Upon thinking of the archetype of the green-clad knight the world has grown so fond of, Link, I realized where the author(s) received their inspiration from: medieval courtly love. The idea of courtly love is simple enough. The hero goes on a quest, typically with some antagonist trying to halt his every step, to prove himself and, invariably, win the affection of noble lady. Edmund Spencer's
The Faerie Queene, a British Renaissance poem, underscores the idea of medieval courtly love in the relationship of the Redcrosse Knight (Saint George) and Una. The Redcrosse Knight goes through many trials and tribulations to woo Una and earn her love.
I would argue that Link's (basically eternal) struggle with Ganondorf to save the princess is a reflection of this idea of medieval courtly love. First, it is necessary to provide a brief synopsis of the Zelda bLink starts out each of his journeys in a small village with little to no knowledge of what his future epic quest will be. Princess Zelda eventually (or immediately) becomes Ganondorf's captive, and Link struggles with various challenges to eventually defeat Ganondorf and save the princess.
This game has to have gotten inspiration from medieval courtly romance for at least three visible reasons. One, the setting clearly reflects a medieval setting. Link, with sword and shield in hand, traverses a medieval setting full of castles, farms, and small villages, void of any modern technology, in a word hierarchically not so different from the British feudal system. Two, Link fights a villain clearly inspired by the "Turkish Snipe" archetype. Ganondorf, with his darker skin, red hair, and overall distinguishing feautures, has a noticeable similarity to the foreign representation of an Eastern person (i.e., the Turks and foreigners encountered in the crusades). Lastly, the triforce of power, not far from the Christian Holy Trinity, is central to all of Link's quests and underscores the importance of this Western influence. Link harrows through hell (i.e., Ganondorf's world) to save a pure soul (Zelda) from evil. Although these games never end with Zelda and Link's marriage, the games certainly leaves room for interpretation. The overall feel from the games suggests a borrowing from the ideas found in medieval romance.
To conclude, this example shows not only a link between two different forms of texts, but also signifies the interesting fascination Japanese culture has with the West.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
An excellent observation, Joe. Can you think of other games that make use of romance conventions such as courtly love for imprisoned princesses, difficult quests for magical objects, battles with monsters, etc.? Even, say, Donkey Kong? Do you think Zelda's creators were reading medieval romances, or where did they get these conventions?
Post a Comment