originally posted in 2016 [x]. requested by somehow-you-will.
Childhood memory is a major theme in The Prince of Egypt. Rameses is haunted by his father’s legacy and abusive words; he’s motivated by his fear of being the weak link in the chain. Moses is able to whistle and recognize the lullaby he heard when he was just an infant. Indeed, the day that Yocheved surrenders Moses remains with Miriam and Aaron, too, impacting them in very personal, and unique, ways. Yocheved’s memory is preserved, her role centralized, both in her children’s ability to recall these early events and in her song, which forms a motif.
It makes sense, then, that Yocheved is the first of the family we see, and hear. The movie introduces her, and as she passes in front of the camera, her dress sweeps across like a curtain to reveal Miriam and Aaron. Finally, she unwraps Moses from the veil in which she has been desperately hiding him.
Right away, we’re able to identify this beautiful person as a mother: It is she who ushers her children — our protagonists — into the story. A symbolic birth, which occurs in the order of their birth. I think this is significant, for age also affects what they are able to understand and remember about the day.
octoberspirit 