Geass and the Divine Comedy.

[lavaliere]

So, I'm wondering if anyone beside me pays this close attention to the stuff in the background of Code Geass, but I figured I'd ask~

I was rewatching R2's first couple episodes and noticed something interesting that Lelouch is reading in Turn 1. It's Purgatorio, the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy (coming after the Inferno). More specifically, it's Canto 22: The ascent to the sixth cornice, the sixth cornice, and the Gluttons. Now, when I first thought about it, I thought "lelouch is a pretty smart guy. eh reads classical literature and doesn't afraid of illiteracy."

But then I went back to read the Canto itself. At first glance, you wouldn't think that gluttony would apply to Lelouch in any way, but when we think about another form of gluttony, avarice, it does. Avarice is defined as "excessive or insatiable desire or greed." Wouldn't you say this applies very well to Lelouch in the way that he desires power?

And I think this particular part is intersting, if we were to apply it to him:
how, amid all the wisdom you posessed--
   and which you won to by such dilligence--
   could Avarice find a place within your breast?"

At these words Statius let a brief smile play
   across his lips, and fade. Then he replied:
   "I hear love's voice in every word you say.

Often, indeed, appearances give rise
   to groundless doubts in us, and false conclusions,
   the true cause being hidden from our eyes.

The first speaker is Virgil, the poet that leads Dante through Hell (the Inferno) and up through Purgatory. The second is Statius, another poet that joins the two in Purgatory as they ascend.

My translation is different from the one that Lelouch has:


Another thing that makes Lelouch's reading of the Divine Comedy interesting is what happens in episode 21. Anybody recognize this? It's probably one of the most famous lines from Dante's Divine Comedy. For those who don't know, it's what is posted above the Gates of Hell. The cantos read as this:

I AM THE WAY INTO THE CITY OF WOE.
I AM THE WAY TO A FORSAKEN PEOPLE.
I AM THE WAY INTO ETERNAL SORROW.

SACRED JUSTICE MOVED MY ARCHITECT.
I WAS RAISED HERE BY DIVINE OMNIPOTENCE,
PRIMORDIAL LOVE AND ULTIMATE INTELLECT.

ONLY THOSE ELEMENTS TIME CANNOT WEAR
WERE MADE BEFORE ME, AND BEYOND TIME I STAND.
ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE.
(the Inferno, Canto III)

But what I want to know is how does this apply to the Sword of Akasha or the power of Geass? I'd love to chalk it up as "lol, Sunrise" but somehow I think Tanigutchi has some sort connection in mind...

And on a completely unrelated note... I see what you did there, Sunrise.

Comments

[rainbow-cnxn.livejournal.com]

Now, when I first thought about it, I thought "lelouch is a pretty smart guy. eh reads classical literature and doesn't afraid of illiteracy."
Oh, you have no idea how much I lol'd, despite myself.

I knew he was reading The Divine Comedy, but never caught the Purgatorio page. Good eye. (Now, how does Sunrise manage to type up entire pages of Dante and fake bio info with impeccable grammar, yet get the name of their show wrong for about a month? "Revellion", anyone?)

Anyways, good post. I'd say that Lelouch's "avarice" is a bit more nuanced than a simple desire for power, though. I think that after Turn 21, it's pretty clear that he really despises his geass, and the preview seems to make it clear that he holds little love for the Britannian crown, too. He doesn't desire power, but he does desire results, and he will take that power for the time being to effect it.

Since we barely averted the Eva ending, I'm also seeing a TTGL ending here. The HAPPY END potential for our Trio is abysmally low right now, though Nunnally's status upgrade to "alive" gives a little bit of hope.

So we have Norse, Arthurian, (possibly also Judeo-Christian and others based on what V.V. said,) and Hindu mythologies, along with Dante thrown into the mix. I'm half-expecting to see some Beowulf and Milton tossed in there soon, too, for maximum classical EPIC IMAGERY. The Geass-equivalent of Pandemonium would be pretty awesome to see.

[kuroiinu-chan.livejournal.com]

though Nunnally's status upgrade to "alive" gives a little bit of hope.

Wait, really? Is this a reference to the abiguity of Odysseus' comment to Lelouch ("When we found Nunnally, we thought there might be a chance...") or has there been an update in another form? I'd be so happy to see Nunnally alive...

[powercorrupts.livejournal.com]

There's some spoilers posted recently on animesuki that have been circulating. I think they were reposted here as well.

[rainbow-cnxn.livejournal.com]

It should be a post to the comm from yesterday. But uh, spoiler warnings, if that wasn't apparent enough.