Enneagram – Page 44 – Enneagram and Encaustic

PRINCE JOHN (1938), FOUR

Claude Rains is magnificent. He’s so beautifully oily and conniving. Has he set the tone for how John will be portrayed in all the films to follow?

In real life John was 33 when he was crowned. A grown man, was he as self-indulgent and childish as he’s portrayed? Did he machinate and plot his brother’s death? Whatever is true about John, Richard really was a warrior’s warrior, more interested in fighting than in staying home and ruling. Rains’ portrayal conveys some of the sense that being king is unglamorous and thankless. Everyone loves Richard, who’s not a great administrator. John, collecting taxes and running the country, is the villain.

Envy. This is what Rains works with. His John doesn’t just want to be king, he wants revenge against Richard on a personal level. Rains isn’t tall (as John wasn’t) but he’s playing a Four. It’s that sardonic temperament. He’s detached yet focused, hurt yet impervious. He’s winsome and deadly dangerous. Of the Heart Types, only a Four can embody such an interesting dichotomy.

Spying at Night

Remember when Mason asked us to shadow Salvation’s spy as he left the castle? Well, I was near the gate at night when a cut scene took over. I pursued the quest, following a manly man in a blue cape.

I hate following someone in a game.

He did pause and look back. Hah — missed me. I did not have to start all the way back at the beginning of the trail. Eventually he knocks at the door of an abandoned house and we peep through the window.

It’s a shop owned by Madeleine. She seems to be passing him a scrap of paper, although it ends up in her cleavage for a moment. He rebuffs her overt advances, leaves, and the sneaking is over. I report my finding to Mason’s agent — A Knight is the spy — and that’s it for now.

Imprisoned

ONE

As always, Avatar sets the scene quickly. Where is our team now? They’re resting in a forested area. Sokka can only find nuts for dinner. They’re hungry, pickings are meager, and Sokka is the butt of the jokes. Remind me to look back sometime and see how many episodes begin with this formula!

TWO

The next thing that happens is Momo, who holds a rock that was mixed in with the bag of nuts, tries to break it open. Slam. Only the sound is a huge SLAM. The gang goes to see what’s making such a noise.

THREE

The next thing that happens is an earth bender, Haru, practices on the sly. When Katara says hello he runs away.

You probably have guessed I have a problem with these two beats.

Decipher an Ancient Text

We were given a mysterious slate to decipher for the Wyrm Hunt. I run around town looking for clues, but it’s not clear who I need to meet.

So I cheat.

I know where I need to go ultimately. Not too far north is a hillside with a large rock formation. I just jump to the end and go there. As we walk up, the game goes to a cut scene.

The “my heart has been ripped out” chest scar is a clue.

This guy and his weird young doppelgänger greet me.

MAID MARION (2010), ONE

She’s brave and bold, of course. This Maid is married, but she only had one night with her husband before he left for the Crusades with Richard. She lives now in the role of daughter-in-law, which is similar to ward. Only in the most technical terms is she a wife. Our Maids are very similar.

Blanchett’s Maid is more physical than de Havilland’s. She’s an archer and a farmer. She knows how to use a dagger if necessary. Let us completely ignore the movie’s climax when Marion pretends to know more physicality than is believable. Until that moment she was a great character, a great iteration of the Maid. I choose to erase that scene from my memory.

This Maid is no Three. She’s not particularly deft at social situations, and she has a sense of failure that swirls around her. I want to say Body Type. Her first instinct, right or wrong, is to engage physically. When her people are locked in the barn, threatened with burning, Marion uses a sword to pry the boards loose and free them. Her answers to most problems involve a physical response.

One, Eight, or Nine? She’s too feisty to be a Nine. Eight is the obvious choice, because Hollywood tends to write strong women characters as Eights. Bold and aggressive are not the same, but using confrontation is a shortcut writing technique to suggest bravery.

I kind of like a One, though. It’s her prickly shyness with Robin that turns me away from an Eight. She has a sharp, witty tongue, particularly with Sir Walter, and a managerial competence that feel very One-ish. It’s interesting!

