It begins after Moses’s internal monologue, spoken in song, and his return to the palace after encountering his real siblings. Moses has received bombshell news, and he’s in denial. After convincing himself it’s all lies, he settles down near a column and falls sleep. He figures rest will fix everything. Besides, Miriam was lying…right?
Enter Moses’s dream. As the animation becomes stylized, Moses sees the current Pharaoh, Seti, signal his guards to begin their mission. Moses is chased along the pillars, ending up in Goshen. Once there, he witnesses these guards rip Hebrew babies from their mothers. It’s terrifying, and the haunting music underscores that.
Amidst all of this chaos, Moses spots a woman and her children in the shadows. These are Yocheved, his mother, and his siblings, and they’re staying out of sight. When the coast is clear, Moses follows them to The Nile River, whereupon Yocheved places a baby in a basket. We never are told who the baby is, but based on the interspersing of Yocheved’s lullaby, as well as Moses shedding a tear, it’s pretty obvious that it’s him. It’s this part that always makes me choke up.
We’re not given time to sit on this moment, however. No sooner is baby Moses off-screen when the guards chase adult Moses into The Nile River, whereupon we see many babies, a swarm of crocodiles and the colour red surround him. The symbolism’s obvious. This is also when the dream reaches its peak, with the music being frantic. Everything then fades to black. And all this with no words.
This would be powerful enough on its own, but The Prince of Egypt decides it hasn’t punished the audience enough. As Moses wakes up in shock, he senses something’s wrong. He grabs a torch and makes his way past some wall etchings, right until he encounters a dead end. It’s here that he sees the etching of Seti, towering over the guards and ordering them to throw Hebrew babies into The Nile. Moses has seen this before, but he’s now put two-and-two together. He slumps to the ground, drops his torch, and Yocheved’s lullaby is heard again.
Moses then feels a hand on his shoulder. It belongs to Seti. In most situations, this scene would have a consoling speech, a lie of sorts. Instead, Seti tells the truth, or the truth from his perspective: he had Hebrew babies killed so they wouldn’t rise up against the Egyptians. As Moses demands he tell him this didn’t happen, Seti confesses that “sometimes, for the greater good, sacrifices must be made”. Moses isn’t convinced, believing this was unjustified.
This would be powerful enough on its own, but The Prince of Egypt decides it hasn’t punished the audience enough. As Moses wakes up in shock, he senses something’s wrong. He grabs a torch and makes his way past some wall etchings, right until he encounters a dead end. It’s here that he sees the etching of Seti, towering over the guards and ordering them to throw Hebrew babies into The Nile. Moses has seen this before, but he’s now put two-and-two together. He slumps to the ground, drops his torch, and Yocheved’s lullaby is heard again.
Moses then feels a hand on his shoulder. It belongs to Seti. In most situations, this scene would have a consoling speech, a lie of sorts. Instead, Seti tells the truth, or the truth from his perspective: he had Hebrew babies killed so they wouldn’t rise up against the Egyptians. As Moses demands he tell him this didn’t happen, Seti confesses that “sometimes, for the greater good, sacrifices must be made”. Moses isn’t convinced, believing this was unjustified.
And then Seti delivers the coldest line in the movie so far: “Oh my son…they were only slaves.”
Firstly, that’s an incredibly weak justification. And secondly, Seti’s inability to feel the moment, or even console Moses, reemphasizes his barbarism. You can argue that Seti’s haunted by this, and he might even have PTSD, but does it excuse infanticide? How can he disregard human suffering, even if it’s from slaves? Is that the best he can do?
Well, Moses doesn’t buy it, as he retreats. It’s fitting that this is the last time we see Seti, as the movie never shifts back to him. It speaks for itself: Seti, the harsh-yet-loving father-figure, has had his true colours revealed. He’s not a kind man, but a monster with no regard for his servants. It’s also interesting that Patrick Stewart, usually known for warm, sympathetic heroes, voices Seti. It’s a clever twist on typecasting, and it shows how good an actor he is. Not to mention, it’s a great close-off for this scene.
Much has been said of The Prince of Egypt over the years. While beloved now, there was time when people were mixed on it. It’s ambitious, but the common complaint in 1998 was that that ambition was too lofty. It was also accused of being uneven tonally, with humour in its first-act that felt out-of-place. Yet time’s been kind, and people’s reactions have softened since. It’s now considered one of the great Biblical epics, up there with The Ten Commandments.
Firstly, that’s an incredibly weak justification. And secondly, Seti’s inability to feel the moment, or even console Moses, reemphasizes his barbarism. You can argue that Seti’s haunted by this, and he might even have PTSD, but does it excuse infanticide? How can he disregard human suffering, even if it’s from slaves? Is that the best he can do?
Well, Moses doesn’t buy it, as he retreats. It’s fitting that this is the last time we see Seti, as the movie never shifts back to him. It speaks for itself: Seti, the harsh-yet-loving father-figure, has had his true colours revealed. He’s not a kind man, but a monster with no regard for his servants. It’s also interesting that Patrick Stewart, usually known for warm, sympathetic heroes, voices Seti. It’s a clever twist on typecasting, and it shows how good an actor he is. Not to mention, it’s a great close-off for this scene.
Much has been said of The Prince of Egypt over the years. While beloved now, there was time when people were mixed on it. It’s ambitious, but the common complaint in 1998 was that that ambition was too lofty. It was also accused of being uneven tonally, with humour in its first-act that felt out-of-place. Yet time’s been kind, and people’s reactions have softened since. It’s now considered one of the great Biblical epics, up there with The Ten Commandments.
Despite this reappraisal, I find that Moses’s dream gets overlooked in favour of other moments. Those moments don’t work as well without this particular sequence setting up Moses’s arc. I think it deserves more praise. It especially deserves more praise considering Val Kilmer voiced Moses. It's easily one of his best roles.
Either way, rest in peace, and Happy Passover. Also, if you haven’t seen The Prince of Egypt yet, then you owe it to yourself. It’s easy to find, and it’s worth watching.
Either way, rest in peace, and Happy Passover. Also, if you haven’t seen The Prince of Egypt yet, then you owe it to yourself. It’s easy to find, and it’s worth watching.
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