Corwin as Tragic Hero...

[Erick Wujcik]

Greetings!

I was up in the middle of the night, came across a wonderful blog posting, on 'Corwin as tragic hero,' which linked to a really nifty Tragedy-O-Meter (see below), and felt compelled to respond... especially since the poster had decided that Corwin was insufficiently tragic, scoring only one on a ten-point scale.

Here's my response, titled, 'more like a nine...'

To use your meter:

1. The hero dies (or seems to die, or he is dead to the world). This point is not given to vampires.

Corwin is lost, and presumed deal, for centuries by his relatives, and he frequently has to convince them that he is the real deal... Plus, his Avalon, about which he has feelings, regards him as dead-and-good riddance ("they do not name their children Corwin...").

One point, at least.

2. The hero's beloved one (lover, friend, relative) dies. In this case, only actual dead counts.

There's Lorraine, his only true love in all the books, in Guns of Avalon, who is dead, dead, dead. This is compounded by the discovery, later on, that Lorraine's death was engineered by Oberon, simply so Corwin wouldn't be distracted.

Again, at least one point.

3. The hero suffers from existential anguish. Angst.

You don't see Corwin as filled with angst? Then what's up with the raven, Hugi, along with a lot of his self-doubt? I guess it's a matter of opinion, but I'd give him...

one point.

4. The hero suffers a loss (of position, capabilities, wallet, whatever).

Yikes! His entire life is taken from him, and he's plopped down in the midst of the Black Death, to suffer a complete loss of identity for hundreds of years. Then, in 'Nine Princes in Amber' he has his eyes burned from his head and is stuck in a solitary dungeon for years on end... and that's just book #1.

In later books he seems to suffer loss after loss, including the aforementioned Lorraine, plus the mother of his son, Merlin, plus family members, and at the ending his most beloved relative is yanked by the hair down into the Abyss.

Um... One?

5. The hero is tragically flawed (prone to rage, weak, not very smart, too smart for his own good, etc.).

Too cynical, by half, by his own admission, and the observations of others.

+1.

6. The hero is out of place (and would do better and be happier if he was to devote his efforts elsewhere).

This one, I'll grant you, is arguable. Still, in his interactions with Bill Roth, he was clearly out of place, and he'd seem out of place in Amber were it not for the fact that most of his siblings shared the alienation.

Personally, I'd weigh Corwin as 'out of place' in a psychic sense, but still, zero.

7. The hero has a Dark Past (capitalized; small misdemeanors do not count, only things he prefers to keep hidden).

Again, it's clear that Corwin has done vile things, especially in Avalon, where he was regarded as an evil sorcerer king, and where he enjoined the company of out-and-out villains and murderers...

Then again, he probably has less of a dark past that some of the others.

More Dark Than Corwin: Brand, Fiona (she's definitely danced naked, smeared with the blood of her victims), Bleys, Caine (knifed his innocent, better, self), Benedict, Oberon and Dworkin

Less Dark Than Corwin: Random (no dark throne for him; his idea of an ideal world was New Orleans with fewer laws and more thrills), Gerard, Flora, Llewella, Dierdre, Julian (although I could make a case the other way for these last two)

One.

8. The hero is, through action or inaction, personally responsible for a disaster of any kind.

Corwin is never guilty of not acting, I'll grant you that.

On the other hand, he and Bleys caused the deaths of, what, a few hundred thousand, who were gulible as High Schoolers? In a fruitless, ill-considered, stupid assault on a land they should love. Not counting property damage, and the deaths on the part of Amber's defenders.

Yeah, he was responsible for at least one disaster, at least in book one.

One.

9. The hero has a bad deal with Fate and has a perverse destiny, or is otherwise cursed.

So he's not as cursed as Benedict (who is specifically named as such by Dworkin).

On the other hand, he's not exactly lucky in love... and his desires are definitely warped, such that he gives up what he thought he most wanted, and for which he had sacrificed the most.

If you hadn't added the 'perverse' aspect I would've left it as zero. But perversion of his fate nearly defines Corwin. So...

One.

