More than proper tragedy, it is classical.
Some personal history of "academic background"
I had to study classical philosophy in various semesters. Can’t remember if it was the aesthetics class or another with a complex meaningless name. Not the pop reference of aesthetics, but academical, as… a study on which emotional and physical reactions a work of… human creation provoke on people. Which is why I tend not to label them good or bad, and how something usually “offensive” I usually take as an “eye opener”. SPECIALLY in any form of artistic expression. I am very serious on this… none should be quieted, all should be considered, interpreted and thought upon, even if to structure and sharpen our disagreement.
BTW, the teacher was great. A spanish philosophy teacher, woman, which is relevant because most of those so called “educated” college students treated her pretty bad. Many times than not xenophobic in chauvinistic ways (and not only male students… those would probably be less open about it over shame). She was rather… the leftist, and giving college classes on the “Catholic University of Porto” (see the irony?).
She was good. Really good.
She then told me in one of our private conversation that she lived in Jerusalem in the 70’s (maybe?) while it was being bombarded. She then continued to describe how she felt living there, to a point that almost took me to shed tears.
She is one of my personal idols/heroes, can’t find the word for it now.
One of the last things she said to me was “never stop being curious, never stop questioning”.
Another was my Art History teacher in high-school, and she also said some final words of “never stop moving”.
I feel I failed both for the past few years.
I also had to read Socrates and Plato’s take on subject (Plato is a rule obsessed asshole, Socrates doesn’t really know what he wants). And I also agree that Aristotle not only was the best to define the classical term, but it is also easier to take as cannon.
SofC is indeed a very classical tragedy, even the definition of the “hero” itself.
Hercules or Ulisses (lets go to the easy/lazy ones), was not Superman (so easy).
He was not beyond judgement… lol… by any means.
Apply the term “Hero” to the character of SotC is also very correct in classical terms, as far as my knowledge goes. He checks all the boxes, specially to the morally ambiguity of the character (which honestly, I think video games are losing it more and more over openly morally flawed characters, or simply garden-variety-bland-unoffensive-even-infantalised-characters, which eliminates the “ambiguity” from the equation which was meant to make the “public” think twice on their own, and on their lives).
The term, over the past century, has been going over a deep change of meaning over the US mythology (super-heroes). In short, and on a personal take only, changed into a moral absolute that you should look upon. I also think the majority of character creation now suffers from having that imposed on them. I, also personally, think that’s just a consequence of the consumption of “idols” that’s been growing the past century (Andy Warhol was so on the spot that I hate him).
Now to your points:
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Part of Dormin’s soul inside the colossus… now that’s something I didn’t even remember. Indeed feels more like it, and that the “life” in the colossi was nothing more than a program of structural defence to preserve that piece in chains. That is a nice take that feels familiar, but I couldn’t exactly corner it. So yes… killing becomes even more questionable and ambiguous once we start trying pursue the definition of life. Is a program that has a priority of self preservation alive? (too simple of a question, almost disney-ish, but if we wish to get that train rolling is as good as a starting place as any).
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Temple… maybe sanctuary, but the second also has the sense of security, which is ok from the hero’s POV, but not so much for “the zealot bastards”. You are right, before they arrive there’s only those references to what is happening, and already saying “the hero is wrong”. I guess that really was a punch in my face because I am trying to save a person I love. Also your take on Dormin is in fact a better one, and more into accord to how I see it. It is irrelevant if the entity is good or evil. It’s just there, has it’s own set of rules and way to look at the world, that our minds can’t even comprehend. Morality… good and evil… pain and pleasure… all those would be meaningless to it. It also goes more into accordance to a more oriental system of believe, of not opposition of poles, but as the poles being one and the same and beyond our comprehension. You will excuse me for taking your take on this for myself, but that really puts all the responsibility of what happens, entirely on the human characters. We can be very careful to not step on ants, and the ants must feel it is unfair we step on them, but there it is (yes, comparing humans to ants… call me loki or something, couldn’t think a better example than Avengers >_<).
I’ll wait attentively for more of this =).
I just… well… you know, a person says something, that gives your stuff to say… so all good because in a forum you don’t talk over each other, and one can pick linearity of thought from any point in time/the_text.