Emotional storytelling is one of those concepts that is easy to feel, yet difficult to conceptualize
when it comes to putting it into place or examining why it works in certain circumstances
and not others.
There are many elements that can contribute to this, such as high stakes, effective direction
or a meticulous character focus, but oftentimes, the lasting impact seems to come down to the
intangibles - the abstract concepts that remain a mystery to most.
It’s a sort of magic involved with storytelling - I can try to explain why something appeals
to me emotionally, but due to subjective experience, my reasons could be entirely different from
yours, yet we can still derive huge fulfillment from the same story for different reasons.
It’s a bit of a mystery to most of us unfamiliar with the writing craft, but the rewards are
plentiful for those who can achieve this with their stories.
It’s pretty easy to see why writers bank on this emotion - audience investment is vital,
and emotional immersion is generally the strongest way to do that.
A lot of the most successful stories are evokative and pathos-driven in one way or another, and
Fate/Zero is no different in this regard - from the swelling emotional rollercoaster of Rider
and Waver’s journey, to the deep tragedy of most of the others.
However, oftentimes, things must be done in deliberate moderation.
Oversaturating one’s story in pathos treads dangerously close to overindulgence and radical
melodrama, which can become tiring and numbing, so it is often necessary for tools to be used
to prevent this from happening.
This is part of why characters in the vein of what has been coined by Carl Jung as the
Jester archetype are so valuable.
And for more information on Jesters and their role in fiction, a link will be provided in
the description for an overview.
These characters are often inserted into emotional fiction to offer a counterweight and balance,
and to accentuate the arguments of the writing on display.
Jesters are detached, not overly concerned with the events of the story, mainly engaging
themselves with the plot due to some sort of personal enjoyment or entertainment.
They tend to casually peel back the layers of the story and it’s characters in a way
that only a neutral third party could - though they can at times be shown as misled in order
to prove some alternate point.
They’re somewhat of a choir, pounding down the fourth wall at times to add depth and
extra dimensions to the characters and events at play.
They are unrestricted and free, purely invested in their own needs and dictated by what they
perceive to be the singular truth.
Due to their aloof and detached nature, there is an aura of power surrounding jesters that
draws people to them.
They are unconcerned, uninvested, secure - often all the things that we wish we were.
And because they represent this freedom, security and the aforementioned truth, their playful
nature is enough to make actions that would otherwise be rage-inducing seem.. not that
big of a deal to most of the audience.
The jester is often a great boon to dramatic writing, and they can offer so much more narrative
value than it would seem on the surface.
The story of Fate/Zero understands that it is very emotion-fueled, and simultaneously
understands the dynamic benefits of these detached archetypes.
And that is why Gilgamesh is such a vastly important character, both structurally and
thematically.
He does exactly what he needs to do to make the story flourish, and without him, it would
suffer in quite a few places.
There is first the stark motivational contrast he represents in comparison to the other characters.
As I’ve said before, these characters, whether they be uplifting or tragic, are possessed
by some sort of deeply emotional motivation that defines them.
Waver longs for respect and stature, Saber wants to save her kingdom, Kariya wants to
save Sakura, Lancer desires to be immersed in glorious romantic battle, to find salvation
from his past..
Kiritsugu wants to purge all of the pain from the world.
But Gilgamesh looks at the whole thing as mild entertainment.
He views himself as the one true king, the god among these mongrels, and the idea of
lowering himself to play at this foolish war is insulting to his very existence.
He sits back, he watches, he chimes in once in a while.. but he’s so uninvested in this
child’s play that it really helps to throw into sharp relief how much the others need
this, how desperate they are and why this Grail means so much to them.
He is a mediator of sorts, like a smug moderator in a debate even if he doesn’t do anything
close to moderating - his presence allows the contrasting ideals, personalities and
motivations to stand out and contrast more, while he remains entertaining through his
perceived superiority.
But when Berserker essentially forces him on a level playing field with the rest, he
gets extremely angry.
He has excessive pride, and when someone disrespects his radiance by looking at him as something
other than the god of this world, he will not tolerate it.
He puts a nice spin on the theme of pride - while Waver’s pride causes him to look
upwards and continuously strive for more, Gilgamesh’s leads him to look downward on
others.
And as it is initially with Waver, the only reason Gilgamesh really takes place in the
war is because he wants to solidify his status.
Berserker is disrespecting him, so he feels there is a debt that he has to settle - and
while it is a formality, he must take his rightful place as the number one.
But this early role slowly fades in prominence as the story moves on and Gilgamesh truly
comes into his own as the choir, the onlooker and the jester of Fate/Zero.
