Character Relationship Map: Waxworks

Characters

• Ivan the Terrible (played by Conrad Veidt) — protagonist

  Ivan the Terrible is a paranoid and sadistic czar who takes pleasure in watching poisoned victims die. After the poison-maker secretly marks an hourglass with Ivan’s name, he tries to evade his appare...

• The Poet / Assad the Baker / Russian Prince (played by William Dieterle) — supporting

  The Poet is the unnamed writer hired to create stories for the wax figures, and he imagines himself in each tale. As Assad, he is a poor baker who attempts to steal a wishing ring and is saved by his...

• Jack the Ripper / Spring-Heeled Jack (played by Werner Krauss) — supporting

  Jack the Ripper is the wax figure that appears to come alive after the poet completes the other stories. He stalks the poet and the museum owner’s daughter through the dark, twisting halls, repeatedly...

• Grand Vizier (played by Paul Biensfeldt) — minor

  The Grand Vizier serves Harun al Raschid and is sent to identify the baker after smoke from the bakery obscures the palace. Instead of returning with the baker’s head, he reports the beauty of the bak...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Ivan the Terrible → Grand Vizier (Power Ruler And Envoy) — The Grand Vizier acts under Ivan's authority.

  Ivan sends his Grand Vizier to find Assad after becoming angry about the smoke from the bakery and losing a chess game.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Grand Vizier → The Poet / Assad the Baker / Russian Prince (Conflict Seeker And Suspect) — The Grand Vizier belongs to the authority searching for Assad.

  The Grand Vizier is sent to find Assad, while Assad later becomes the target of palace guards after attempting to steal the wishing ring.

• The Poet / Assad the Baker / Russian Prince → Jack the Ripper / Spring-Heeled Jack (Conflict Pursuer And Prey) — Jack becomes the poet's final supernatural threat.

  After the poet finishes the stories, the wax figure comes to life and stalks both the poet and the owner's daughter. The poet flees through the museum...

• The Poet / Assad the Baker / Russian Prince → Ivan the Terrible (Narrative Counterpart) — The poet repeatedly becomes a fictional counterpart caught in the rulers' dangerous worlds.

  The poet imagines himself as Assad the baker in the first story and later appears as the Russian prince's bridegroom in Ivan's story. Ivan is the cent...

Story Analysis

A poet's waxwork stories blur imagination, historical terror, and nightmare before returning him to waking reality.

Plot Progression

1. Stories From Wax — A young poet enters the wax museum and is hired to write histories for its models. The missing arm of one model inspires the first imaginative episode.
2. The Wishing Ring — The poet's story becomes an Arabian court adventure involving palace authority, poverty, jealousy, and a magical wishing ring. Assad's attempted theft places him under pursuit.
3. Protection Through Magic — Ivan is hidden in the oven while guards move against Assad. A wish saves Ivan and grants Assad an official position and protection.
4. The Czar's Hourglass — The second story presents Ivan's poison ritual and growing paranoia. His fear leads to a fatal substitution at a wedding and the imprisonment of the groom.
5. The Museum Nightmare — The poet awakens to a living wax figure that hunts him through the museum. The multiplying attacker and knife strike dissolve when the poet realizes the pursuit was a dream.