1. Due to the increased amount of spam bots on the forum, we are strengthening our defenses. You may experience a CAPTCHA challenge from time to time.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Notification emails are working properly again. Please check your email spam folder and if you see any emails from the Cantina there, make sure to mark them as "Not Spam". This will help a lot to whitelist the emails and to stop them going to spam.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. IMPORTANT! To be able to create new threads and rate posts, you need to have at least 30 posts in The Cantina.
    Dismiss Notice
  4. Before posting a new thread, check the list with similar threads that will appear when you start typing the thread's title.
    Dismiss Notice
Spam Control Cantina Notification Emails Create Threads and Rate Posts Similar Threads

SPECULATION Is TFA inspired by Shakespeare?

Discussion in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' started by Paladinryan, Nov 20, 2015.

Tags:
  1. Paladinryan

    Paladinryan Rebel General

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2014
    Posts:
    489
    Likes Received:
    625
    Trophy Points:
    4,542
    Credits:
    1,393
    Ratings:
    +1,032 / 85 / -21
    Putting together all the clues we have, it seems possible that The Force Awakens is inspired by Shakespeare's late romances, which feature the reunion of parents with long lost children presumed dead or lost forever.

    For example, in Pericles a world-weary father who has suffered much and thought his wife and daughter dead and lost is reunited with both of them. This could be similar to how Han or Luke is reunited with lost Rey, and how Rey's mother is eventually revealed to be alive in a sequel.

    But this may be the most telling parallel--In The Tempest Prospero, a magician, lives alone on an island with his Daughter, Miranda. He controls her with magic, just like Luke may have wiped Rey's mind with the Force. It is interesting, too, that The Force Awakens ends with Luke and Rey alone on an island, and Luke is a Jedi similar to how Prospero is a magician. Luke and Prospero both live on their islands to escape people trying to kill them. It has also been rumored that Luke is guarding an ancient, evil tomb--in The Tempest, Prospero has taken the island over from an evil witch, the mother of Caliban.

    Also, in King Lear we have generational conflict, which seems to be similar to how Han has this conflict with Kylo. Perhaps Kylo is like Edmund, jealous of Poe Dameron (Edgar), and a betrayer/murderer of his father (Gloucester, blinded after the machinations of Edmund).

    Or perhaps Han's relationship with Rey is like the relationship between King Lear and Cordelia, his daughter.
     
    #1 Paladinryan, Nov 20, 2015
    • Great Post x 4
    • Like x 2
    • Wise x 1
    • Informative x 1
    • Original x 1
  2. CaptainPhastastic

    CaptainPhastastic Rebel Official

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2014
    Posts:
    586
    Likes Received:
    1,158
    Trophy Points:
    7,392
    Credits:
    2,379
    Ratings:
    +1,942 / 56 / -27
    What an excellent post, sir. Good work. It may come to be nothing, but I really do think you are on to something here. I agree with the Luke/Rey and Han/Kylo parallels to The Tempest and Lear. This sounds like the best, closest guideline I have seen so far on what the story may be based on. I have not heard this anywhere else. Very original, and sounds very plausible.
     
    #2 CaptainPhastastic, Nov 20, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2015
    • Like Like x 1
    • Friendly Friendly x 1
    • Pessimistic Pessimistic x 1
  3. Old Biff from the Future

    Old Biff from the Future Dune Sea Hermit

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Posts:
    4,693
    Likes Received:
    22,811
    Trophy Points:
    147,767
    Credits:
    22,239
    Ratings:
    +26,997 / 125 / -35
    edited by moderator
    I edited your title so that it wasn't so long. It was very hard to read on a phone and other media. (it went off the page)

    BTW! excellent post ;-) very interesting thoughts and aspects
     
    #3 Old Biff from the Future, Nov 20, 2015
    • Like Like x 3
  4. Rebo

    Rebo Nearsighted Whill Guardian
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2014
    Posts:
    2,500
    Likes Received:
    4,603
    Trophy Points:
    14,747
    Credits:
    6,145
    Ratings:
    +7,330 / 99 / -40
    I'm not sure if this is the first time this has been suggested or not, but if it has I haven't seen it. The idea of Luke wiping Rey's memory to protect her is perfectly in line with the spoilers we've heard. It could be why she finds herself stranded at that far end of the galaxy away from any civilization or risk of being found. It would also explain why she is supposedly so hurt after her encounter with Maz.

