Ce site requiert JavaScript pour fonctionner.
Veuillez activer JavaScript dans votre navigateur.
Thème Classic
Thème Thottbot
The Choices They Share - Anduin and Sylvanas Cinematic Analysis
Live
Publié
05/06/2022 à 08:00
par
DiscordianKitty
Patch 9.2.5 features a new cinematic between Anduin and Sylvanas. During the
Veille silencieuse
quest, the tale of these two unlikely allies is brought to a close as they reflect on the realizations - and choices - that they share.
As the cinematic begins, we see Dori'thur, Tyrande Whisperwind's spirit owl companion, watching Sylvanas as Tyrande commanded during
Sylvanas's Judgment
. Surrounded by the corpses of Mawsworn, Sylvanas is clearly as deadly as every - every corpse has a single arrow sticking out of it, indicating that Sylvanas needs to only shoot once to kill.
The reason why Sylvanas targetted this group of Mawsworn is immediately made clear - one of the Mawsworn is holding a soul, one of the endless souls that Sylvanas will rescue from the Maw as part of her judgment.
Sylvanas Tie-In
And here, we see that the cinematic is starting where the
Sylvanas novel
by Christie Golden left off. In the novel's epilogue, as Sylvanas prepares to begin her task in the Maw, she hears a familiar sound - one that gives her a sense of hope.
But before Sylvanas could again stride forward into the vastness of the Maw, she heard a sound. One familiar—and utterly unexpected.
The distinctive clank of metal armor.
Hope, Anduin had told her, is what you have when all other things have failed you. Where there is hope, you make room for healing, for all things that are possible . . . and some that are not.
Sylvanas Windrunner felt hope rise within her, and for the first time in so very long, she invited it in.
The clanking of metal armor is a sound that's
associated with Anduin throughout the novel
. This scene confirms what we already speculated - that the clanking of metal armor was the sound of Anduin approaching Sylvanas in the Maw.
Anduin's Guilt
Immediately, Sylvanas asks the question that is on all our minds - why.
Sylvanas: Why are you here, Anduin?
Sylvanas: Your kingdom, and your friends, are awaiting your return.
Anduin: My friends... the ones I almost killed... they believe my hands are clean.
Anduin: But they don't feel clean.
Anduin's response - that he feels guilt - doesn't come as a surprise. In a conversation with Genn Greymane, Anduin has already expressed his feelings of guilt, and his desire to stay in the Shadowlands for awhile.
Anduin Wrynn says: There were times I thought I would never escape the Jailer's control. The things he made me do...
Genn Greymane says: Those actions were not your fault! You cannot blame yourself.
Anduin Wrynn says: I... I should have been stronger...
Genn Greymane says: Anduin Wrynn, you are the strongest man I know. And when you return to Stormwind, the whole kingdom will tell you the same.
Anduin Wrynn says: I can't go back, Genn. Not yet.
During Sylvanas Windrunner's judgment, when Arbiter Pelagos asked if anyone objected to her fate, Anduin seemed for a moment like he would speak up, but thought better of it.
Arbiter Pelagos says: Entrusting justice to your most fervent adversary. Are there any gathered here who object to this fate?
The conflict is, however, clear. Anduin feels guilty for the things that he did under the Jailer's influence - and that if Sylvanas should be punished - then so should he.
A Matter of Choice
Sylvanas's response is that Anduin must be careful not to confuse the things he was forced to do with his own free will. Yet as she speaks these words, we see her eyes fall slightly. In this moment, she isn't speaking only to Anduin, but is reflecting on this lesson herself.
Sylvanas: It is perilous to confuse what you are made to do with what you choose to do.
And this is exactly why Anduin came to Sylvanas. Many of Arthas's victims still survive, and would be happy to speak with Anduin about the traumatic experience that is being controlled by the Jailer's power. One would think a member of the Alliance, or a fellow human, would make a better confidant - Bolvar Fordragon, for example, was a father figure to Anduin when Varian was missing - yet he has chosen to speak with Sylvanas. The reason is because she, specifically, will understand what he's going through better than any other.
He Enjoyed It
This is made even clearer as Anduin continues.
Anduin: How can I not when it all blurs together?
Anduin: It was so horrific... and exhilarating.
Anduin: And it sickens me to think that satisfaction... may have been mine.
Sylvanas: Ah. So that's why you've come.
Anduin's guilt is not so much about the things that the Jailer forced him to do - it's the feeling of satisfaction that he felt when he did them. He remembers being horrified... but also exhilerated. Anduin's worry is that part of him genuinely enjoyed the pain and suffering he inflicted on others - his own friends.
Part of the reason why Sylvanas is in the Maw - willingly accepting her judgment - is because even though she was forced to do terrible things, she knows the line between being forced and making the choice to do those things herself became blurred. Sylvanas stated, during her trial, that her actions at Teldrassil were her own. She accepts agency, and responsibility. If anyone can understand Anduin slipping past being forced and into making a decision to do evil, and to enjoy doing it, it's her.
Identity Crisis
Anduin is clearly shaken to discover this side of himself. Ever since he was a child, he has been known to be a near paragon of morality - never wavering from his love of peace. To find himself being able to identify with the emotions of conflicting pain has left Anduin reeling - barely able to recognize himself.
