THE MATRIX IN TERMS OF THE MOVIE

Okay so if you remember in the previous article which I talked about the Matrix in terms of the real world, I said that I would create another article specifically for explaining how the characteristics of the characters in the Matrix compares to different human beings and their attitudes, if you haven’t read it and want to read then click here.

Okay so let’s start from the main character, Neo.

NEO:

Who is a Neo? In the movie, Neo is a regular human who learns about the Matrix, he didn’t really know much about it at first but he wanted to know more, and that was where the whole problem of the movie started. Because he knew about the Matrix, agents were being sent after him, why? because he knew about the Matrix and his knowledge alone was harmful to the Matrix. In terms of the real world there are no agents being sent to protect the matrix, but there are certain laws being put in place to protect certain structures keeping certain truths from spreading, these laws or rules are being placed to keep people in check and usually breaking them at times carries serious consequences because they are being used as a cover up for certain hidden truths which can be used against some powerful figures. In this case these rules being set in place to protect those truths or certain confidential information can be portrayed as the agents whom are sent to protect the Matrix.

So what truths are being hidden underneath these laws? I don’t know but hey that was why the rule was being put there in the first place right. These truths can contain some hard facts which could change the way people view things, or confidential information which if being spread in the first place could be harmful to a certain organization or a certain prominent figure.

So is this the end of Neo’s story? No, he later goes on to learn more about the matrix from Morpheus whom is another character we’re going to talk about as we go further, Neo learning more about the Matrix initially made him believe that he could break out of the Matrix but in the end he realized that he couldn’t, he had to know more about the Matrix to be able to fight the machines and ensure the survival of humanity while inside the Matrix and that is exactly what I’ve been talking about all these while, you cannot break out of the matrix, or rather in real world terms you cannot break out of a system no matter how rugged it is, you can only manipulate it to work in your favor or be aware of the system and know how to work your way to survive while living under the same system, that’s how the world works. And now, that brings us to our next character

MORPHEUS:

Who is a Morpheus? First of all in the movie Morpheus is the captain of a ship who believes in the prophecy of “The One”. He believes that there is a chosen one inside the matrix that could help them break out of the matrix, he’s also the one that opens up people’s mind and teaches them more about the matrix. Just as in the case of Neo, when Morpheus learnt that Neo knew about the Matrix and agents were being sent after him he helped Neo out and then offered him the opportunity to learn more about the Matrix, Morpheus saw the world in a different way, he saw beyond what everyone else saw and believed that ‘The One’ would be the one to change their lives.

In terms of the real world Morpheus can be seen as different kinds of people, for example a religious leader who sees beyond what other people see. He believes so much in his God and he teaches people more about the religion not because they’ve seen God but just because they have so much faith and belief in him that he will make things work out for them. So was the case with Morpheus he believed in the prophecy of ‘The One’ despite never seeing him and his crew as well also believed in the prophecy just as much as he did.

Morpheus can also be seen as a philosopher or a motivational figure who challenges people to see beyond what they’re being fed.

In general you can describe Morpheus in the real world as believer and a guide, a leader and a preacher of a deeper reality, someone who helps people break through the illusions of life, he’s faith driven and off course he doesn’t have all the answers but he knows the system is false and believes in something greater.

THE MEROVINGIAN AND PERSEPHONE:

As we saw in the Matrix, the Merovingian and Persephone were married to each other, the Merovingian was the more arrogant one while Persephone was more quiet, it doesn’t mean that because Merovingian was the husband he had more power than Persephone because he doesn’t, she had just as much power as he did just that she wasn’t as arrogant but it doesn’t mean that she wanted out of the system. We see this in the movie during the part when Neo comes to find the Keymaker that the Merovingian doesn’t help them out because he doesn’t really want anyone else to succeed as much as he did I mean Persephone said it, she said he used to be like Neo. In real world terms you can explain this as those people who have already succeeded in a particular field but when they see the potential in a younger person to be able to surpass their legacy in that field knowing very well that they can help that person succeed, they won’t help maybe because they feel the person will do better or sometimes it’s also about feeding their ego, they want to be the most superior and powerful person in that field or system, that’s how the Merovingian thinks.

Persephone on the other hand helped Neo out because she felt she saw the old Merovingian inside of him not because she believed in his course, she missed the person whom the Merovingian used to be so much that she asked Neo to kiss her so she could feel it again. In real world terms we can describe Persephone as a person in a powerful position who might be sick and tired of the system but doesn’t really want out of it, they sometimes might support groups who fight against a system not because they believe that the group will succeed but because it will somehow be beneficial to them. So was the case with Persephone, she told Neo that she would give him the keymaker only on the condition that he kisses her, how was that beneficial to her? Because it reminded her of who her husband used to be.

So as we see here Persephone might not be as arrogant and as selfish as the Merovingian but everything and every help she offers is because it’s beneficial to her as well, these kind of people are not in a system or in the position that they are in but that doesn’t mean that they want out.

THE KEYMAKER:

The keymaker in the Matrix is a character who has the key to open any door in the Matrix, the only time we really saw him in action was when he helped Neo with the key to open the door where he would meet the Architect (the creator of the matrix).

How can we describe the keymaker in real world terms? The keymaker in the real world can be seen as someone who has access to where most people don’t, they have connections that everyone would wish to have, they have access to enter places in which no regular person can. Take for example a student who applied for admission in a school which has a lot of applicants and that students score is most likely not enough to get them admitted into the program which they want, but the student’s uncle says he knows someone who can help with the admission process in the school, in this moment the uncle becomes a keymaker. Anyone with certain connections that can help them to help someone is a keymaker because in that moment they are offering a key which opens a door to the person whom they want to help.

