The Antagonists of SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993): An Analysis

There’s plenty to analyze when discussing a great like Steven Spielberg, with few films ever being as captivating or mesmerizing as 1993’s Schindler’s List. When discussing Schindler’s List (1993), it’s natural to focus on the central figure, Oskar Schindler, a character as complex as any in the film.

However, instead of diving into Schindler’s character, which is already well-known and impactful, it’s imperative to analyze the film's antagonist, Amon Goeth. Played by Ralph Fiennes, Goeth is chilling, and his complexity is equally compelling.

Still from 'The Schindler's List (1993)'. Photo credit: IMDb

Amon Goeth

Amon Goeth is the primary antagonist in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 Oscar-winning World War II drama Schindler’s List, adapted from Thomas Keneally’s 1982 novel Schindler’s Ark.

A ruthless and sadistic SS officer, Goeth serves as an Untersturmführer (second lieutenant) and later as a Hauptsturmführer (captain), overseeing the liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto and the mass murder of its Jewish residents. He also commanded the Płaszów concentration camp. The character is based on the real-life Nazi war criminal Amon Goeth.

Personality

Amon Goeth’s character is portrayed as a ruthless, dangerous figure utterly devoid of empathy. He wields unquestionable authority over those under his command. No one dares to defy him unless they possess power comparable to his own.

Goeth isn’t portrayed solely as a murderous psychopath. There is a moment when he chooses to forgive a Jewish prisoner who angered him, letting his rage pass without resorting to violence.

However, Goeth remains who he is–a ruthless, power-abusing tyrant. The idea of showing mercy is not his own but is planted by Oskar Schindler, whose perspective on power briefly influences him.

Relationship With Helen Hirschs

Goeth’s relationship with his maid, Helen Hirsch, adds a layer of contradiction and irony to his character. Helen is one of the few who elicit brief moments of apparent affection from him, challenging the pure evilness he otherwise embodies.

Furthermore, his behavior is erratic and unpredictable since in one moment, he’s merciful; in the next, he’s a ruthless killer. Despite occasionally showing tenderness toward Helen, he frequently abuses her, underscoring his capacity for both cruelty and twisted affection.

This duality makes him even more unsettling. The fact that such a monstrous, depraved man can still display flashes of humanity connects him to us in disturbing ways, making his evil feel more insidiously real.

Power

A pivotal scene in Schindler’s List occurs when Goeth and Schindler sit together atop Goeth’s villa overlooking the concentration camp. Goeth is drunk, and Schindler calmly sips his drink as they discuss the nature of power.

On the surface, the conversation is straightforward: Goeth believes power comes from instilling fear. He asserts his dominance over the Jewish prisoners by controlling every aspect of their lives and killing without hesitation–a tactic that has proven brutally effective. Schindler, however, challenges this view, suggesting that true power is not about fear but restraint.

But Schindler’s words are more than a casual debate. He’s subtly attempting to redirect Goeth’s perspective, using the concept of power, something Goeth understands, to encourage him to stop the senseless killing.

Schindler knows that Goeth’s cruelty is deeply ingrained and that simply removing him won’t solve the problem; another ruthless Nazi would simply take his place. Instead, Schindler tries to appeal to the core of Goeth’s identity, planting the idea that mercy can be a form of power, too.

Therefore, power is a central theme of the story and how it intertwines with our antagonist in Amon Goeth, something still reflected in many of the new movies coming out soon that explore authority, control, and morality.

On the surface, the power dynamics seem clear-cut: the Nazis hold power and use it to oppress Jewish populations. However, Keneally reveals that power is far more complex than these rigid hierarchies suggest.

Men like Oskar Schindler exploit these nuances, using charm, manipulation, and moral conviction to undermine Nazi authority. While the brutal, violent power exercised by figures like Amon Goeth is effective in the short term, the story ultimately suggests that genuine, enduring power comes not from force but from character and humanity.

Dehumanization

The Nazis’ anti-Semitic policies were systematically designed to strip Jewish people of their humanity. The dehumanization of Kraków’s Jewish residents occurred gradually: first, their businesses were confiscated, then they were forced into ghettos, and eventually sent to concentration camps, with many ultimately transported to extermination camps.

This step-by-step process desensitized both the Nazis and the general population, normalizing the treatment of Jewish people as subhuman.

Jewish residents were frequently relocated, fracturing families and communities and preventing them from holding onto possessions. This robbed them of fundamental human experiences–love, connection, and personal belongings.

The transport itself was brutal, with prisoners crammed into cattle cars without food, water, or sanitation. Upon arrival at camps like Płaszów, they were starved, forced into grueling labor, and treated worse than livestock, all while living under the constant threat of execution by men like Amon Goeth.

Figures like Oskar Schindler understood that one of the most potent ways to help Jewish prisoners was to restore their sense of humanity, as reclaiming one’s identity could provide the strength to endure.

Bureaucracy

The Nazi Party operated as a vast bureaucracy, and while this structure was often inefficient, it ultimately served as a powerful tool for advancing its brutal ideology. This bureaucratic façade also helped SS members and other officials maintain the illusion that they were acting in the name of justice.

Maintaining this illusion was crucial to the Nazi bureaucracy. Policies that appeared to limit unchecked violence, such as restrictions on summary executions, were less about protecting prisoners and more about preserving the regime’s image.

As the war drew to a close, the bureaucracy’s primary function shifted to erasing evidence of war crimes. However, the extensive paper trail it created would later expose the scale of Nazi atrocities.

Oskar Schindler, however, recognized that a bureaucracy is only as powerful as the people who enforce its rules. By appealing personally to influential officials, he learned to manipulate the system.

His repeated imprisonments, and subsequent releases, illustrate his ability to bypass regulations through charm and negotiation. Schindler understood that bureaucratic procedures held power only when those in authority chose to enforce them.