ROBIN HOOD (2010), NINE

Much to my surprise I liked this version of the Hood story very much. This is no Errol Flynn Robin, though. Not only is the fantasy-level wearing of tights not here, but the world feels more gritty and realistic. Also, the historical telling of King John and the negotiations around the Magna Carta are not often portrayed. I love stuff like that.

This Robin is honorable. He will return a dead man’s sword because he gave his word, even though no one would know if he reneged. He’s honest. Richard asks for his opinion and Robin gives it, regardless of the consequences of displeasing the monarch. He also has an interesting belief in fate. When he’s asked to pretend to be Marion’s husband, he agrees because this is where events have led him. It may not be a wise choice, but he has a trust in providence.

Of course he’s physically capable. On Crusade he’s an archer. At home he wields a sword. Does this mean he’s a Body Type? Not necessarily. A yeoman had to be competent in weapons. The focus of this Robin is more on his integrity. We must believe that Marion would come to trust him over a short period of time. What Enneagram number can sell sincerity?

Eh — he’s probably a Nine. He’s physically comfortable, beyond what a medieval soldier would feel. He’s a diplomat, gathering many friends (as Robin Hood does). He’s a fair judge, as a Nine can be. In his own way, as a poor man serving under a king, he is a philosopher, a seeker of truth. This is why others trust him. Crowe plays Robin with an interesting depth, but ultimately it’s the same archetype, the same Enneagram build as Errol Flynn gave us.

Good flick.

The Thief and the Grimoire

We’ve been told to ask some thieves about the location of Salomet’s Grimoire, so off we go to the Ruins of Aernst Castle. The thief leader, Maul, won’t help, though. He confirms that he has the tome, that’s it.

How did I first discover the answer to this quest? I don’t remember. The book is up high on a broken parapet. I must — ugh, ack, geh — platform to get it. Afterwards, Maul has no idea we’ve taken it. It’s a weird fetch.

The King of Omashu

ONE

The team arrives at the city of Omashu. Later it will become clear that they’re only here for Aang to have fun on his way to the North Pole. They have no other agenda at this point.

TWO

Aang knows he wants to stop at Omashu because he’s been here before. His friend, Bumi, lived here. More memories come later, but this is the introduction of a character critical to the episode and to the Eight. Trouble.

THREE

The arrow tattoos will be recognized, so Aang must wear a disguise. Using Appa’s itchy fur, the team crafts a wig and mustache that turn Aang into an old man.

Valmiro

He’s a young man in our fishing village. I think he’s supposed to be sympathetic because of his yearning to explore. However, he ends up crashed out on the ground, depleted, in a rather pitiful display of ineptitude.

First he’s outside the village gates, nearby at the shore. After, he’s down the lane outside of the Encampment. Finally, he’s inside the Witchwood, barely across the threshold. Each time he says, “Sorry,” and then goes even further. It’s a very unheroic journey.

We chase him around, though, because it’s worth it later. We’re not done with Valmiro, the lad with a drop-shoulder peasant shirt and a fishing pole.

CHARLES BINGLEY, NINE

He’s not an Envy person, that’s for sure. Darcy would drive him crazy if he were. And he’s quite content to take advice from Darcy, sometimes without engaging his own feelings or thoughts.

He’s the most easygoing person on the planet. As Mr. Bennet says to Jane, “You are each of you so complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; so easy, that every servant will cheat you; and so generous, that you will always exceed your income.”

So, who is this pleasant, placid man? Head Type or Body?

He really isn’t a thinker in the mold of a Five or Six. Seven, possibly. He has no consciousness of money, obviously, so he’s no One. Not an Eight! Oh, that’s funny. I’d like to see some version of Bingley who tells Darcy to stuff it, but that wouldn’t be Austen.

His ability to avoid conflict leads me toward Nine. His willingness to party leads me toward Seven. Heh.

His modesty is of no help whatsoever. In some ways it keeps him from having a defining personality trait. He doesn’t break forward with a fault or a strength. He’s just the nice lad who goes where he’s told.

Nine. Although a Seven can blow with the wind, they also seek new experiences. Bingley has no appetite for grand adventure. A quiet life and amiable friends are enough to satisfy.