He comes to me as though the Fade
were just another wooded path...
(As always, please note that this post will include massive spoilers on Dragon Age: Inquisition's ending, character revelations, and the outcome of its DLC "Trespasser." Read at your own risk!)
One of my favorite things about Dragon Age: Inquisition (and, specifically, about Patrick Weekes's handling of the character of Solas) is the amount of real poetry and nuance you'll encounter in the game's dialogue, especially in Solas's conversations. As with so much of the game, there's real complexity and literary skill to be found, and Solas's elegant conversations and banters reveal a depth and empathy that greatly enrich the character who must eventually reveal himself to be our true antagonist, breaking our poor Lavellan's heart (if she romanced him) all over again.
(Please excuse me as I take a slight break for sobbing, despair, cookies, wine, Solavellan YouTube videos, and adorable memes about Chauncey (the Tiny Polar Bear from The Black Emporium). Thus fortified, I'm back.)
Revelations in the Rhythms
Solas, you sly dog. It figures that one of the most complex
and subtle characters in the game is actually secretly singing
one of the most beautiful songs ever written in his responses.
As one of the most complex characters in the game, Solas is a bit of a paradox. He appears to be a precise, rather guarded and cold person at first glance. Yet it quickly becomes apparent that he's a deeply passionate and feeling person, and that he's much more fiery and emotional than he first appeared to be. This is why I'm always telling gamer friends to romance Solas in the game—it's not only the romance most directly tied to the main storyline (and that is gorgeously presented in a way that's practically operatic by the time you reach "Trespasser"—I'd comment more, but I just stopped crying for the fourth time, so I'll skip over it), but it's also the best way to really experience how subtle and rich Solas is as a character, not to mention how playful and beautifully crafted his dialogue can be.
For instance, Solas often speaks iambically (with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one—essentially, a heartbeat rhythm). Iambic pentameter, most notable in Shakespeare's works, meanwhile, is a string of five iambs (feet) specifically. The best way to remember or recognize iambic pentameter is that it's basically five heartbeats (ba DUM, ba DUM, ba DUM, ba DUM, ba DUM). An easy way for me to remember it is always Shakespeare's "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" Written iambically, it can be seen as: "But SOFT what LIGHT through YON-der WIN-dow BREAKS."
A good example of Solas delving into iambic pentameter, for example, in "Trespasser," is when Solas says to a romanced Inquisitor, "I want you to know that what we had was real." Or, iambically, "I WANT (you to) KNOW that WHAT we HAD was REAL." Once I stopped crying, I was able to appreciate the underlying subtle poetry of the statement. Barely.
But as Corseque points out here, Solas's dialogue goes beyond iambic pentameter and instead reflects something I would argue is ultimately more complex—the rhythms of the classic Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah." It's a slightly more irregular yet immediately recognizable rhythm.
When Solas does this, it's both poetic and lovely that he is almost always talking about the Fade—the dream-world and source of all magic that he loves beyond anything else. His speech in these moments is iambic but it also moves in the song's specific series of rhythms and patterns, and once you recognize them, you may find yourself singing along with his dialogue. I certainly did, and I found it weirdly delightful to do, especially since Gareth David-Lloyd's voice performance as Solas—complete with subtle Welsh accent—is so beautiful that it's already only one step away from being actual music anyway.
Inspirations and Patterns
The origin of the song's effect on Weekes was discussed in a fascinating and revealing blog post by Bioware a few years back, about what music the writers and editors listened to while working on the characters. It's a great article, and the playlist revelations by all of the writers and editors are delightfully true for each of their characters (for instance, yes, I do believe after reading about writer Lukas Kristjanson's playlist, that Sera would totally listen to The Fratellis).
In that same post, Patrick Weekes revealed that in addition to listening to a number of movie soundtracks (as a fantasy writer and film-music nerd who writes to them frequently, I highly approve) and lots of Sarah McLachlan songs, that he had also listened to "Hallelujah" heavily while writing certain passages for Solas. Weekes chose the kd lang version, which is lovely, although for me nothing will ever quite touch the raw, stripped-down Jeff Buckley acoustic. Weekes was in fact so affected by the song that he then began to intentionally incorporate its distinctive patterns into Solas's dialogue.
And this is where it gets brilliant. I love this—the way the subtext becomes text—plus, as a writer, the fact that it's such a creative way to go with the flow when writing—to actually let something pull you along and into another world. It's an appropriate song choice, given Solas's true identity, as well as his bitterness, pain, isolation and regret, and it also adds another layer of yearning and regretful subtext if applied to a romanced Inquisitor.
But that was just the beginning. I loved discovering as I listened to the game's dialogues and banters that Solas so frequently speaks in this poetic and rhythmic cadence, and (best of all), that he actually gives approval if the Inquisitor responds in the same way. And the Inquisitor's not the only one (more on the other appearances of this speech pattern farther down).
