at a version of Tanz
that includes Alfred’s presence during “Die Unstillbare Gier” (for example, the
2006 Hamburg pro-shot), the line Alfred uses immediately following this
monologue indicates that he’s realized something about Krolock. He’s still a
person. (This is a far more popular opinion, I know, than most other things in
this paper.) Alfred has been able to keep a certain barrier between them, to
understand himself as a different kind of being entirely, but the discovery
that vampires can feel grief I think knocks down that wall. Other
interpretations have construed this as a result of mind control, but it’s far
more appealing to me to understand it as a humanization of Krolock. It’s a
universal truth, after all, that everyone is in some sense, a vampire.
Everything that comes to you is in some way at a cost to someone else, somewhere.

It’s important that Alfred internalizes
that humanization, and is able to see Krolock as a person, because ultimately,
Krolock is a very dedicated and even somewhat kind father afflicted by a hunger
like a disease. The metaphor for mental illness sort of speaks for itself, I
think. Vampirism isn’t a daily choice, it’s the only form of life Krolock is
capable of living. It’s to live within the parameters of his illness or die.

That being said, once the peace is made
with the condition, the person you’re left with is…essentially, everything
Alfred needs. Krolock is a good listener, a family man, and very generous, and
I don’t think he only performs these things to catch prey, I truly believe
those are the purest aspects of his personality. Likewise, Alfred is a well-read,
very loving, and very patient man (you would be too if you had to travel with Abronsius), all character traits that would pair well
with Krolock’s loneliness and his constant mental and emotional struggle with his
condition.

In short: Krolock and Alfred are capable
of understanding each other, and more than that, they’re capable of caring for
each other.

Obviously, as any two people would, they
would have to spend time together and learn more about each other to create a
truly great bond. Krolock and Alfred aren’t a clean or easy meeting of the
minds, but ultimately, I think their traits would offer the most room for the
both of them to grow within a relationship, and that’s the sort of love no one
outgrows, even after centuries.

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:
Ich versteh!

Alfred:
Ich bekam ihn

Von
Krolock:
Das Ziel deiner Sehnsucht ist dir näher als
je…

Alfred:
Tatsächlich?

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)

On The Subject of Krolfred… (Part One)

Hi, there! 

I want to start off by saying that this post is inspired by some thoughtful commentary by @drakorn, and I just wanted to say I appreciate both the eloquence of the post and the kind disposition used to present your analysis. It’s further proof to me that the Tanz fans are all excellent people who are able to come at things from a logical perspective.

This being said, I wanted to offer some counterpoint on your opinion just to create a healthy discourse. This is not at all to say that differing opinions are wrong, I just like to write essays for the sake of presenting my interests and I really appreciated your perspective on things.

Part Two will be linked (here) in about an hour – I’m trying to keep this monstrous thing broken up. 

 I’ll place this under a cut for folks who are just scrolling past.

I’ll preface by saying that I’m using most European productions
for my own interpretation of events, although there are actors in every
production of this show that seem to present a similar interpretation. In
this post, I’d really like to take a deep look into the dynamic between Krolock
and Alfred and explain both why it is overtly sexual and how their
characterization allows them to work as perfect foils for each other. By
working as perfect dramatic foils, the balance struck suggests a romantic
compatibility that isn’t quite found elsewhere in the show.

To a certain extent, Alfred understands that Krolock’s open
sexuality is something that threatens him; it’s not as sweet and easy and clean
as his affection for Sarah. Carpe does a good job of illustrating this with the
sweet, chaste dance with Sarah and the sort of confusing trio dance that
results in Krolock biting Alfred. Sarah is left on the outside of that bite,
seemingly confused by it. Alfred later bares his fangs during that romantic
duet with Sarah, but he only does so behind her back, meaning that Alfred
doesn’t think it’s something she can or should understand.

Alfred knows that a relationship with Sarah would require him to
hide an aspect of himself, and I choose to believe it has to do with base
sexual desires. Vampires have almost always been a symbol for animalistic
sexual desire and I do believe that Tanz is no exception. Alfred harbors a
sexual anxiety that is only dragged out into the light by his visit with the
vampires specifically because of
their link to open sexuality, even as a result of it.

