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Gothic Doubling In Assassin's Creed

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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.

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