Gothic Doubling in Assassin’s Creed: How Altair Represents the Hopes and Fears of Ezio “Today, I have more questions than answers. This is why I have come so far: to find clarity” (Ubisoft 1:38-1:48). Master Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze, main protagonist of Ubisoft’s 2011 video game Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, yearns for the wisdom supposedly left behind at Masyaf Castle by the revolutionary Assassin Mentor, Altair Ibn-La’Ahad. Ezio desires Altair’s knowledge and wisdom to learn more about his Brotherhood’s history, goals, struggles, and more specifically, his own purpose. In the extended official E3 trailer for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Altair appears to Ezio during a battle at Masyaf. Altair has been dead for centuries, …show more content…
The trailer opens to Ezio being held captive at the snowy castle of Masyaf by the Templar Knights. Ezio is an experienced assassin who achieved the title of “Master” by reaching the peak of his training. The trailer flashes back to his journey to Masyaf to demonstrate Ezio’s resilience while displaying his struggles, traveling through deserts and sailing through seas, to reach his destination. Ezio mentions in his narration that his goal is to locate a hidden library, “A center full of invaluable wisdom.” Ezio is in pursuit of the knowledge that his predecessor, Altair, left behind. This common Gothic element is discussed by Professor Ewan Kirkland from the University of Brighton in his paper on Gothic videogames: “John Fletcher’s discussion of female Gothic cinema opens with the claim: ‘The search for origins, especially when it takes the form of reconstructing a hidden or forbidden scene is one of the most seductive of all narratives” (112). This seductive narrative is parallel to Ezio’s journey as he is searching for a hidden library which contains knowledge and wisdom from his order’s past. In this fictional universe, The Assassins have been at war with the Templar Order for most of known human history. The Templars contrast the ideals of freedom held by the Assassins. The Templars wish to create a perfect world through the order and control of weaker individuals.
In literature there are many different genres, one of the older and more established genre is the horror genre. This genre has been known for beyond centuries. Since humanity has existed we have always had an urge to be scared. It has always been exciting to get a so called “adrenaline shock”. In today’s society there are a lot more options to get the adrenalin pumping such as skydiving or bungee-jumping etc. Before all this technology came in hand people told horror stories to each other. One of the most mentioned horror stories is probably Dracula. The original story is written by Bram Stoker and has been adapted for the screen as an American romantic horror film directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. On the following pages, I have analyzed the horror film “Dracula”.
Although many gothic novels are written in a complex manner, the novel “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” is very different. This gothic novel is written in a simplistic fashion which is understandable on the surface. However, if one digs deeper than the surface of this novel, “We Have Always lived in the Castle,” proves to be full of details and themes. There are many important themes in this story and some which are not as important. In the novel, “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” there are many extremely important themes such as, domesticity, rich vs. poor, and sibling relationships. Also, in the novel, “We Have Always lived in the Castle,” there is one theme which is not essential to the novel, which is the supernatural and potential witch elements in this story. All of these themes help to portray the message of Shirley Jackson’s novel, “We have Always Lived in the Castle.”
The use of Gothic elements in the short story, “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, is prevalent. A few examples of the gothic elements found in the text are hidden evil, obsession with death, isolation, and grim setting. These elements are shown through Tom, Tom’s wife, the devil, and the town and its people. Hidden evil is identified early on in the story and constantly throughout. The first instance of hidden evil is when the narrator informs the reader of tom’s wife’s greed and abusive actions (Irving, 200).
Set in Italy during the carnival season, Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado tells a story of revenge after a slanderous insult damages the narrator’s prestigious reputation. To stage this plot, Poe uses a variety of settings to convey a sense of dread and impending doom. These settings not only pull the audience into Poe’s world, they serve as important plot devices—often foreshadowing future events. Additionally, these settings convey a message to readers, allowing them to better understand the story and the imagery Poe uses to set the scene.
