btmudd28
Well-known Member
The ending of DmC has been the topic of hot debate on this forum. The seemingly random flipping of a switch in Vergil's personality turned a lot of people off and made it seem that the Dante vs Vergil aspect of the series that we all knew would come to light, was shoehorned in out of obligation. I'm here to tell you that while it may have originally been out of obligation, since the series is based on this sibling rivalry, that it actually works in the context of Ninja Theory's story.
First off, if you pay close attention, Vergil's brutalness and apathy towards what he essentials sees as pawns in his grand scheme are heavily foreshadowed throughout the game without being blatantly stated. He is willing to throw Kat away to the feds, despite the trouble he went through to save her in the prequel comic, "Vergil's Chronicles," as well as her "usefullness" as he so eloquently puts it. Some people might see this has poor character development, that Vergil's aggressiveness comes out of nowhere, but I see it as just the opposite. It's a fatal character flaw. A flaw that makes him all the more interesting in my opinion. Vergil's anger isn't random. It is a result of something not going his way, and potentially jeopardizing his life's work. Lilith was expendable. Kat was expendable. Vergil sees them both as pawns in his quest foooooooor... What's the word everyone? Control! Exactly.
As a high school political science teacher, I can truly appreciate the difference between Dante's Locke-ian view on freedom Vergil's Hobbes-ian stance on freedom. These are key elements to their beliefs. Dante fundamentally believes that people are meant to be free, to decide their fates themselves a la John Locke. Anarchy basically. Vergil takes the Thomas Hobbes approach and believes that with unlimited freedom, humans would destroy everything along with themselves. The collision of Limbo and the real world has created the quintessential State of Nature that Locke and Hobbes both write about. And so raises the question, what does freedom within the State of Nature entail?
Hobbes argued that life in the state of nature is poor, nasty, brutish, and short. And without some kind of control and leadership, it is impossible to escape the state of nature. Hobbes believed that humans need to give up unlimited freedom in the state of nature, in order to secure a few unalienable freedoms and ultimately escape from the state of nature. Locke believes that freedom in the state of nature is the truest form of freedom; deciding your own fate and ruling yourself. Vergil=Hobbes. Dante=Locke. Vergil seeks to lead humanity out of this darkness, Dante thinks they are capable of leading themselves without having to be subservient to an omnipotent ruler.
These beliefs are what make the two brothers so dynamic. Locke's and Hobbe's stances on freedom are the building blocks of basic political thought, and it's possible for everyone to have a different opinion on the matter. It's easy for us to choose sides in this fight, regardless of who we're actually playing as. Do you think that humans are capable of ruling themselves? Or do you think that order and control is the only way to organize the chaos?
When Dante questions Vergil's motives, he is questioning his brother's key philosophy. The very foundation of his beliefs. It's incredibly insulting to Vergil. Dante, who spent days with him helping him to take down a demon lord, dares to question Vergil's seemingly noble motives. Vergil has been waiting for this moment for years it would seem, and now out of nowhere, his punk brother who just learned the truth of the world just a few days earlier thinks he knows better! Of course Vergil is going to be insulted! Dante is a threat to Vergil's plans, and as I've pointed out, Vergil does not like it when people jeopardize his plans. Vergil spent what appears to be years looking for Dante so that they could take their rightful places as the protectors of humanity, unbeknownst to both of them that they had very different ideas on how they should go about the actual protecting. Dante through absolute freedom. Vergil through benevolent control.
It's easy to see why Vergil flipped his switch so quickly if you think about how adamantly people are willing to stand up for their beliefs and what they think is best, especially if you compare it to the way people defend their religious beliefs. Have you ever questioned someone's fundamental beliefs, the very fabric of their being, their reason for existing? People get quite angry when you do this. People are willing to fight and die for these beliefs. So based on this reasoning alone, it's easy to see why Vergil and Dante are so quick to attack each other.
Here's the key to their fight though: half of their entire being is demonic. Dante and Vergil have demonic blood coursing through their veins. Through their very nature, they are hot heads! Dante obviously is shown throughout the game making rash decisions, but Vergil has his moments too where he yells and seems to lose his cool. Remember, they're demons. What would make a normal person mad, would absolutely enrage a demon, right? Questioning a regular person's beliefs is an easy way to start a fight between normal human beings, questioning a demon's fundamental beliefs? It's going to lead to quite the heated exchange. Get it? Heated exchange. Hell? Demons? Yeah yeah, terrible pun.