As noted on tumblr originally by Corseque and Veeeahknee, among others, the cadence and rhythm of the syllables of the song “Hallelujah” can be parsed numerically line by line as "8 / 8 / 11 / 8 / 8 / 11 / 8 / 9," or, iambically, as "4 / 4 / 4 amphibrach 4 / 4 / 4 amphibrach."
Or in another representation, Zeitheist also notes it more precisely as the pattern below:
iamb iamb iamb iamb
iamb iamb iamb iamb
iamb iamb iamb iamb amphibrach
iamb iamb iamb iamb
iamb iamb iamb iamb
iamb iamb iamb iamb amphibrach
You already know what an iamb is—the unstressed/stressed "foot." Meanwhile, an amphibrach is typically a stressed or long syllable between two unstressed or shorter syllables. So the amphibraches account for those three extra syllables that close every 12 iambs.
Thus, going back to Leonard Cohen's original lyrics, the cadence of "Hallelujah" in its immediate opening verses reflects this pattern perfectly:
Well I heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
The "Hallelujah" revelation will, of course, further destroy the
hearts of those hapless players whose Inquisitors romanced Solas,
and may cause further bouts of weeping or despair. Good times!
Now apply this to some of Solas's most notable dialogue! (Note: In my examples, directly below and throughout, I've attempted to present the dialogue precisely according to the song's required cadences, so that in some cases I've divided/hyphenated words, etc., to show how the dialogue hews to the song's rhythms):
I’ve journeyed deep into the Fade
In ancient ruins and battlefields
To see the dreams of lost civilizations
I’ve watched as hosts of spirits clash
To re-enact the bloody past
In ancient wars both famous and forgotten
Every great war
Has its heroes
I’m just curious
What kind you’ll be
More "Hallelujah" Pattern Appearances in Dragon Age: Inquisition
I went through as much DAI dialogue and banter as I could, and some additional samples of Solas's "Hallelujah" dialogues include the following gems:
The Qunari Baker
I saw a young Qunari work-
ing in a simple kitchen, bak-
ing bread as she was ordered every morning.
In every loaf she broke the rules.
She'd take a pinch of sugar and
would fold it to the center, like a secret.
And this act of
small rebellion
brought a shining
smile across her face.
were just another wooded path...
(As always, please note that this post will include massive spoilers on Dragon Age: Inquisition's ending, character revelations, and the outcome of its DLC "Trespasser." Read at your own risk!)
One of my favorite things about Dragon Age: Inquisition (and, specifically, about Patrick Weekes's handling of the character of Solas) is the amount of real poetry and nuance you'll encounter in the game's dialogue, especially in Solas's conversations. As with so much of the game, there's real complexity and literary skill to be found, and Solas's elegant conversations and banters reveal a depth and empathy that greatly enrich the character who must eventually reveal himself to be our true antagonist, breaking our poor Lavellan's heart (if she romanced him) all over again.
(Please excuse me as I take a slight break for sobbing, despair, cookies, wine, Solavellan YouTube videos, and adorable memes about Chauncey (the Tiny Polar Bear from The Black Emporium). Thus fortified, I'm back.)
Revelations in the Rhythms
Solas, you sly dog. It figures that one of the most complex
and subtle characters in the game is actually secretly singing
one of the most beautiful songs ever written in his responses.
As one of the most complex characters in the game, Solas is a bit of a paradox. He appears to be a precise, rather guarded and cold person at first glance. Yet it quickly becomes apparent that he's a deeply passionate and feeling person, and that he's much more fiery and emotional than he first appeared to be. This is why I'm always telling gamer friends to romance Solas in the game—it's not only the romance most directly tied to the main storyline (and that is gorgeously presented in a way that's practically operatic by the time you reach "Trespasser"—I'd comment more, but I just stopped crying for the fourth time, so I'll skip over it), but it's also the best way to really experience how subtle and rich Solas is as a character, not to mention how playful and beautifully crafted his dialogue can be.
For instance, Solas often speaks iambically (with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one—essentially, a heartbeat rhythm). Iambic pentameter, most notable in Shakespeare's works, meanwhile, is a string of five iambs (feet) specifically. The best way to remember or recognize iambic pentameter is that it's basically five heartbeats (ba DUM, ba DUM, ba DUM, ba DUM, ba DUM). An easy way for me to remember it is always Shakespeare's "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" Written iambically, it can be seen as: "But SOFT what LIGHT through YON-der WIN-dow BREAKS."