The medieval times was filled with ideas based just around the church. As the Renaissance began, the arts developed into a freer and move creative society based on more Greek and Roman ideas. “Finding the feudal and ecclesiastical literature and Gothic art of the
Gothic literature uses wide ranging themes and gothic elements to convey its story. Gothic literature short stories can range from romance to horror to supernatural occurrences. Horacio Quiroga’s “The Feather Pillow,” Richard Matheson’s “Prey,” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” all incorporate the following gothic elements: violence, revenge, hallucinations, nightmares, and psychological issues.
In Bowen’s article, he discusses the different gothic motifs that make up gothic literature such as power and restraint, clashing time periods, strange places, terror versus horror, and a world of doubt. “Edward Scissorhands” has always been considered a strange film while We Have Always Lived in a Castle has always been considered a gothic novel. According to Bowen’s list of gothic motifs, “Edward Scissorhands” would be considered more gothic than the novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle because it fits more of the gothic conventions.
Winter succesfully notes that this dominance and power was also preserved by what we would call propaganda. In regards to another period of art, Winter suggests that “aesthetic pleasure can serve as the vehicle by which a highly seductive ideal vision is articulated for the citizen-viewer”. In regards to the stela, the viewer sees an image of an audacious, virtuous hero, the signifier which may have instilled and preserved the distorted perception of hierarchy. Though the idea of being an alpha male is nothing new at this point in history, it does become physically stamped into history, used to gain loyalty between the ruler and the ruled.
The Castle of Ontario contains many elements of male gothic. The most blatant of these elements being the terrorization of a female victim as in the case of Manfred pursuing Isabella, explicit images such as the gruesome scene caused by the helmet falling on Conrad, prison settings such as the chapel holding Isabella or Theodore’s imprisonment, supernatural and tragic undertones everywhere such as in the case of Milfred’s undying love for an unappreciative prince, and the eventual death of Theodore’s beloved. A shallow reading of the book might leave the reader with the impression that this novel is an archetypal male gothic novel. A closer inspection actually offers striking commentary on Classic male gothic through the juxtaposition of Manfred
Setting and imagery, is important in the novel, the word ‘Abbey’, represents connotations of the gothic itself, which conjures up expectations of horror, and danger, and visions of the uncanny.
Oates short stories usually follow young characters through their struggles in life. There are many family imperfections in Oates stories that mostly tend to have a disturbing image in the readers head. While it seemed that Joyce Carol Oates experienced dark childhood experiences, she seems to explore her thoughts according to similar events that had happened in her life. Written by Joyce Carol Oates, “Spider Boy” is an example that highly defines gothic horror. Many of her works deal with violence, rape, death, or a character that has gone completely mad. “Naked” has many dark and nightmare like scenes, Oates writes on how a normal day can be your worst; it is that Oates puts a woman in a scene that would be worse than an average
The gothic novel emerged during the late eighteenth century and the ‘Age of Enlightenment’, which emphasised rationality
The painting was a commissioned work for the Medici Family of Florence, a powerful political and financial family which would later go on to become an influential royal house for centuries. Throughout the painting, there is evidence of movement and a prevailing sense you
As a brief introduction to Gothic, the label ‘Gothic’ was coined in Italy. It was during Renaissance, “as a derogatory reference to the art and architecture of these earlier centuries” (Introduction:
The central theme of all Gothic novels is the presence and symbolism of the Gothic castle. Depiction of ruinous abbeys, monasteries, subterranean passages, vaults, secret panels, and the trapdoors is a standard method of achieving the atmosphere. Howells sees the Gothic castle as being ‘a shadowy world of ruins and twilight scenery lit up from time to time by lurid flashes of passion and violence ’(6). Therefore, the gloominess of the exterior and interior environment is illuminated by intense emotional and passionate moments of the characters that inhabit the castle. As Sage claims, the castle is ‘the lair of the villain’(166), and it is an accurate reflection of his dark and frightening character. Gloomy, dark, and dangerous, the castle reflects the emotions and psychological experience of many of the novel’s characters.