Motifs in ‘The Dark Knight’

In a film, a motif is a symbol that represents something or someone of some significance. It can be through sound, lighting, or cinematography. Overall, a motif has a deeper meaning and indicate to the audience that something is about to happen, or someone is about to enter. These motifs occur repetitively throughout the film. Motifs play an important role in the action-thriller ‘The Dark Knight’.

In ‘The Dark Knight’, the idea of the crumbling of human society and order is explored through motifs. The motif being the use of dogs. The idea is that in society, human live in packs, like dogs and when the going gets tough society becomes a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world.

In The Dark Knight the Joker brings this idea of corruption and discontent to society. And when people begin to revolt and act like wild animals they begin to turn on Batman. There is a particular scene in which I am referring to. The scene being where Batman and the Joker come

to blows towards the end of the film. And as they fight, the Joker sets his attack dogs to take Batman down. This represents how the Joker is in command of all the chaos and at the click of a finger can make people turn on each other. Batman is a hero and is supposed to be what keeps order in Gotham City, and by setting the attack dogs on him the Joker shows how society has turned its back on everything that is good, and it is all his doing. And when the dogs attack Batman the Joker joins in and begins to attack Batman, which also represents how the Joker is the spearhead of this crumble of society. Also, during the scene where Morgan Freeman is talking Batman through his new gear and equipment, Batman asks ‘How will it do against dogs’. As Batman is a representation of law and order, it represents how the justice system feels threatened by the rebels and crazy people (the dogs).

Although it may seem simple and obvious, an effective motif in The Dark Knight is the underscore, that accompanies every scene containing the Joker. There are two types of underscores within the film that symbolize

what the Joker is thinking and what his next move is. A mid-paced, low volume and relatively dark tone plays as the Joker is planning and thinking. For example, as the joker tries to explain to a group that he wants half of their profits to kill the Batman, the underscore’s volume is very low and the pace is relatively slow. In contrast, the pace and volume of the sound increase and the tone becomes more sinister when the Joker is causing some sort of trouble. For example, the tone, instantly, becomes sharp and suspenseful as the Joker puts the knife to the character’s face, showing the audience that he has bad intentions and wants to kill this man. As I said, it may be very simple and obvious, but it is very effective and pre-warns the audience of what the joker is doing/ thinking. It also gives the audience a deeper insight into the Joker’s character as it makes him seem more crazy.

Another key motif within The Dark Knight is the Joker’s card. The card symbolizes a warning to both the audience and the characters. Whenever there is a Joker card, the Joker is about to, or already has attacked. The card represents a stamp, it’s the Joker’s stamp on whatever he has done. There is an example for both. The first being the court hearing for the 500+ people who are on trial. As the judge scrolls through the court details, she uncovers a ‘Joker’ and thinks nothing of it. For the characters, it means nothing. But for the audience it’s a sign that the

Joker is behind whatever is about to happen, and that he is coming, the card is a forewarning for the audience. In contrast the card is used as a stamp on the Joker’s work. For example, when a fake Batman was hung and uncovered. The ‘Joker’ was stuck to the fake Batman which

symbolizes that the Joker has killed this man. Not all the characters are aware of who and what the Joker is. However, the audience is fully aware of the Joker and that he has killed this fake Batman. The card also symbolizes how messed up the Joker is in the head. As I said, the card is a stamp for his work, and because he puts it on everything he does (no matter how catastrophic) it seems like the Joker is proud of his work and wants to make other characters feel intimidated by him.

In conclusion, motifs in The Dark Knight are used to represent/symbolize society, also to represent the thoughts and feelings of different characters. But mainly to signify to the audience that a certain event is or isn’t going to happen and to put them in the shoes of some of the characters. Overall, motifs play a massive part in telling the deeper meaning of The Dark Knight to the audience. And it does so, well, using sound and a variety of fictional, political views.