10. The hero has romantic problems. Of any kind.

We've got a three count here. Three ladies, three problems. Lorraine, who runs from him and gets herself murdered... from Corwin's perspective, twice (by the by, anybody noticed that the name of the dupe Corwin kills is the same as the dabbler in dark magic at the beginning of the Merlin series?), since it's just that much worse when he finds out it was Oberon all along. Then his, we-don't-do-that-with-our-sister, obsession with Dierdre, which I'd call a problem. Finally, we've got the incestuous thing with Dara, that goes on again (she secretly begot him a son) and off again (she's murdering one innocent after another on her bloody trail to the Pattern) and on again (Dad likes her!) and off again (killed her favorite murderer by cheating, so no sex for Corwin, ever again)... and that's not counting how Dara treats Corwin in the Merlin series (to be fair, you haven't read them, but lets just say they didn't kiss and make up).

Nope, Corwin is tragic here, if no where else.

Another One.


That's nine by my count. Which makes Corwin the real deal, a tragic hero by your own scale.

Erick

Here's the link to the original (under) evaluation of Corwin, by earrch, from Spain: http://earrch.livejournal.com/13176.html?view=632#t632

Now, here's the Tragedy-O-Meter, as reproduced from another of of earrch's postings:

The Tragic Measurement System goes like:

1. The hero dies (or seems to die, or he is dead to the world). This point is not given to vampires.
2. The hero's beloved one (lover, friend, relative) dies. In this case, only actual dead counts.
3. The hero suffers from existential anguish. Angst.
4. The hero suffers a loss (of position, capabilities, wallet, whatever).
5. The hero is tragically flawed (prone to rage, weak, not very smart, too smart for his own good, etc.).
6. The hero is out of place (and would do better and be happier if he was to devote his efforts elsewhere).
7. The hero has a Dark Past (capitalized; small misdemeanors do not count, only things he prefers to keep hidden).
8. The hero is, through action or inaction, personally responsible for a disaster of any kind.
9. The hero has a bad deal with Fate and has a perverse destiny, or is otherwise cursed.
10. The hero has romantic problems. Of any kind.

Source: http://earrch.livejournal.com/8386.html

So, where do we go from here?

I'd love to get feedback in the following two ways:

1. What would the rating be for other characters? Others from Zelazny's books? Or from your own Amber campaigns?

2. Anyone have any idea what might be added to the Tragedy-O-Meter? I've got a feeling that there's something missing, but I can't put my finger on it.

Thanks!

Erick Wujcik
//www.phagepress.com

earrch's Tragic Heroes Banner:

[finarvyn]

I think that the original poster in the journal does the ultimate cop-out. He makes a grand statement like Corwin being a one out of nine, and then totally fails to elaborate.

With nine key points to "define" a tragic hero, one wishes that this poster could have at least made a list and then pointed out which one applied to Corwin. Sounds a lot like a person who made a quick knee-jerk assessment without really thinking though his position on the matter.

Nice reply, Erick!

[TonyLB]

2. The hero's beloved one (lover, friend, relative) dies. In this case, only actual dead counts.

There's Lorraine, his only true love in all the books, in Guns of Avalon, who is dead, dead, dead. This is compounded by the discovery, later on, that Lorraine's death was engineered by Oberon, simply so Corwin wouldn't be distracted.

Not Lorraine ... Avalon.

It's not merely dead ... it's so dead to him that he fears to seek for it.

8. The hero is, through action or inaction, personally responsible for a disaster of any kind.

Corwin is never guilty of not acting, I'll grant you that.

On the other hand, he and Bleys caused the deaths of, what, a few hundred thousand, who were gulible as High Schoolers? In a fruitless, ill-considered, stupid assault on a land they should love. Not counting property damage, and the deaths on the part of Amber's defenders.

I dunno ... war is not disaster.  It's war.   A conquering hero is not inherently a tragic figure.

But I'd still give him mad propz on this score because of the Black Road.  Whatever later machinations are revealed, I will still always feel his intense culpability from the end of book 1.


Corwin's a tragic action hero, and it's easy to get tripped up by the action ... no, he doesn't act like Hamlet, and soliloquize about his angst, but yeah he's right up there fucking up his own world with the best (or worst?) of them.

[Spike]

Having only read the first Amber book I won't weigh in on Corwin's tragic nature per se.

Instead, I'll posit that if you have to quibble and argue that hard to give a point, its probably not truely earned. I'll give you that he gets more than one.

