The fifth cutscene is packed with images to analyze! So, have a look and an analysis!
The first image is that of Alexandria Castle at night with the double moons. Harkening back to the idea of the castle as a symbol of the Patriarchy and a phallus (Read my initial analysis here), the double moons at the base of the sword tower of Alexandria is now, more than ever, a phallic symbol. It could be argued that this is the peak of the power the Patriarchy has over Garnet (as she will be subverting it very shortly). The player will also note the opposite colors of the moons. While blue and red are not exact opposites, the ideas they relay – Red: violence, blood, hate Blue: calmness, purity, justice – are at opposition in the story. It is interesting, then, that these two opposites, a sort of ying and yang, if you will, come together with the sword to form the penis of Patriarchy. There’s a certain dependence upon other circumstances for the Patriarchy to prosper.
Shortly hereafter, we see Puck, a street urchin, and Vivi sneaking into the back of the theater to watch the performance. What isn’t shown is that most of the Kingdom is there. The rooftops are shown to be literally lined with the poor who could not afford a ticket. The contrast between just Puck’s dress and the noble’s seated in front of her is jarring. What’s more, is that the chairs they’re seated in look amazingly ornate. This separation of class is the beginning of a Marxist analysis which runs through out Vivi’s storyline.
And then there is Brahne. The Queen of Alexandria, who is, a bit, um, how do you say this nicely? Homely. But, she is a female of power in the story and it would be in line with a feminist analysis that she does not fall into the ideas of the Patriarchy’s perfect woman. I think we can all agree upon that. However, there’s something, strange about her. A bit androgynous and childlike. She delights in the festivities celebrating her daughter’s birthday more than her daughter. If I were a feminist, I would be apprehensive to claim her as my own so quickly. In fact, through future cutscenes we will find that she is actually operating within the Patriarchy and furthering their ideals.
It is interesting to note, however, that Alexandria has two Captains of the guard – it’s because Alexandria has two guards. The more elite (and the enemy in the beginning of the game) are the female guards led by Beatrix (who doesn’t show up in any of the cutscenes until the last one). Then there is Steiner, the over-mascaraed comedian. Steiner is made a fool of more often than not and it can be interpreted as Alexandria’s attempt to debase the Patriarchy. Steiner is a bumbling buffoon while Beatrix is powerful, sure, and wears an eye patch. She’s such a BAMF!
Lastly, Steiner is a picture of the Patriarchy because he is devoted entirely to ‘protecting’ the princess (who actually needs a lot of protecting throughout the game – as per usual). Even in this cutscene we see how Steiner thinks he knows what’s best (the Patriarchy) and yet it does no good. If you watch as Steiner ‘pulls out his sword’ (all innuendos apply here) in an attempt to make Garnet happy you’ll see it fails miserably. As would be expected in a Kingdom who is trying to subvert the Patriarchy.
Well, that’s all for now,
Happy Gaming!
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