Star Words: Episode III, Part 14
Jul. 26th, 2018 02:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilThe opera sequence is one of the most compelling scenes in the prequels, and it's nearly all dialogue. It's mostly thanks to Ian McDiarmid's brilliantly subtle performance, though the setting does a lot to set the eerie mood. With their faces lit by the strange shifting orbs and the otherworldly music thrumming in the background, Palpatine weaves his webs of deceit and temptation. We are nearly as mesmerized as Anakin.
It's clear that this isn't their first philosophical discussion. Palpatine has spent years quietly planting the seeds of doubt in Anakin's mind. "Remember back to your early teachings." Now he uses the "discovery" of Grievous's location as an opportunity to encourage all of Anakin's ill feelings toward the Jedi Council. They won't send him to fight Grievous. They don't appreciate his talents. But of course Palpatine does. He understands Anakin. He is all sympathy and kindness. More of those abuser tactics, ensuring that Anakin feels lost and unsupported by everyone except the Chancellor.
Anakin balks at the notion that the Council is plotting an overthrow, though he can't deny that it's possible. That his trust has been shaken. That their recent request isn't entirely ethical. This is where Palpatine's tactics become truly brilliant. Pointing out an entity's moral flaws -- their hypocrisy -- leads directly into the possibility of moral relativism.
"Good is a point of view."
Mortal relativism. It reminds me of a line from Harry Potter, if I could hop fandoms for just a moment. "There is no good or evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it." Once you've let go of the notion of right and wrong, it's a simple matter of seeking out whatever behaviors serve you best.
Anakin's not there yet. He still has a very rigid alignment in his mind: Jedi=Good and Sith=Bad. But that's part of the problem. The Jedi strive for good, generally, but they're not infallible. They make mistakes. Big ones, sometimes. For Anakin, coming face to face with that fallibility makes him doubt that they were ever good at all. His concept of morality doesn't allow for much nuance or human weakness, only this simplistic dichotomy. So it's all too easy for him to lose faith when people don't live up their ideals. If the Jedi aren't on the side of good, then why keep clinging to an Order that denies him so many of the things he desires most?
Next time, Palpatine tightens the web with a temptation beyond Anakin's wildest dreams....
It's clear that this isn't their first philosophical discussion. Palpatine has spent years quietly planting the seeds of doubt in Anakin's mind. "Remember back to your early teachings." Now he uses the "discovery" of Grievous's location as an opportunity to encourage all of Anakin's ill feelings toward the Jedi Council. They won't send him to fight Grievous. They don't appreciate his talents. But of course Palpatine does. He understands Anakin. He is all sympathy and kindness. More of those abuser tactics, ensuring that Anakin feels lost and unsupported by everyone except the Chancellor.
Anakin balks at the notion that the Council is plotting an overthrow, though he can't deny that it's possible. That his trust has been shaken. That their recent request isn't entirely ethical. This is where Palpatine's tactics become truly brilliant. Pointing out an entity's moral flaws -- their hypocrisy -- leads directly into the possibility of moral relativism.
"Good is a point of view."
Mortal relativism. It reminds me of a line from Harry Potter, if I could hop fandoms for just a moment. "There is no good or evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it." Once you've let go of the notion of right and wrong, it's a simple matter of seeking out whatever behaviors serve you best.
Anakin's not there yet. He still has a very rigid alignment in his mind: Jedi=Good and Sith=Bad. But that's part of the problem. The Jedi strive for good, generally, but they're not infallible. They make mistakes. Big ones, sometimes. For Anakin, coming face to face with that fallibility makes him doubt that they were ever good at all. His concept of morality doesn't allow for much nuance or human weakness, only this simplistic dichotomy. So it's all too easy for him to lose faith when people don't live up their ideals. If the Jedi aren't on the side of good, then why keep clinging to an Order that denies him so many of the things he desires most?
Next time, Palpatine tightens the web with a temptation beyond Anakin's wildest dreams....
no subject
Date: 2018-07-28 09:55 pm (UTC)(Guessing ahead, I'm intrigued by the possibility your next line will be from this same scene. As you said, though, the scene's worth examining.)
no subject
Date: 2018-08-02 03:53 pm (UTC)