Let's reveiw:

1: Nah, he doesn't die. Being mistaken for dead is really more humorous.

2: Sure

3: Sure again.

4: I'll give you, though losing his eyes is sort of a wash... I mean, they do grow back.

5: I disagree that being too cynical is a tragic flaw.  Until you demostrate how it hinders him notably, I'm afraid I'd rate that a zero.

6: Its your zero.

7: Okay.  But is he ashamed of it?

8: That bit I'm familiar with. Nope, not giving it. Others argued it better.

9: Too much struggle, to 'reaching' for that point.  Not buying it.

10: Sure, I'll buy it.

That gives us a final total of: 5/10. Only sort of tragic.  Of course, by not actually dying he misses out on the big one, what some consider the defining aspect of tragic heroes.

[Syzygy]

Here's my rundown:


1. The hero dies (or seems to die, or he is dead to the world). This point is not given to vampires.

Doesn't this mean the hero dies (or seems to die) at the end of the tale, such that he cannot resume his old life?  I don't think it means he returns from presumed death at the beginning of his tale.  Zero points.

2. The hero's beloved one (lover, friend, relative) dies. In this case, only actual dead counts.

Deirdre, his true love over the centuries: +1 point.

3. The hero suffers from existential anguish. Angst.

No, disagree.  Moody at times, but who's not when they're tired or upset?  Corwin's no brooding introvert, constantly cursing his fate.  To me, he seems to have no more self-pity than anybody else, if that.  Emotionally, he endures hardships and trauma that would break a dozen lesser men, and carries on, still eager for more helpings of the stuff of life.

One of the things I admire about Corwin is his irrespressibility.  I see him being cynical about his lot, but he never struck me as a whiner.  His philosophy seems to be that while he has his fair share of hardships and tragedies, so does everyone else, but he did, at least, get godlike powers for all his troubles.

I kind of agree with Enoch's Amber Pages on this point:

Angst.  No, not angst world, just angst. Sometimes, people get a little too caught up in just how incredibly dysfunctional the Family really is. Hey, let's face it, none of the Elders sound like they'd be exactly ideal parents, and god knows that their childhoods weren't precisely normal. Combine that with all the possible nastyness out there in Shadow, and you've got the potential for a truly wretched life.

Problem is, Amber's not a game about demi-gods getting psychoanalyzed. Corwin, Merlin, and most everyone else, while acknowledging that they could have had a more loving and supporting family life, seem to be fairly willing to look on the bright side and realize that they did get godlike powers out of the whole affair and consider it an okay trade off. This isn't to say that everybody should be happy and bouncy all the time, but, if you're going for a game which is fairly like either of the two Chronicles in tone, a White Wolf "Oh, how tragic is my life"-fest probably isn't what you're looking for.

Amberites seem to be pretty good at burying their feelings and going on, or, at the very worst they (like Dalt or Corwin) get obsessed with doing something. What they don't do is huddle in a dark room and become neurotically incapable of getting anything done, and your players should probably be steered away from that sort of thing as well.

Link: http://wso.williams.edu/~msulliva/campaigns/amber/tips/index.html

A character that does strike me as suffering from existential anguish is Moorcock's Eternal Champion, particularly Elric and a few other incarnations.  I see Corwin as much more extraverted and dynamic.

4. The hero suffers a loss (of position, capabilities, wallet, whatever).

Gets eyes burned out: +1 point.

5. The hero is tragically flawed (prone to rage, weak, not very smart, too smart for his own good, etc.).

No, disagree.  Corwin's cynicism keeps him alive (it helped him escape from the Sanitarium in Nine Princes).  And even then, it's mellowed over the years, a change for which Fiona mocks him (in the library).

I see Corwin as surprisingly free of weaknesses or obvious flaws.  I would, however, consider Brand's manic-depression a flaw.  But I don't think Corwin is burdened by anything like that at all.

Other Amber characters that seem tragically flawed - to me - are Jurt (envy), and Dara (narcissism, wrath).

6. The hero is out of place (and would do better and be happier if he was to devote his efforts elsewhere).

No, he's Amber's champion, living in the Amberverse.

7. The hero has a Dark Past (capitalized; small misdemeanors do not count, only things he prefers to keep hidden).

Agree; implied by how his sibs regard him in the first series: +1 point.