The keymaker is probably the easiest character to understand in this entire article, so now we move on to the next one.

THE ORACLE:

The Oracle in the movie was a program who was created to understand and influence human thinking, she was like a prophet or someone who could foresee the future, and she also believed in balance. She served as a guide to the humans, telling them exactly what they needed to hear so they could keep going forward. The Oracle was the one who made the prophecy about the chosen one, bringing hope to human kind, and although the prophecy was not true because the Architect was the one who created the Oracle so he probably wanted it to be like that, Neo wouldn’t have been able to make peace with the machines if it wasn’t her prophecy, she told him exactly what he needed to hear to make him believe in himself.

The oracle also knows what will happen in the future when you make a certain decision, but she doesn’t tell you the choice you will make, she only gives you a hint of what will happen and then gives you the freewill of making your own decision.

In real world terms, the Oracle can be seen as a wise elder who gives advice which offers clarity to younger generations, she can also be referred to as a spiritual guide or mentor, and also as a therapist who tells you exactly what you need to do to achieve your goal. In essence the Oracle tells you what you need to do to achieve a certain goal, they tell you things which gives you clarity on what to do, but they won’t force you or make the decision for you, as they give you the freewill to be able to make that decision yourself.

AGENT SMITH:

Agent Smith in the beginning of the matrix was a program created to protect the matrix from any threats that could harm it, until he got killed by Neo in the first movie. After his death Smith awakens but this time unplugged, meaning that he was no longer under the control of the system, now Smith could have joined Neo and helped him in his quest to break out of the matrix but he didn’t, instead he went rogue, driven by hatred and anger Smith now wanted to be the one in control of the matrix, and like a virus he started to take control of humans bodies multiplying himself into them, and that was the beginning of his destruction because as we see from the scene which he takes control of The Oracles body, she didn’t even struggle she just let him take control of her not because she had given up but because she already knew that that would be the beginning of his destruction and she also believed that Neo would stop him.

We also see a similar scenario during his final battle with Neo, Neo let him take control of his body not because of anything but because he had suddenly gotten rid of his fear of death, he allows Smith take over his body, but not his mind and perhaps by doing that he was able to overwrite Smiths code instantly destroying all versions of him, Smith let his hatred and anger get the better of him, he was driven by his desire to be the one in control of the matrix not even considering who got hurt along the way, he was solely after his personal goal and it was that anger and the need for vengeance which led to his downfall.

In real world term, Agent Smith can be seen as a person who has passed through the system, someone who used to believe in the rules and the laws being set by a certain system but then after learning the real truth of how rigged the system is, instead of helping others escape he is now driven by power and wants to be the one in charge of the system now, he doesn’t want to destroy it out of justice but rather wants to exploit it for himself.

Example of people like this can be seen as rogue ex-employees who learnt how the system works and then probably after being fired or something decides to exploit the system out of vengeance.

Smith’s character can also be seen in an ex-rebel leader who turns tyrant, he used to fight against those who oppressed him and his people but after tasting what power feels like, he becomes an oppressor himself.

In conclusion Agent Smith is someone who used to believe in a system or a certain, but after being hurt by the system and also learning the truth of how the system really works he is now driven by his ultra-ego and now wants to take control over the system not so he can help others being harmed by it, but just so that he can exploit it for himself, this for him serves as his own way of getting revenge over a system which once controlled him.

I know, Smith might just be the most complicated character to understand in the Matrix right! Well he was for me. And so now we move unto the next character, the man who created the matrix himself the…

THE ARCHITECT:

The Architect was the cold logical mind behind the entire illusion, and just as his name implies, he was the one who designed, created and oversees the entire Matrix. The architect doesn’t really care about any human emotions, happiness, freedom, love and others don’t really matter to him, all he cares about is balance, as long as the system is functioning then he’s absolutely fine with it. He designed the Matrix in a way that it was absolutely impossible to beat its system.

He knew that humans would rebel so he added it to the matrix, it was all part of his calculation, as we also know, even the prophecy of “The One” was all part of the code of the matrix, he made it in a way whereby each time someone starts making people aware of the Matrix, the system allows it until it reaches a certain point when it doesn’t and the system gets reset, he literally built rebellion into the Matrix. He offered Neo two choices, go to the source and reset the matrix saving Zion in process or do nothing and Zion perishes, this was the illusion that had continuously been going on for thousands of years.

So how can we describe The Architect in real world terms? Well think of him as the head of an organization who only sees his workers as machines made to do a specific task, he doesn’t care about anything else that goes on in their life just as long as they keep on working and ensure that production continues to go on then he sees it as the kind of the balance he needs. He’s a cold person, not being moved by any form of emotion whatsoever, he’s more of a logical thinker who only thinks of a way the Matrix can continue function and expand, to him that is balance and nothing else really matters to him.

In conclusion, The Architect was the creator of the Matrix, he didn’t care about what went on in the Matrix because it was all part of the code, he created it so it would happen that way so that it could create balance, and the only thing he didn’t predict was love. This now in real world terms tells us that the world today is the way it is so that it can function properly, there needs to be good and bad, rich and poor all so that there could be a balance.

Okay thank you so much for reading this far, if you did perhaps you must have found this article interesting, please if you think I missed anything, or that there are things that I could have possibly added just drop it down in the comments, you can also drop your thoughts on this down as well or you could message me at [email protected], I’m also up for freelance work.