11.04.2018 21:43
Dabei sind Himiko und die anderen, wie ich in meiner Bachelorarbeit feststellte, auch keine starken weiblichen Charaktäre. In meiner Bachelorarbeit schrieb ich auch etwas dazu im 6. Kapitel, Secondary Female Characters in Tomb Raider...
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Spoiler6.1 Pretty Fiends: Wicked Witches
As stated above, both stereotypes and gender role expectations act like selfperpetuating
entities. They continue to exist by being applied and repeated.
Alfermann explains that gender role expectations are aquired through models
that present gender roles, and adduces fairy tales as an example of how media
present these models (24 et seqq.). The Tomb Raider series has included a
model well known from fairy tales quite often, namely the wicked witch.
The wicked witch as an antagonistic female character, who harnesses
magic power through a mystical item is, not unlike an Amazon, constructed as
an overly powerful opponent to be reckoned with only to emphasise the
protagonist’s heroism that arises by defeating her. Female antagonists in the
game series at hand have frequently been styled after this archetypical
character. Those beautiful, blonde versions of the witch archetype gain their
magic powers through ancient artefacts: In TR1, TRA and TRU, Natla as the
main antagonist would use an artefact called the Scion and a contraption from
Nordic mythology to achieve world domination. In TR3, the staff of Sophia Lee
would be used as a weapon shooting bolts of lightning at Lara. Another wicked
witch character was used in TRL and TRU, where Amanda could unleash a
demonic creature from her pendant, or draw telekinetic power from it.
Even the otherwise gender-progressed RotTR features a slightly moderated
version of the wicked witch cliché in the form of Lara's evil would-be stepmother
Ana, who intends to use a lamp-like relic containing an unknown enitity to
become immortal, yet has superior power during the game only due to the army
she has at her disposal. As another deviation from the norm, TR2013 rendered
an overly powerful female character into the corresponding magical object itself:
The main antagonist, Matthias fills the role of a high priest, using the objectified
human shell of Queen Himiko as some sort of magical soul emitter in a
resurrection ritual. This is an extreme border case, however, because the
wicked witch is literally objectified and reduced into a magical light bulb.
Powerful women are repeatedly represented as wicked witches in the Tomb
Raider video game series. They are not powerful on their own, but have to
resort to unfair tricks, i.e. magic or the promise thereof, to be taken seriously as
opponents. Seeing as Lara Croft herself bares such an empowering message, it
seems paradoxical that her female nemeses are constructed in a way that
reinforces the idea of women as an essentially impotent gender, i.e. incapable
of gaining relevance by being strong, or smart, or resourceful, but having to rely
on outward sources of power instead.
As stated above, both stereotypes and gender role expectations act like selfperpetuating
entities. They continue to exist by being applied and repeated.
Alfermann explains that gender role expectations are aquired through models
that present gender roles, and adduces fairy tales as an example of how media
present these models (24 et seqq.). The Tomb Raider series has included a
model well known from fairy tales quite often, namely the wicked witch.
The wicked witch as an antagonistic female character, who harnesses
magic power through a mystical item is, not unlike an Amazon, constructed as
an overly powerful opponent to be reckoned with only to emphasise the
protagonist’s heroism that arises by defeating her. Female antagonists in the
game series at hand have frequently been styled after this archetypical
character. Those beautiful, blonde versions of the witch archetype gain their
magic powers through ancient artefacts: In TR1, TRA and TRU, Natla as the
main antagonist would use an artefact called the Scion and a contraption from
Nordic mythology to achieve world domination. In TR3, the staff of Sophia Lee
would be used as a weapon shooting bolts of lightning at Lara. Another wicked
witch character was used in TRL and TRU, where Amanda could unleash a
demonic creature from her pendant, or draw telekinetic power from it.
Even the otherwise gender-progressed RotTR features a slightly moderated
version of the wicked witch cliché in the form of Lara's evil would-be stepmother
Ana, who intends to use a lamp-like relic containing an unknown enitity to
become immortal, yet has superior power during the game only due to the army
she has at her disposal. As another deviation from the norm, TR2013 rendered
an overly powerful female character into the corresponding magical object itself:
The main antagonist, Matthias fills the role of a high priest, using the objectified
human shell of Queen Himiko as some sort of magical soul emitter in a
resurrection ritual. This is an extreme border case, however, because the
wicked witch is literally objectified and reduced into a magical light bulb.
Powerful women are repeatedly represented as wicked witches in the Tomb
Raider video game series. They are not powerful on their own, but have to
resort to unfair tricks, i.e. magic or the promise thereof, to be taken seriously as
opponents. Seeing as Lara Croft herself bares such an empowering message, it
seems paradoxical that her female nemeses are constructed in a way that
reinforces the idea of women as an essentially impotent gender, i.e. incapable
of gaining relevance by being strong, or smart, or resourceful, but having to rely
on outward sources of power instead.