8. The hero is, through action or inaction, personally responsible for a disaster of any kind.

Agreed; his curse aggravates the Black Road: +1 point.

9. The hero has a bad deal with Fate and has a perverse destiny, or is otherwise cursed.

No, disagree.  Not always getting everything you want doesn't count as cursed.  By that token, wouldn't life itself be a curse?  How many of us truly live our ideal life?

Being an Amberite with immortality, godlike powers, and the ability to travel anywhere you imagine is hardly a curse, even if you're expected to perform some civil service in return.  Sounds like a good deal to me.

To me, an example of a cursed character is Moorcock's Eternal Champion: "I know not why I was chosen for this doom...."

10. The hero has romantic problems. Of any kind.

Agreed; his relationship with Dara is a huge problem for him, what with her keeping him prisoner and bearing him a son out of wedlock and all that: +1 point.


So I get: 5/10.  Not so tragic that I wouldn't trade places with him in a heartbeat!

[Trevelyan]

How about the following for Merlin?

1. The hero dies (or seems to die, or he is dead to the world). This point is not given to vampires.

He doesn't get this one. The closest he gets is being stuck in a crystal cave for a month, but because it was a fast time shadow no one else even realised that he was gone. Interestingly, Merlin can't even take a month of solitary confinement in a bright and extensive cave complex without starting to talk to himself/Frakir - far less mental endurance than his father showed under far worse circumstances.

Nil points.

2. The hero's beloved one (lover, friend, relative) dies. In this case, only actual dead counts.

So near, and yet Julia wasn't really dead. Caine dies (again!) but I don't think he and Merlin were close enough for it to count.

Still zero.

3. The hero suffers from existential anguish. Angst.

In spite of it al Merlin is generally a pretty happy guy.

No points here.

4. The hero suffers a loss (of position, capabilities, wallet, whatever).

Well, he was imprisoned, he lost control (albeit not influence) over Ghostwheel, he was forced to abandon his carefree lifestyle in exchange for a throne that he didn't really want (loss of personal freedom). They are all a bit tenuous, but together I think we can justify giving Merlin a point here.

One point.

5. The hero is tragically flawed (prone to rage, weak, not very smart, too smart for his own good, etc.).

Merlin is inexcusably stupid and hopelessly naive. This leads to him being pretty much everyone's favourite b**** until pretty near the end of the second series.

One more point for Merle.

6. The hero is out of place (and would do better and be happier if he was to devote his efforts elsewhere).

Torn between Chaos and Amber. Never quite able to fit in on Earth. Tossed back and forth by relatives and powers on both sides and the middle while all the time wanting nothing more than the chance to tinker with his (godlike) computer and spend time with his dad?

One point.

7. The hero has a Dark Past (capitalized; small misdemeanors do not count, only things he prefers to keep hidden).

He doesn't like admitting who his mum is (who would?) but since everyone who counts knows all about Merlin's past I don't think it really counts. I almost gave him a point for the way in which his past interferred with the Julia situation but he gets point for Jules later anyway so...

No points here.

8. The hero is, through action or inaction, personally responsible for a disaster of any kind.

Hmm, Castle Amber explodes but with no casulaties other than Coral's eye. Lots of people are killed to pave Merlin's way to the throne but I don't see how his action or inaction would have changed things.

I'd like to give him the point but can't really justify it this time.

9. The hero has a bad deal with Fate and has a perverse destiny, or is otherwise cursed.

Pawn of Logrus and Pattern. Bred to be the king of two opposing thrones in a scheme that subsequently fell apart.

One point.

10. The hero has romantic problems. Of any kind.

"My ex faked her own death, plotted to kill me and is now shacked up with my brother. I think I still like her."

"I've been sleeping with my best mate's ex who he has recently started seeing again."

"Every time I have a one night stand I have to run away half dressed from angry husbands and the woman never remembers me in the morning." (linked to the above)

One point.


So Merlin scores a grand total of 5 out of 10. Any thoughts on the above?

[Erick Wujcik]

Quoting Trevelyan:

How about the following for Merlin?