A good example of Solas delving into iambic pentameter, for example, in "Trespasser," is when Solas says to a romanced Inquisitor, "I want you to know that what we had was real." Or, iambically, "I WANT (you to) KNOW that WHAT we HAD was REAL." Once I stopped crying, I was able to appreciate the underlying subtle poetry of the statement. Barely.
But as Corseque points out here, Solas's dialogue goes beyond iambic pentameter and instead reflects something I would argue is ultimately more complex—the rhythms of the classic Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah." It's a slightly more irregular yet immediately recognizable rhythm.
When Solas does this, it's both poetic and lovely that he is almost always talking about the Fade—the dream-world and source of all magic that he loves beyond anything else. His speech in these moments is iambic but it also moves in the song's specific series of rhythms and patterns, and once you recognize them, you may find yourself singing along with his dialogue. I certainly did, and I found it weirdly delightful to do, especially since Gareth David-Lloyd's voice performance as Solas—complete with subtle Welsh accent—is so beautiful that it's already only one step away from being actual music anyway.
Inspirations and Patterns
The origin of the song's effect on Weekes was discussed in a fascinating and revealing blog post by Bioware a few years back, about what music the writers and editors listened to while working on the characters. It's a great article, and the playlist revelations by all of the writers and editors are delightfully true for each of their characters (for instance, yes, I do believe after reading about writer Lukas Kristjanson's playlist, that Sera would totally listen to The Fratellis).
In that same post, Patrick Weekes revealed that in addition to listening to a number of movie soundtracks (as a fantasy writer and film-music nerd who writes to them frequently, I highly approve) and lots of Sarah McLachlan songs, that he had also listened to "Hallelujah" heavily while writing certain passages for Solas. Weekes chose the kd lang version, which is lovely, although for me nothing will ever quite touch the raw, stripped-down Jeff Buckley acoustic. Weekes was in fact so affected by the song that he then began to intentionally incorporate its distinctive patterns into Solas's dialogue.
And this is where it gets brilliant. I love this—the way the subtext becomes text—plus, as a writer, the fact that it's such a creative way to go with the flow when writing—to actually let something pull you along and into another world. It's an appropriate song choice, given Solas's true identity, as well as his bitterness, pain, isolation and regret, and it also adds another layer of yearning and regretful subtext if applied to a romanced Inquisitor.
But that was just the beginning. I loved discovering as I listened to the game's dialogues and banters that Solas so frequently speaks in this poetic and rhythmic cadence, and (best of all), that he actually gives approval if the Inquisitor responds in the same way. And the Inquisitor's not the only one (more on the other appearances of this speech pattern farther down).
As noted on tumblr originally by Corseque and Veeeahknee, among others, the cadence and rhythm of the syllables of the song “Hallelujah” can be parsed numerically line by line as "8 / 8 / 11 / 8 / 8 / 11 / 8 / 9," or, iambically, as "4 / 4 / 4 amphibrach 4 / 4 / 4 amphibrach."
Or in another representation, Zeitheist also notes it more precisely as the pattern below:
iamb iamb iamb iamb
iamb iamb iamb iamb
iamb iamb iamb iamb amphibrach
iamb iamb iamb iamb
iamb iamb iamb iamb
iamb iamb iamb iamb amphibrach
You already know what an iamb is—the unstressed/stressed "foot." Meanwhile, an amphibrach is typically a stressed or long syllable between two unstressed or shorter syllables. So the amphibraches account for those three extra syllables that close every 12 iambs.
Thus, going back to Leonard Cohen's original lyrics, the cadence of "Hallelujah" in its immediate opening verses reflects this pattern perfectly:
Well I heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
The "Hallelujah" revelation will, of course, further destroy the
hearts of those hapless players whose Inquisitors romanced Solas,
and may cause further bouts of weeping or despair. Good times!
Now apply this to some of Solas's most notable dialogue! (Note: In my examples, directly below and throughout, I've attempted to present the dialogue precisely according to the song's required cadences, so that in some cases I've divided/hyphenated words, etc., to show how the dialogue hews to the song's rhythms):
I’ve journeyed deep into the Fade
In ancient ruins and battlefields
To see the dreams of lost civilizations
I’ve watched as hosts of spirits clash
To re-enact the bloody past
In ancient wars both famous and forgotten
Every great war
Has its heroes
I’m just curious
What kind you’ll be
More "Hallelujah" Pattern Appearances in Dragon Age: Inquisition
I went through as much DAI dialogue and banter as I could, and some additional samples of Solas's "Hallelujah" dialogues include the following gems:
The Qunari Baker
I saw a young Qunari work-
ing in a simple kitchen, bak-
ing bread as she was ordered every morning.
In every loaf she broke the rules.
She'd take a pinch of sugar and
would fold it to the center, like a secret.
And this act of
small rebellion
brought a shining
smile across her face.
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