Blade: A Conflict of Self

Blade: A conflict of self

Blade, the 1998 film based on the Blade graphic novels, provides insight into a conflicted protagonist as he tries to identify his place and function in the world. Blade, portrayed by Wesley Snipes in the film, is a human-vampire hybrid that is on a self-appointed quest of protecting humanity from vampires. Blade draws upon several literary themes and tropes, and plays homage to ancient Greek tragedy while incorporating elements of Romantic literature. While revenge is a driving factor in the film, Blade grapples with his identity and embodies characteristics of a hero, "the Other," and of a reluctant vampire.

Blade is reminiscent of ancient Greek tragedy and revenge tragedies. In Blade, like in Greek tragedy, a subplot reveals that Blade is essential to Deacon Frost's plan of resurrecting an ancient blood god known as the Magra. It has been prophesized that Blade's blood is the key ingredient for helping to resurrect the Magra; Blade's role in the resurrection of the Magra was foretold in the Erebus codex which the vampires revere. Much like revenge tragedies, Blade's motives are influenced by a wrong committed towards him early on in his life, in this case, a wrong committed towards his pregnant mother before he was born. The beginning of the film provides the audience insight as to the nature of Blade's power; his pregnant mother was bitten by a vampire, mutating Blade at a genetic and sanguine level. Because of this change, Blade was born neither human nor vampire, but rather a hybrid of the two. This distinction is reminiscent of Greek tragedy; Blade is neither mortal nor immortal, but rather a demi-demon, who possesses the supernatural qualities of those that he has vowed to destroy.

Blade finds great difficulty defining his role in the world. Though he has vowed to destroy as many vampires as he can and to protect humankind, he is faced with the paradox of destroying part of his identity while trying to save the other. Blade possesses many qualities of a hero, particularly the qualities imbued by his vampiric semi-transformation and his ability and resolve to be courageous for the betterment of humanity. Mythological heroes, much like Blade, often had a close, but conflicted, relationship with their supernatural adversaries and benefactors. Though Blade possesses characteristics of a classical hero, he is also a Byronic hero, as well as an antihero. Like the Byronic hero, Blade comes from a troubled past, is emotionally conflicted, intelligent, and mysterious, but is also considered an outcast. Because Blade is not human, nor is he demon, he struggles to find his place in the world and is forced to live on the fringe of both societies, of which he does not find acceptance in either.