1. The hero dies (or seems to die, or he is dead to the world). This point is not given to vampires.

He doesn't get this one. The closest he gets is being stuck in a crystal cave for a month, but because it was a fast time shadow no one else even realised that he was gone. Interestingly, Merlin can't even take a month of solitary confinement in a bright and extensive cave complex without starting to talk to himself/Frakir - far less mental endurance than his father showed under far worse circumstances.

Nil points.

Agreed. Zip.

2. The hero's beloved one (lover, friend, relative) dies. In this case, only actual dead counts.

So near, and yet Julia wasn't really dead. Caine dies (again!) but I don't think he and Merlin were close enough for it to count.

Still zero.

Again Agreed.

3. The hero suffers from existential anguish. Angst.

In spite of it all Merlin is generally a pretty happy guy.

No points here.

Yup. Zip.

4. The hero suffers a loss (of position, capabilities, wallet, whatever).

Well, he was imprisoned, he lost control (albeit not influence) over Ghostwheel, he was forced to abandon his carefree lifestyle in exchange for a throne that he didn't really want (loss of personal freedom). They are all a bit tenuous, but together I think we can justify giving Merlin a point here.

One point.

Except that he doesn't seem in the least bit bothered by any of his supposed losses... and none of 'em come close to Corwin's torments. I think we're still at zero.

5. The hero is tragically flawed (prone to rage, weak, not very smart, too smart for his own good, etc.).

Merlin is inexcusably stupid and hopelessly naive. This leads to him being pretty much everyone's favourite b**** until pretty near the end of the second series.

One more point for Merle.

While I think Merlin is pretty flawed, he seems to regard himself as whole. Either way, there's nothing tragic about his flaws, in that they don't cause him any pain. Still zero.

6. The hero is out of place (and would do better and be happier if he was to devote his efforts elsewhere).

Torn between Chaos and Amber. Never quite able to fit in on Earth. Tossed back and forth by relatives and powers on both sides and the middle while all the time wanting nothing more than the chance to tinker with his (godlike) computer and spend time with his dad?

One point.

No, Merlin could fit in either place, and he's clearly welcome and loved in both poles of existence. Zip total.

7. The hero has a Dark Past (capitalized; small misdemeanors do not count, only things he prefers to keep hidden).

He doesn't like admitting who his mum is (who would?) but since everyone who counts knows all about Merlin's past I don't think it really counts. I almost gave him a point for the way in which his past interferred with the Julia situation but he gets point for Jules later anyway so...

No points here.

Absolutely. Zero.

8. The hero is, through action or inaction, personally responsible for a disaster of any kind.

Hmm, Castle Amber explodes but with no casulaties other than Coral's eye. Lots of people are killed to pave Merlin's way to the throne but I don't see how his action or inaction would have changed things.

I'd like to give him the point but can't really justify it this time.

This is probably the closest Merlin comes to tragedy, but he still misses. More zero.

9. The hero has a bad deal with Fate and has a perverse destiny, or is otherwise cursed.

Pawn of Logrus and Pattern. Bred to be the king of two opposing thrones in a scheme that subsequently fell apart.

One point.

Probably the strongest point. I'm not completely certain, but the circumstances of his conception, and the antipathy of his parents, sway me to yield the point. Total: One.

10. The hero has romantic problems. Of any kind.

"My ex faked her own death, plotted to kill me and is now shacked up with my brother. I think I still like her."

"I've been sleeping with my best mate's ex who he has recently started seeing again."

"Every time I have a one night stand I have to run away half dressed from angry husbands and the woman never remembers me in the morning." (linked to the above)

One point.

Yes, he has romantic problems, but as far as I can tell, he didn't actually love any of these women. Merlin is a young guy who enjoys sleeping around... and in my book that means he's got women problems, but no romantic problems. Zero points.

TOTAL SCORE FOR MERLIN:

So Merlin scores a grand total of 5 out of 10. Any thoughts on the above?

I come up with a 1 out of 10... so more-or-less non-tragic. One of the main reasons why I think the 2nd series suffers in comparison with the first.

Erick

[Trevelyan]

4. The hero suffers a loss (of position, capabilities, wallet, whatever).

Except that he doesn't seem in the least bit bothered by any of his supposed losses... and none of 'em come close to Corwin's torments. I think we're still at zero.

I think that he is pretty bothered by the way in which his life is dominated by his older relatives, the powers and others, but I'd agree that he doesn't seem to display the kind of reaction you'd expect from Corwin.

