Decalogue 6 - AHB

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

This is a pretty intense film to view through Midrash. Our discussion brought up a bunch of different ways to interpret both the characters and the meaning of the commandment. I think this was one of the few times where we really got on track with the discussion and came up with some interesting conclusions.

I liked how our discussion revolved more around the idea of love than the act of sex/adultery. Whether or not that is the best way to interpret it, I think it is the most interesting and beneficial. To me I like to think that the act of adultery is really being committed against love. Or to put it another way, the word adultery generally speaks of an illicit relationship wherein one of the parties is already married. In the film this was obviously not the case, and I think Kieslowski set it up that way so that we would have to work at the meaning a bit. “Love” is the cuckold of this woman’s affairs. She is only able to define it within the bounds of the physical orgasm, so that the outward expression of love is stripped of its true meaning and left with nothing. Perhaps it is just me, but I saw “Love” as the abused and betrayed spouse. The boy taught this woman about real love without even trying, but by the time she recognized it his heart had been broken by her foul tricks.

Since I’m free to interpret this however I choose : ) I’m going to say that the commandment could be about maintaining the sanctity of love by not demoting it to the realm of pure physicality. From a Christian perspective there is almost no concept outside of the Godhead/Trinity more important than love: "God is love", "that you love one another", "to him who loved us". Jesus says that all the law and commandments are wrapped up in the first two commandments, which essential teach to love of God and to love man. Since love is given this unique place it doesn't seem unreasonable to suggest that God would command that it be given its due respect.