    Great theory!
     
    #4 Rebo, Nov 20, 2015
    • Like Like x 3
    • Friendly Friendly x 1
  5. Aglarion

    Aglarion Force Sensitive

    Joined:
    May 7, 2015
    Posts:
    2,055
    Likes Received:
    2,683
    Trophy Points:
    10,967
    Credits:
    3,898
    Ratings:
    +4,522 / 197 / -46
    I remember this idea in connection to discussions about possible kotor style plot twists. It's interesting, maybe she finds out that she is not "no one" but the daughter of Luke or Leia and former jedi padawan.
     
    #5 Aglarion, Nov 20, 2015
    • Like Like x 2
  6. Pastor Barndog

    Pastor Barndog Force Attuned

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2014
    Posts:
    4,391
    Likes Received:
    5,585
    Trophy Points:
    16,317
    Credits:
    6,765
    Ratings:
    +9,458 / 246 / -104
    I had not thought of Luke as Prospero. That would make @Willybobo 's thread about Luke setting up things as a test a lot more plausible.
     
    #6 Pastor Barndog, Nov 20, 2015
    • Like Like x 2
  7. HAL'sgal

    HAL'sgal Force Sensitive

    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2015
    Posts:
    1,235
    Likes Received:
    3,296
    Trophy Points:
    12,642
    Credits:
    4,067
    Ratings:
    +4,179 / 42 / -9
    I was thinking Rey's story is pretty much Moses with a blaster.
    But I'll go with Shakespeare. :)
     
    #7 HAL'sgal, Nov 20, 2015
    • Like Like x 5
    • Funny Funny x 1
  8. Pastor Barndog

    Pastor Barndog Force Attuned

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2014
    Posts:
    4,391
    Likes Received:
    5,585
    Trophy Points:
    16,317
    Credits:
    6,765
    Ratings:
    +9,458 / 246 / -104
    Well if you follow the Tempest angle to things with Luke as Prospero then the narrative takes on an interesting thread. Prospero puts all the other characters through trials, tests, down right punishments based on their past dealings with him. His daughter has a minor ordeal because she falls for a ship wrecked sailor, there are a couple solders from the kingdom that banished him that get treated worse, and there is the people who betrayed and marooned him on the island in the first place.
     
    #8 Pastor Barndog, Nov 21, 2015
  9. KiraRey_KyloRen

    KiraRey_KyloRen Rebel General

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2015
    Posts:
    372
    Likes Received:
    640
    Trophy Points:
    3,842
    Credits:
    1,246
    Ratings:
    +1,012 / 31 / -7
    The inspiration from Hamlet in Kylo Ren couldn't be more obvious if they put a neon sign under his Darth Vader mask scenes.
     
    #9 KiraRey_KyloRen, Nov 21, 2015
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Loading...
Similar Threads
  1. SWNN Probe

    Hot Toys Reveals Brand New Ahsoka Tano Figure Inspired by Disney Plus Series

    SWNN Probe, Nov 18, 2023, in forum: SWNN News Feed
    Replies:
    1
    Views:
    372
    SWNN Probe
    Nov 18, 2023
  2. SWNN Probe

    Ahsoka: Eman Esfandi Talks Being Inspired by Ezra Bridger

    SWNN Probe, Oct 26, 2023, in forum: SWNN News Feed
    Replies:
    1
    Views:
    584
    SWNN Probe
    Oct 26, 2023
  3. SWNN Probe

    Editorial: The Phantom Menace and the Films That Inspired It

    SWNN Probe, May 19, 2023, in forum: SWNN News Feed
    Replies:
    1
    Views:
    859
    SWNN Probe
    May 19, 2023
  4. SWNN Probe

    Secretlab Releases New Boba Fett-Inspired Skins for Their TITAN Evo Line of Gaming Chairs

    SWNN Probe, May 10, 2023, in forum: SWNN News Feed
    Replies:
    1
    Views:
    500
    SWNN Probe
    May 10, 2023
  5. SWNN Probe

    Jon Favreau on How Marvel Inspired The Mandalorian and Time Jump Between The Book of Boba Fett and Season 3

    SWNN Probe, Feb 22, 2023, in forum: SWNN News Feed
    Replies:
    3
    Views:
    457
    Lord of the Rens
    Feb 22, 2023

Share This Page