In fact Merlin seems to shift qite happily and easily from "I won't pick sides in the Pattern vs. Logrus conflict" to "Yes sir, Mr. Logrus sir. I'll sit on this here throne if that's what you really want." His dad wouldn't have been nearly such a pushover.

5. The hero is tragically flawed (prone to rage, weak, not very smart, too smart for his own good, etc.).[/B]

While I think Merlin is pretty flawed, he seems to regard himself as whole. Either way, there's nothing tragic about his flaws, in that they don't cause him any pain. Still zero.

Depends on how you look at it. Pretty much everything that happens to Merlin is the result of the fact that he is at least two steps behind everyone else that he encounters. He even comments to himself at one point that he has been reacting to events rather than dictating them (not that he changes much as a consequence).

But perhaps the overal result isn't tragic, and again he looses out to Corwin. When Big C is manipulated, he ends up blinded and imprisoned for four years. When Merle is pushed around he winds up owning a number of rare and powerful artifcts and being placed on a throne.

6. The hero is out of place (and would do better and be happier if he was to devote his efforts elsewhere).

No, Merlin could fit in either place, and he's clearly welcome and loved in both poles of existence. Zip total.

Hmm, I'm not so sure that I'd agree with that.

Chaos:

Dara views him as a disappointment and a potential pawn. Mandor, while friendly, shares many of the same views as Dara, unless you view attempted mental manipulation as part of a scheme to control the throne a sign of affection. We barely need to mention Jurt, and Despil is such a fan of Merlin that we only ever see him in a flashback. The only genuine friends that Merlin has in Chaos are a motly assortment of household demons and an old flame (Gilva) who may have ulterior motives.

Remember how isolated Merlin's childhood was shown to be - spending days playing with said demons and a strange vampire girl from shadow. Certainly he made his own fun, but it was never as part of a loving family.

Amber:

Merlin seems to fair a little better here. Random seems to have some genuine affection for him, but then Random is generally pleasant to everyone these days, and he shows signs of irritation with Merlin's naive attitude towards Ghostwheel and reluctance to come clean over matters of state concern. Fiona is again pretty friendly, but not above spying on Merle or using him to further her understanding of Corwin's Pattern. In fact Fiona's belnd of some afection but with a full willingness to use Merlin for any and all of her own ends is much like Mandor's attitude. Other family memebrs show the usual mix of politeness combined with slight exasperation at this young pup and a desire to push him in the right direction. Even his old pal Martin has moved on to new things and barely shares two words with him.

Wherever he goes, Merlin is certainly welcomed, but rarely is he welcomed for his own sake. Merlin is treated as a rare and valuable pawn by all but a handful of other social outcasts. No one is rude or offensive to him, and everyone solicites his company, but no one values Merlin for himself, only for what he, as a son or Corwin and/or with a claim to two thrones can do for them.

Now, it is true that Merlin, with his usual display of awesome stupidity, is often unaware of this. The question then becomes does a tragic figure have to realise his situation to be truely tragic, or is a man who thinks people are laughing with him rather than at him not equally tragic?

10. The hero has romantic problems. Of any kind.

Yes, he has romantic problems, but as far as I can tell, he didn't actually love any of these women. Merlin is a young guy who enjoys sleeping around... and in my book that means he's got women problems, but no romantic problems. Zero points.

Romantic vs. woman problems is a pretty fine distinction to make. Do the romantic elements have to arise on Merlin's side for them to count? Does he have to feel particular angst himself, or is the fact that most of his problems stem from his inability to manage relationships with women not count?

There was clearly a romantic issue at the heart of the situation with Julia, even if Merlin himself didn't recognise it until afterwards. And the scene in Sawall Ways with Julia hints at continuing romantic interest complicated by her relationship with Jurt.

Merlin does appear to have some genuine feelings for Coral, now the wife of his best friend.

Those two situations alone ought to qualify in this category, consider the vision that Merlin has in the Hall of Mirrors, where both women try to eat him, and Coral openly expresses jealousy of Julia's relationship with Merle.