Sylvanas: You fear you might not be who you thought you were.
Anduin: I'm starting to wonder if I ever knew.
Anduin: For the first time in my life...
Anduin: I'm afraid if I call on the Light...
Anduin: ...it won't answer.
And yet, he admits he wonders if he ever knew himself. The fact is, indications of a darkness in Anduin have been growing for some time. During the Shadowlands prequel
Shadows Rising
by Madeleine Roux, Anduin is shown to condone the use of torture if he feels the need is great enough. And when he is goaded by the fallen Warden Sira Moonwarden, Anduin casts shadow magic for the first time. It's accidental, and it shocks him - but the darkness was there.
Anduin made a soft sound of disgust and stood, hovering over her, considering her for a long and tense spell. A wisp of purple energy traveled down his arm, gathering in his palm. It happened in a blink, coming and going, dissipating before Mathias could see for certain what the king had done.
It startled Anduin enough to make him stumble backward.
Now, perhaps, Anduin is feeling like he has merely been lying to himself. He thought he knew himself well - thought he could trust himself - but he cannot.
This crisis of identity also has paralells to Sylvanas's own experiences. Anduin feels like he doesn't recognize himself - something that Sylvanas felt when a part of her soul was restored to her. In order for Sylvanas to move forward, she had to recognize and acknowledge her own legacy - painful as it was. This is even referred to visually. Anduin, trying to come to grips with his own identity, looks up as he speaks of the Light, while Sylvanas watches on. The scene is reminiscent of her own conflict, when Sylvanas looked up at the burning Teldrassil as she came to terms with her own legacy, while Uther watched on.
Free Will
For now, Anduin worries about his position as King of the Alliance. The burden of responsibility is incredibly great. If he doesn't have confident in himself, he worries about his ability to rule.
Anduin: If I've no trust in myself, how can I expect my kingdom to trust me?
Anduin: To put their faith in me... when mine has faltered.
Sylvanas: Must you bear that weight?
Anduin: A king does not have a choice.
Sylvanas: No choice?
Sylvanas: I thought you believed in free will.
Anduin: <laughs>
And, once again, the reason why Sylvanas is the person Anduin came to is made clear by her response. When Anduin approached Genn Greymane about his feelings, Genn just tried to insist everything would be fine. He felt he was being comforting, but it wasn't helpful.
Genn Greymane says: Anduin Wrynn, you are the strongest man I know. And when you return to Stormwind, the whole kingdom will tell you the same.
Sylvanas, on the other hand, recognizes and understands why Anduin may not be able to handle the responsibilities of a king right now, and her advice is simple. If he cannot bear the weight of a king right now - then maybe he shouldn't.
During the cinematic No More Lies, while Sylvanas was still trying to convince Anduin to join the Jailer's cause willingly, she warned that he would be made to serve otherwise. At the time, Sylvanas dismissed the concept of free will as an illusion.
Sylvanas: You have a choice to consider. Join us willingly...or be made to serve.
Anduin: I thought you believed in free will, Sylvanas.
Sylvanas: We've never had free will, Little Lion. But that...is about to change.
When she turns Anduin's own words back on him here, Anduin can't help but laugh. The point is well made - he always has a choice.
The Work Begins
Anduin once again indicates that he will be taking a sabbatical as he comes to terms with himself. Before he leaves, Sylvanas does not tell him what to do, or that everything will be OK. Instead, she recognizes why he came to her - that he recognizes his own struggle in her - and that the best advice that she can give is to simply remind him how she is coping with this struggle herself.
Anduin: I need time to think.
Anduin: About many things.
Sylvanas: Anduin,
Sylvanas: I have faced who I was, and accepted what I've done.
Sylvanas: Now, the work begins.
Anduin: Yes. It does.
And again, the parallels are made to Sylvanas's own identity crisis. Like Anduin, she did not recognize herself. Like Anduin, she had to come to realize that there was at least a part of her - a darkness - that was her own choice. Hiding from it wouldn't help. Placing all blame on others or the things she went through wouldn't help. For her, the only way forward was to face and accept her own legacy, and then to work on restitution.
Anduin: Farewell, Sylvanas Windrunner.
Anduin: Until our paths cross again.
Sylvanas: Farewell... Little Lion.
Sylvanas's final words to Anduin use a term that he once thought was mocking, "Little Lion". During the novel Sylvanas, Anduin came to realize that they were really a term of affection - because he reminds her of the brother she lost, "Little Sun".
It's also a subtle reminder that, though Anduin may need to take a break now - his legacy is King of the Alliance. Anduin will likely still need to return and take up the mantle of King again one day, just as his - and our - paths will likely cross with Sylvanas again. But for now, both these characters seem to have earned a well deserved rest.
S'abonner à Wowhead
Premium
2 $US
Un mois
[Enjoy an ad-free experience, unlock premium features, & support the site!]
Afficher les 0 commentaires
Masquer les 0 commentaires
Connectez-vous pour laisser un commentaire
Commentaire Anglais (32)
Poster un commentaire
Vous n'êtes pas connecté(e). Veuillez vous
connecter
ou vous
inscrire
pour ajouter votre commentaire.
Message précédent
Message suivant