
When first listening to Eminem’s song “The Monster” the viewer probably just noticed a catchy tune, but after listening closer to what he raps they may have caught on to what he was trying to say. However, watching the music video allows the viewer to really see what the monster is. By looking closer at the allusions to Eminem’s past throughout the music video we can see that the monster Eminem is referring to is the person fame has made him into and this is important because it shows the viewer the unexpected struggles he has faced in his life due to fame. We can also see this through scenes in which Eminem is treated like a mental patient and a crazy animal, which is how he feels being the monster.

The beginning of the video is set to look like an intervention with Rhianna showing Eminem clips from rough parts of his past (0:24). This is taking place in a very dark and quiet room, so the scene has a very calming feel to it which is ironic because as the scene goes on and the viewer sees more close-ups of Eminem’s face they can see that he is not calm and the clips seem to pain him. The camera slowly zooms in closer on the video screen and Eminem’s face so we can see the words flashing on the screen such as “fame,” “addiction,” and “violence” that illustrate clear battles he dealt with in his life. The room is very dark and the camera focuses on constant sounds such as a metronome, Newton’s balls, and Rhianna’s pen writing. With the focus of these things, and the close-ups of Eminem’s nervous face we can see how uncomfortable he is with this evaluation of himself. This introduction scene clearly establishes the fact that Eminem has struggled with addiction and violence due to fame and this is what the rest of the video and song will be about.

Suddenly Eminem is stuck on an intense, dark elevator ride that he cannot get off of which represents the crazy ride that he was thrown into when he first became famous. This elevator passes multiple stops, one of which alludes to Eminem himself in 2001 when he released the song “Lose Yourself.” His line “I know somebody once told me to seize the moment and don’t squander it” references to this song, and we see Eminem singing “The Monster” on the album cover that “Lose Yourself” came out on (2:30). This is a very important part to the meaning behind the song because if the viewer just listened to the song they probably would not catch this reference, and through this the reader can see how Eminem hears his own voice within his head telling him to seize the moment, not someone elses. It takes the image of Eminem in 2001 at the 8 Mile RO Mobil Court for the viewer to see it. This scene flashes back and forth with the elevator scene where Eminem is even more confused with what is going on in his head. It is clear that the elevator ride is getting worse because the camera distorts Eminem’s face momentarily and he cannot even see straight. The distortion of his face gives the viewer and inside look of Eminem’s mind, he cannot think or keep the voices in his head straight. In this part of the video we really see how much Eminem struggles within his own head, which helps us see how he could have created a monster out of himself in his own head.

Finally, we see Eminem make his last stop a roof and notice someone in a cage, and it turns out to be Eminem as “the monster” again (4:30). This is clear because he is in a cage in broad daylight while men point guns at him, ready to shoot him like some deranged animal, or monster. The men’s black clothing makes them stand out like and look almost like silhouettes in contrast to the brightness outside, and the sunshine and daylight of the outside are completely different from the darkness of the rest of the video, which has been either in dark rooms or outside at night. At first the viewer can’t really see who is in the cage at first because of the dark shadows being cast over the person, but then when he turns around his face is so light that it is the only thing they can see and focus on, which is important because recognizing Eminem in the cage brings light to the fact that he is the monster. The lightness in this scene represents a turning point in the music video because he accepts that he is friends with the monster now rather than fighting what he is struggling with in his head like he has through the rest of the video. In this instance we can see that Eminem is his own monster, and the previous scenes of the video are what has created this monster. 

After closely examining the music video for Eminem’s song “The Monster” the viewer is now able to understand a deeper meaning of the song than they would having only listened to it. With the intensity of the uncontrollable elevator ride that is basically Eminem’s life and the darkness throughout most of the video, we can see that the meaning of this video and song is much darker and deeper than it may have first appeared. This song represents Eminem’s personal struggle with everything that fame has brought him and has made a part of him into a monster that he struggles constantly to suppress, and other people may think he is crazy for acting these ways but it is not something that many people go through so they are not able to understand. 