I think the biggest impediment to Merlin gaining Tragic Hero status is not that hedoesn't encounter the right situations, but rather that he continues to exemplify the notion that ignorance is bliss. Faced with the same trials and tribulations, Corwin would have been reduced to a brooding, morose wreck in a matter of minutes. Consider what Merlin actually experiences:

Betrayed, subject to attempted murder and subsequently imprisoned by his best friend.
Further murder attempts from his ex girfriend who has faked her own death in such a way that Merlin feels at least partially responsible. This storyline only resolved when Merlin stabs his masked tormenter only for the massk to fall away and reveal Julia.
Continually hounded by his jealous brother (par for the course in Amber).
Pushed by the Powers to pick one side of his family/joint heritage over the other.
Manipulated by his own mother and "caring" older brother - a delightful pair of mass murdering assassins - into assuming a throne in which he has no real interest. They aren't above using magical mental coercion.
Searching on an ongoing basis for his missing father, who incidently has been imprisoned by above psychotic mother.

Objectively speaking, that's a pretty tragic list. It is only the innane chirpy, grinning loony optimism of Merlin that allows him to pass it off as just another day at the office. If there was an award for "fantasy protagonist most deserving of a smack in the mouth" it would go to Merlin every time.

[Trevelyan]

Since I like this game and it provides a good opportunity to analyse various characters, I present BENEDICT

1. The hero dies (or seems to die, or he is dead to the world). This point is not given to vampires.

Still alive and kicking. No points.

2. The hero's beloved one (lover, friend, relative) dies. In this case, only actual dead counts.

His beloved retainers are killed. For most Amberites I wouldn't take this too seriously, but Benedict was sufficiently riled that he pursued and tried to kill his own brother in a murderous rage. Since Benedict obviously takes such friendships more seriously than the average Amberite I'm giving him the point.

Running total - One point.

3. The hero suffers from existential anguish. Angst.

Benny is pretty close lipped, but that's just his way. While he might be constantly brooding over Dworkin's prophesy (does he even know of it?) we don't really see it so no points here.

Running total - One point.

4. The hero suffers a loss (of position, capabilities, wallet, whatever).

Benedict looses an arm. However he does get a shiny, albeit temporary replacement, and Corwin is quite sure that the loss of an arm doesn't really impede Benedict in any way. In fact, his ability to operate just as well without his arm just goes to show how capable Benedict really is. No point.

Running total - One point.

5. The hero is tragically flawed (prone to rage, weak, not very smart, too smart for his own good, etc.).

He has a bad temper to the point of breaking furniture if he doesn't like the turn of the conversation. That same temper leads him to almost kill his own brotehr in a rage before even listening to Corwin's side of the tale. Although it didn't lead to tragedy on that occasion, it's not hard to see Benedict loosing it with disasterous consequences at some point. Linked to this may be a brooding resentment of his father and the way in which he and his brothers were treated. It's nearly lunch time and I'm feeling generous so I'll give our boy the point.

Running total - Two points.

6. The hero is out of place (and would do better and be happier if he was to devote his efforts elsewhere).

Benedict is more than happy to walk out on a nasty situation and set himself up where he feels most content. No points.

Running total - Two points.

7. The hero has a Dark Past (capitalized; small misdemeanors do not count, only things he prefers to keep hidden).

Although his early years are a mystery to even his younger siblings we don't really see much hint of a dark past. Among the family, Benedict, along with Gerard, is more straight forward so no point here.

Running total - Two points.

8. The hero is, through action or inaction, personally responsible for a disaster of any kind.

Benedict doesn't cause disasters, he resuces his brothers from the disasters that they bring on themselves. No point.

Running total - Two points.

9. The hero has a bad deal with Fate and has a perverse destiny, or is otherwise cursed.

Benedict has "the mark of doom" on him. Although the implications of this, especially given Dworkin's state of mind when he said it, are unclear it does seem to be a textbook case of a perverse destiny and it adds a nice sense of foreboding to the man, especially since he may not know of it himself. One point.

Running total - Three points

10. The hero has romantic problems. Of any kind.

If we take he story about his lost arm and the night spent with the Hell Maiden Lintra at face value then Benedict, the ultimate swordsman, was clearly so taken with the woman that his concentration slipped enough fo her to disarm him. Literally. Benedict then killed Lintra.