However, this isn’t to insinuate that Alfred only feels desire
towards or because of Krolock – his desire for Sarah is undeniable. I believe
Alfred simply suffers from an unwillingness or fear about accepting sexuality
as an ever-changing experience, because that is firmly outside of his society’s
teachings. In fact, Professor Abronsius acts for the audience as an agent of
that society, always teaching and reminding Alfred of what is “clear and
logical”. A small reminder here that Abronsius catches Alfred and Herbert
rolling around on the floor and immediately labels it as sodomy, also shaming
Alfred directly afterwards to humiliate him. The time period often speaks for
itself, but just so we don’t miss anything, Abronsius vocalizes his opinion
openly.

In fact, Abronsius vocalizes his thoughts enough that Alfred
never gets much of a chance to get a word in edgewise and is often left
thinking and feeling the way he does silently. Alfred wants so badly to satisfy
the expectations his society has for him, but rarely gets an opportunity to do
so while Abronsius lectures and pushes him around. Naturally, as soon as Alfred
sets eyes on a young, available woman, he decides she’s everything he’s wanted.
It’s easy for him to; he knows that the expectation held for him is that he’ll
end up with “someone like her”. I think it’s blatantly handled; Tanz includes
this “love at first sight” trope because of how ridiculous it is. It’s obvious
that Alfred can’t possibly be in love with Sarah because he’s only shared eye
contact with her for two seconds at the time of “Nie Geseh’n!” and they both
end up simply projecting onto each other rather than creating any kind of bond. 

How is this relevant to Krolfred? I’m almost there, check out the next bit (here – Posting at 11:15 am EST)

u know why krolfred is so great? bc graf is so smug about turning alfred to the dark side and being this big scary lord of vampires, and yet in the end the old fool gets just as charmed by this little nerd…….

fish-d:

RIGHT

ok i’ve retyped this like 8 times trying to get my FOUNTAIN OF EMOTIONS about this ship into words (for the 90th time, sorry #tdv tag) but –

listen. krolock initially thinks alfred is just Another Innocent with a Good Butt but he gets got so hard.

  • alfred is so much smarter than he realized (i mean he has to be he’s professor “B O O K S” abronsius’s assistant; he must spend so much time reading other people’s publications and rooting around in libraries); he and krolock can talk circles around each other about greek classics and mary shelly alike. & i mean, how invigorating were the conversations with a pastor’s daughter from the 1700s and one of napoleon’s young pages? im sure part of krolock really did love them, but i really do think you have to be able to talk to your significant other, and krolock and alfred have so much to talk about – and the things alfred doesn’t know or understand he would be more than willing to learn!
  •  and alfred’s so much kinder than krolock realized, especially. i think, after a while when alfred learns to be more comfortable around krolock (particularly if alfie’s been turned, which is How I Like It), he’s a constant open ear and he’s so much easier to talk to than anyone krolock has ever met! he won’t judge and he won’t give advice because he hasn’t had any damn experiences but u bet ur ass he’ll hold krolock’s spindly hand and tell him that its ok ! and that he’s such a good dad and that herbert’s mom probably thinks so, too, wherever she is.
    i think krolock would resist that kind of comfort at first, but its so genuine, and he NEEDS to hear it. he needs to let go, its been 300 goddamn years – and alfred would be insistent, whenever they start to become a Thing, that he can still love his wife, but he can move on. he doesn’t have to carry the weight of that guilt forever.

i made myself sad goddamnit

krolfred anon you (& anyone else who wants to!) should send me some headcanons sometime. i live for this content tbqh

Alright so I thought I’d update anyone waiting on the next chapter of An Independent Will:

I’ve taken a brief two-three day break from writing this next chapter to write an in-depth examination of Krolfred as a pairing.

Take this as a warning, this thing is a MONSTER, it’s so long. But as someone who is crazy for literary analysis I could not resist a closer examination.

I’m going to try to break it up into pieces for the sake of everyone’s dashboards, but I hope you’ll all read it.