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Star Words: Episode III, Part 43
Feb. 14th, 2019 10:14 amHappy Valentine's Day! And what's more romantic than analyzing the scene wherein a fallen Anakin learns that his beloved wife is dead...right?
Well...maybe not fluffy romance, but if you like your romance dripping with angst and anguish, this is it.
A few entries back (Part 40) I noted that a feverish Padmé's first and only thought was for Anakin's well-being. This is mirrored in the Frankenstein-ish scene that reveals a full-suited Vader, as we know him throughout the original trilogy. After a brief, "Yes, my master" to acknowledge the Emperor, his very next words tell us what has been haunting him ever since that fateful moment on Mustafar.
"Where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she...all right?"
There is so much meaning contained in those last two words. Not just her physical being. The last words he spoke to her were a bitter accusation. His last action was violence. Rather than face his guilt, he lashed out at Obi-Wan and blamed him for their estrangement....but somewhere deep inside, he must know he is to blame. He is tentative, not demanding. He fears he has damaged their relationship beyond repair.
What his master tells him is far worse than that. She is dead. And, according the Emperor, she died at her husband's hand.
This bending of the truth is very useful for Palpatine. As you watch his delighted expression at Vader's frenzied reaction, it's clear that he will use these intense emotions to further push his apprentice down the dark path of anger and hate. I have to wonder how much of the truth Palpatine really knows. He's unaware that the babies survived, or he would have gone after them right away. But I don't think it really matters to him how Padmé died, only that Vader believes it's his fault. I know there are theories that Palpatine used her life force to unnaturally strengthen Vader, but I'm dubious of attributing such galaxy-spanning powers to anyone, even the Emperor. And it's more meaningful to me if Padmé died because she loved more intensely than her heart could bear.
In any case, what does it mean for Vader? The irony is straight out of a Greek tragedy. The one thing he dreaded more than anything else, the thing he sold his soul to prevent, has happened -- and by his own hand. By trying to stop Padmé's death, he became so consumed by darkness that he actually caused it. He mistakenly believes it happened in the moment of strangling, but it's just as painful that his heartbreaking choices ultimately led to her death. Now every time I see Vader Force-choking someone, it's so much more painful because his own wife was the first victim of that signature move.
Well then, if his whole Dark-Side turn was a bust in terms of saving Padmé, why doesn't he chuck the Emperor down a pit and mosey on back to the light? Alas, the Dark Side doesn't work that way. It's not a handy tool to use and then discard. It has transformed him, tainted every emotion and motive, altered his world-view so thoroughly that he cannot imagine turning back. As with the scene wherein Anakin pledges himself to Sidious and takes on his Sith title, it is not a moment of giddy bloodlust and dark glory. It is despair. It is deeply-riven anguish. It is an endless moan of regret, shouted vainly to the heavens. He has burned every bridge. This is his life now.
So he believes, until a boy comes along with the voice and soul of his mother.
Just two more lines to go, my friends. Next time, a glimpse of the respective fates of the children of the Chosen One....
Well...maybe not fluffy romance, but if you like your romance dripping with angst and anguish, this is it.
A few entries back (Part 40) I noted that a feverish Padmé's first and only thought was for Anakin's well-being. This is mirrored in the Frankenstein-ish scene that reveals a full-suited Vader, as we know him throughout the original trilogy. After a brief, "Yes, my master" to acknowledge the Emperor, his very next words tell us what has been haunting him ever since that fateful moment on Mustafar.
"Where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she...all right?"
There is so much meaning contained in those last two words. Not just her physical being. The last words he spoke to her were a bitter accusation. His last action was violence. Rather than face his guilt, he lashed out at Obi-Wan and blamed him for their estrangement....but somewhere deep inside, he must know he is to blame. He is tentative, not demanding. He fears he has damaged their relationship beyond repair.
What his master tells him is far worse than that. She is dead. And, according the Emperor, she died at her husband's hand.
This bending of the truth is very useful for Palpatine. As you watch his delighted expression at Vader's frenzied reaction, it's clear that he will use these intense emotions to further push his apprentice down the dark path of anger and hate. I have to wonder how much of the truth Palpatine really knows. He's unaware that the babies survived, or he would have gone after them right away. But I don't think it really matters to him how Padmé died, only that Vader believes it's his fault. I know there are theories that Palpatine used her life force to unnaturally strengthen Vader, but I'm dubious of attributing such galaxy-spanning powers to anyone, even the Emperor. And it's more meaningful to me if Padmé died because she loved more intensely than her heart could bear.
In any case, what does it mean for Vader? The irony is straight out of a Greek tragedy. The one thing he dreaded more than anything else, the thing he sold his soul to prevent, has happened -- and by his own hand. By trying to stop Padmé's death, he became so consumed by darkness that he actually caused it. He mistakenly believes it happened in the moment of strangling, but it's just as painful that his heartbreaking choices ultimately led to her death. Now every time I see Vader Force-choking someone, it's so much more painful because his own wife was the first victim of that signature move.
Well then, if his whole Dark-Side turn was a bust in terms of saving Padmé, why doesn't he chuck the Emperor down a pit and mosey on back to the light? Alas, the Dark Side doesn't work that way. It's not a handy tool to use and then discard. It has transformed him, tainted every emotion and motive, altered his world-view so thoroughly that he cannot imagine turning back. As with the scene wherein Anakin pledges himself to Sidious and takes on his Sith title, it is not a moment of giddy bloodlust and dark glory. It is despair. It is deeply-riven anguish. It is an endless moan of regret, shouted vainly to the heavens. He has burned every bridge. This is his life now.
So he believes, until a boy comes along with the voice and soul of his mother.
Just two more lines to go, my friends. Next time, a glimpse of the respective fates of the children of the Chosen One....