It's not covered in greater detail, but then given the first person narrative of Corwin we wouldn't expect otherwise. reading between the lines, Benedict obviously feels the los of his arm (and perhaps the girl?) quite strongly so I'll give him a point, especially since Benedict seem overal to be more tragic than his point score would indicate.

Final total - Four points.

[Erick Wujcik]

Since I like this game and it provides a good opportunity to analyse various characters, I present BENEDICT

7. The hero has a Dark Past (capitalized; small misdemeanors do not count, only things he prefers to keep hidden).

Although his early years are a mystery to even his younger siblings we don't really see much hint of a dark past. Among the family, Benedict, along with Gerard, is more straight forward so no point here.

Running total - Two points.

What about his lost brothers? We are told that Osric and Finndo, his contemporaries, were more-or-less done in by Oberon, but that Benedict survived whatever it was. This is a mystery to Corwin, and pretty dark, and Benedict certainly behaves as if he has a dark past (witness his attitude toward succession questions).

Personally, I'd give him this one.

I agree on all the other points, so we're close: 4/10 versus 5/10.

Erick

[Trevelyan]

I'm happy to give him the extra point. Benedict feels a lot darker than his evident actions suggest.

[Erick Wujcik]

For no particular reason, save that Caine is my favorite character (today, anyway, tomorrow my favorite might well be Bleys), here's my take on Caine as tragic hero.

1. The hero dies (or seems to die, or he is dead to the world). This point is not given to vampires.

While this would seem to be the case, since his corpse was recovered in the 3rd book, it's hardly tragic from Caine's point of view, since it's more of a Tom Sawyer moment.

Zip.

Note, however, the tragic element of killing one's own Shadow Self. Not enough for a point, but interesting.

2. The hero's beloved one (lover, friend, relative) dies. In this case, only actual dead counts.

None that I know of.

Zip.

3. The hero suffers from existential anguish. Angst.

Hardly. He might have had a tiny bit of self-doubt as he was knifing Corwin in the back, but it hardly counts as angst.

Zip.

4. The hero suffers a loss (of position, capabilities, wallet, whatever).

Not in the least.

Zip.

5. The hero is tragically flawed (prone to rage, weak, not very smart, too smart for his own good, etc.).

Chuckle.

Zip.

6. The hero is out of place (and would do better and be happier if he was to devote his efforts elsewhere).

Nope.

Zip.

7. The hero has a Dark Past (capitalized; small misdemeanors do not count, only things he prefers to keep hidden).

He may have a dark present, and do innumerable dark deeds, but he's really not all that dark a character.

Less dark than Corwin, Brand, Fiona (she's definitely danced naked, smeared with the blood of her victims), Bleys, Benedict, Dierdre, Oberon and Dworkin, in my opinion.

Probably more dark than Random, Gerard, Llewella, Julian or Flora (although I could make a case the other way for these last two)

Zip.

8. The hero is, through action or inaction, personally responsible for a disaster of any kind.

He may have gotten a few things wrong, but he fails to actually kill any of the good guys.

Zip.

9. The hero has a bad deal with Fate and has a perverse destiny, or is otherwise cursed.

Hardly.

Zip.

10. The hero has romantic problems. Of any kind.

I'd be shocked, shocked if Caine wasn't lucky in love.

Zip.

So zero for ten, and Caine comes out unscathed by tragedy.

Erick

[Otha]

Caine's probably an adherent to Patton's Maxim:

"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country. "

[Syzygy]

1. The hero dies (or seems to die, or he is dead to the world). This point is not given to vampires.

If you consider both chronicles and the short stories, however, he gets an obvious point here.

Worse, he dies unavenged, with his killer still free and jovial, walking the halls of Castle Amber unafraid.

Luke was being set up as a hero for the third chronicle.  Out with the old, in with the new.

[Erick Wujcik]

If you consider both chronicles and the short stories, however, he gets an obvious point here.

Worse, he dies unavenged, with his killer still free and jovial, walking the halls of Castle Amber unafraid.

Luke was being set up as a hero for the third chronicle.  Out with the old, in with the new.

Are you talking about Caine?

If so, I should point out that I find it most improbable that Caine was actually killed by Luke. More probable, Caine took advantage of the assassination attempt to revert to his old habits, and is again observing affairs from a distance, the Trump spread out before him.

Erick