First off, if you pay close attention, Vergil's brutalness and apathy towards what he essentials sees as pawns in his grand scheme are heavily foreshadowed throughout the game without being blatantly stated. He is willing to throw Kat away to the feds, despite the trouble he went through to save her in the prequel comic, "Vergil's Chronicles," as well as her "usefullness" as he so eloquently puts it. Some people might see this has poor character development, that Vergil's aggressiveness comes out of nowhere, but I see it as just the opposite. It's a fatal character flaw. A flaw that makes him all the more interesting in my opinion. Vergil's anger isn't random. It is a result of something not going his way, and potentially jeopardizing his life's work. Lilith was expendable. Kat was expendable. Vergil sees them both as pawns in his quest foooooooor... What's the word everyone? Control! Exactly.
As a high school political science teacher, I can truly appreciate the difference between Dante's Locke-ian view on freedom Vergil's Hobbes-ian stance on freedom. These are key elements to their beliefs. Dante fundamentally believes that people are meant to be free, to decide their fates themselves a la John Locke. Anarchy basically. Vergil takes the Thomas Hobbes approach and believes that with unlimited freedom, humans would destroy everything along with themselves. The collision of Limbo and the real world has created the quintessential State of Nature that Locke and Hobbes both write about. And so raises the question, what does freedom within the State of Nature entail?
Hobbes argued that life in the state of nature is poor, nasty, brutish, and short. And without some kind of control and leadership, it is impossible to escape the state of nature. Hobbes believed that humans need to give up unlimited freedom in the state of nature, in order to secure a few unalienable freedoms and ultimately escape from the state of nature. Locke believes that freedom in the state of nature is the truest form of freedom; deciding your own fate and ruling yourself. Vergil=Hobbes. Dante=Locke. Vergil seeks to lead humanity out of this darkness, Dante thinks they are capable of leading themselves without having to be subservient to an omnipotent ruler.
These beliefs are what make the two brothers so dynamic. Locke's and Hobbe's stances on freedom are the building blocks of basic political thought, and it's possible for everyone to have a different opinion on the matter. It's easy for us to choose sides in this fight, regardless of who we're actually playing as. Do you think that humans are capable of ruling themselves? Or do you think that order and control is the only way to organize the chaos?
When Dante questions Vergil's motives, he is questioning his brother's key philosophy. The very foundation of his beliefs. It's incredibly insulting to Vergil. Dante, who spent days with him helping him to take down a demon lord, dares to question Vergil's seemingly noble motives. Vergil has been waiting for this moment for years it would seem, and now out of nowhere, his punk brother who just learned the truth of the world just a few days earlier thinks he knows better! Of course Vergil is going to be insulted! Dante is a threat to Vergil's plans, and as I've pointed out, Vergil does not like it when people jeopardize his plans. Vergil spent what appears to be years looking for Dante so that they could take their rightful places as the protectors of humanity, unbeknownst to both of them that they had very different ideas on how they should go about the actual protecting. Dante through absolute freedom. Vergil through benevolent control.
It's easy to see why Vergil flipped his switch so quickly if you think about how adamantly people are willing to stand up for their beliefs and what they think is best, especially if you compare it to the way people defend their religious beliefs. Have you ever questioned someone's fundamental beliefs, the very fabric of their being, their reason for existing? People get quite angry when you do this. People are willing to fight and die for these beliefs. So based on this reasoning alone, it's easy to see why Vergil and Dante are so quick to attack each other.
Here's the key to their fight though: half of their entire being is demonic. Dante and Vergil have demonic blood coursing through their veins. Through their very nature, they are hot heads! Dante obviously is shown throughout the game making rash decisions, but Vergil has his moments too where he yells and seems to lose his cool. Remember, they're demons. What would make a normal person mad, would absolutely enrage a demon, right? Questioning a regular person's beliefs is an easy way to start a fight between normal human beings, questioning a demon's fundamental beliefs? It's going to lead to quite the heated exchange. Get it? Heated exchange. Hell? Demons? Yeah yeah, terrible pun.