Being summoned as the servant of Tokiomi Tohsaka stirs nothing in Gilgamesh.
Tohsaka has motivations and a personality that are not interesting to his servant in
the slightest.
As such, Gilgamesh’s interests early on are fleeting fancies, and he’s utterly bored
by the man who calls himself his master.
But Tokiomi’s accomplice and partner.. that’s a different story.
Because in Kirei, Gilgamesh sees someone who can turn this mostly stale battle into a dastardly
interesting spectacle worthy of his radiance.
Kirei is a lost soul, unsure of his desires in life, indifferent to everything and not
aware of what draws him to fight in this war - which allows Gilgamesh to look upon him
like a piece of clay, free to sculpt and shape as he desires.
Gilgamesh’s control over Kirei is not forceful - it’s a sort of sly, playful manipulation.
The key is, he doesn’t bluntly tell Kirei what to do, which is wise as that would make
him similar to those in Kirei’s life who have tried to tell him what is right, those
who he was adverse to.
Gilgamesh doesn’t make up his mind for him.. he just offers him..
another perspective.
Maybe.. maybe you are a twisted psychopath.
But what’s so wrong about that?
Don’t try to avoid the inevitable.
Embrace it, be honest, and become who you want to become.
Take me on as your servant and let’s have some fun.
He works so well as a third party here because he does not consider himself a part of humanity
- he considers himself above it.
IN TERMS OF PERSPECTIVE, THIS ELEVATES HIM ABOVE THE POINT OF VIEW OF EVERY OTHER CHARACTER,
AND THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE HERE.
He is one of us, a part of the audience, and he is intent on making things as interesting
as possible for himself - and by proxy, for the us.
His fascination with Kirei really heightens his narrative impact.
Because not only does he make it a personal mission to play around with him, which has
great impact on the story, but here he becomes more jester-like than ever.
Just pushing and prodding things, manipulating and planning, to see how things play out and
how these foolish mortals dance.
And aside from Kirei, Gilgamesh finds even more entertainment to indulge in through Saber,
which gives some insight into another aspect of his personality and function.
He shows his utility as a choir better than ever by using his manner of thinking to poke
holes in Saber’s honourable, altruistic mindset in the banquet of Kings.
In a story about ideology, he sticks a knife in all of the romantic, complex ones by simply
stating his - He is the one true king.
Everything belongs to him.
Everyone should bend the knee to his glory, and anyone who does not do so is treasonous.
It allows him to properly dissect the views of people like Saber, Kirei and Rider and
offer them new perspectives without their own bias to lead to his desired results.
Because to him, the characters are all a mildly entertaining simulation - toys in his toy
box.
True to his function as the choir, Gilgamesh helps to get to the heart of the messages
of Fate/Zero, often reflecting the themes of the story or predicting future events.
As I’ve said in previous videos, Fate/Zero is a show in the vein of classic Greek tragedy,
a story characterized by tragic inevitability.
And Gilgamesh’s tendency to predict things not only plays into that, but is arguably
one of the reasons why this Greek tragedy structure works.
Midway through, he sadistically muses that Saber’s dreams will come crashing down..
which happens.
He even predicts his own victory from the beginning, and he foresees the downfall of
all of those possessed of ideals, literally spelling out what is arguably the main theme
of the story.
But
in a move that integrates dramatic, emotional weight, characterization, and a stunning consistency
with regards to this function, Gilgamesh shows true respect to a mere two characters in the
story who he would consider his opponents.
When it came to Karina, he strung only to have Kirei destroy him.
He looks upon Saber as if she is his plaything, he views Kiritsugu as pitifully naive, he
has no respect for Assassin, Lancer, Tokiomi or Caster, and he doesn’t even think about
the rest of the cast.. yet he spares words of sincere respect for Waver and Rider.
The two characters who represent the truest thematic intent in Fate/Zero, as I argue in
my video on the topic.
All dreams die when the dreamer wakes.. so never allow yourself to wake.
In the same vein as characters such as Hisoka and Pariston from Hunter Hunter, Kimblee from
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood or Izaya Orihara from Durarara, Gilgamesh is a stunning character
that manages to perform a very important narrative function while simultaneously being incredibly
engaging to watch due to his devilishly enticing personality and his entertaining interactions.
He is a tremendous plot device that provides dark drama, extra narrative layers, and balance
to the ideological duels, contributing to an important element of theatrical disconnect
to have the story play out in full force.
Ever the Jester, his influence is felt from episode of one and never lets up, solidifying
him as one of the most important characters in the story.
Many thanks for watching.