abigail-pent: kallistoi: abigail-pent:kallistoi:[image text: In my mind the figure that cleaves
abigail-pent: kallistoi: abigail-pent:kallistoi:[image text: In my mind the figure that cleaves the most towards the tragic is the Emperor, John, who is more or less given all the traits of a specific Greek tragic hero in the books – although one has to question whether or not John is actually making himself into this guy specifically; he knows the reference too. Is it a reference if the character is also self-aware of the reference??]oh john gaius confirmed for genre aware guy who doesn’t know he’s in a deconstructive narrative and fucks himself up over it? oh is that what we’re doing tonight? Ok but who here is good at Greek tragedy and knows who she’s referring to?? not to be like ~i’m a grad student in classics and i study tragedy~ but i whatever it’s my post i get to clown on it. i don’t think she’s referring to any specific greek tragic figure, moreso the tropes associated with classical tragedy and its characterization as discussed by aristotle, who she namechecks earlier in the interview. my guess is that some john gaius relevant tragedy boy qualities might be: - knows a thing is wrong, inexorably drawn to doing it anyway- narratively problematized infatuation with monarchy, autocratic rule- masculinities that are sometimes almost shockingly sensitive given how much violence these men are responsible for, which are facts the narrative wants you to be uncomfortable trying to reconcile- sigh. hubris didn’t actually exclusively mean arrogantly divine aspirations in the way we use today but the god complex is familiar from the roman tragedies of senecagreek tragedy was also very good at looking empire in the face and saying “this makes us uncomfortable but we also don’t want to stop,” which is probably the most john gaius relevant tragedy trope please be like “I’m a grad student in classics and I study tragedy”, I am *very* here for that! thanks for sharing!! Throwing my hat in the ring for Agamemnon, or possibly someone else involved in the Trojan War.One reason is that many of the characters in the books have names that reference not just Classical Greece in general, but specifically the Trojan War: Pelleamena (Peleus), Priamhark (Priam), Palamedes (who almost was Diomedes, another reference to the Iliad), Protesilaus, Pyrrha. (Did I miss anyone? Is it a coincidence that all of their names start with a P?)Also, I think that there are interesting points of alignment between Agamemnon specifically and Jod.Agamemnon comes from a cursed bloodline. He draws several city states/royal houses(!) together for a war of revenge that drags on for a long time, and leaves many of the survivors displaced. He sacrifices his own daughter to appease an angry goddess so that the army can sail to Troy. And when he goes back home, his wife has him killed to revenge the dead daughter.It’s a bit unclear what Jod’s endgame is, but he sure is in a war that had dragged on for a while, and according to Augustine he is “assembling [a] bewildering […] invasion force” in order to exact punishment for whatever it was that happened to humanity. He does not seem, uh, uncursed to me. He has become displaced from his home, as had his Lyctors. Her sacrificed A.L., and let the Lyctors sacrifice their cavaliers (and it’s quite possible that the Resurrection involved some kind of sacrifice as well). And he has not returned to the First House yet, in fact he claims he can’t go back. Maybe someone is waiting for him there, someone who wants revenge for one or all of the sacrifices he made? -- source link
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