Blog 3: The Matrix Analysis

Mythology and The Bible’s complex but convictive quotations have been and is somehow a controversial subject in our society nowadays. One side of the “panorama” probably question certain topics referring to that matter due to skepticism; others remain faithful and know that is to believe without bewilderment. Either side should be aware of respect towards any of these cases; this means having courtesy to each individual’s opinion and way of thinking. It’s unfair to refer to The Bible’s references or Jesus Christ’s proceedings as ridiculous or absurd just because it doesn’t seem to fit on an individual’s viewpoint; but maintain a certain respect to people that not only rely on these holy figures, but at least have faith and reverence towards Jesus. A person that has these believes are bound to be considered religious fanatics in our civilization despondently without even knowing what their real outlook is towards their faith. When a person wins an award due to a specific accomplishment in their lives and they’d have to articulate a speech and say: “First of all, I would like to thank God…” is when some people question “what the hell did God have to do in his/her accomplishment?” when in reality for that person God had a lot to do throughout his/her life but that people don’t know, and just considered that it will be pleasant and significant to make a reference to God. But sadly, people in general don’t understand and just scold that person as ridiculous. This is when the movie The Matrix comes to mind as a perfect example, since the religious themes play a fundamental role throughout its story.  

When referring to the movie’s story in general, the religious resemblance is evident in an instant. In Christianity, there is one true Messiah which was the anticipated savior of the Jews; but there is also a trinity which is the unity of Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Clearly, in The Matrix the characters portend these Christian allusions in which the trinity is unquestionably noticed. Neo is referred to as being “The One” and portrays rebirth. He is nothing less than the savior of the human race similarly to the true Messiah. Morpheus gave birth to Neo by separating him from the illusion and bringing him towards reality. He becomes his mentor, and is considered “more than a leader”; he is “The Father” symbolizing God. And finally, Trinity foreshadows the Holy Spirit complementing the trinity’s unity as a whole. In one of the Bible’s excerpts there is a story about a fallen archangel named Lucifer. Lucifer in heaven was a high and exalted angel next in honor to God’s Son. He was special and he was one with the Father before the angels were created. But he was envious of Christ and gradually assumed domination which was delegated on Christ alone. This statement is clearly represented in The Matrix by the fallen member of Morpheus’s crew, Cypher. Cypher, which was a trusted and important member of the team, became jealous of The One and no longer believed in his prophecies betraying his fellow escorts in order to return to the comforts of the Matrix.

Correspondingly, mythology also provides extreme clarification in the movie’s plot and theme. In Greek mythology, Morpheus means “shaper of dreams”; it’s the God of dreams and sleep. This visibly relates to Morpheus’s persona in the movie, as he is the leader of a team of free humans and enables Neo to awaken from his “sleep.” Another mythological figure is the Oracle which was a god who predicts the future, like the oracle of Apollo at Delphi for instance. In The Matrix, the Oracle knew that Neo was The One in intimate detail; she foresaw that Morpheus would find The One and that Trinity will fall in love with The One. But why then lie to Neo or deliberately mislead him in thinking that he wasn’t The One? The answer plays an important role in its movie’s plot as it’s obvious that Neo wouldn’t have accepted this predicament as true if The Oracle would’ve told him straightforward that he was The One. It would have resulted in him being unable to recognize his potential and underestimate his fate. Instead, The Oracle cannily sets him up to both think that he is not The One and to comprehend that he will be forced to opt between saving his own life and the life of Morpheus. When Morpheus is captured by the agents is when the Oracle’s predictions become evident, as Neo sets out to rescue him with unique determination but knowing that he might succeed but ultimately not survive. It is at the end, in the despair of his situation and his critical defeat which makes him reach down and find his true ability as The One.

Besides to The Matrix’s characters, there’s a lot to its setting and machinery. The free humans in the movie live in a city called Zion, named after the Biblical city described in Psalms (48:2): "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion." God resides in Zion, which is together a place of past prominence and a future hope for the redemption of this world. It will be refuge for the enslaved and the oppressed. The free humans have named their own city Zion for apparent motives, as it represents hope for the freedom of humanity from the imprisonment and chimera of The Matrix. Machinery, of course refers to the hovercraft Morpheus’s crew uses to travel called the Nebuchadnezzar. In the Old Testament, Nebuchadnezzar was a King of Babylonia that destroyed Jerusalem and brought the Israelites back to Babylonia in incarceration. In the second year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar had continous dreams and sometimes couldn’t sleep. He commanded magicians and wise men to interpret his dreams; but they were unable to do so. That is when Daniel, one of the incarcerated prays to God to show the king the truth of his dream. Daniel goes before Nebuchadnezzar and deduces his dream leaving him astonished and realizing: “Truly, your God is a God of gods… and a revealer of mysteries" (Daniel 2:47). Thus, the reference to Nebuchadnezzar in The Matrix connects to the idea that only God can reveal the truth of dreams, which is that Neo is the savior who will show humanity the truth about The Matrix. One of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams also relates to the movie’s plot as when “he dreams of a statue with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron and feet of clay. A simple stone strikes the statue on its feet, and the whole statue crumbles. Then the stone grows into a great mountain that fills the Earth” (Daniel 2:31-2:35). The dream is a prophecy that states that each of the metals of the statue represents a kingdom of Earth but that rest on a weak base which is the feet of clay. The kingdoms will one day be ousted and be replaced by the kingdom of God. Therefore, the name of the hovercraft may refer to this prophecy as in this case, Neo is the stone; he will oust the machines and replace them with a new order.                         

It’s no doubt that The Matrix’s plot relies on mythological and Biblical stories in order to clarify it towards its audience. Its characters as well as its setting are both clear symbols of these cultural allusions and play an important role when interpreted that way. The story’s plot is exquisitely told and conveyed in a manner that it’s bound to be admired. Thus, misunderstanding is practically erased when viewed this way but leaves a certain point of inevitable thought. If it wasn’t for the director’s way of connecting its plot with mythological and Biblical references, the story itself would loose its magic as well as elucidation. On behalf of this, point of view is important to comprehend the plot of The Matrix, which is why its religious themes play a crucial role throughout.