I managed to miss this thread when it began... As a collector and avid fan of the tarot symbolism. (I have just recently completed designs for a jewelry collection based on the major arcana). Also, since I believe my personal psychic gift is that of interpreter, I have devoted much of my time to the symbolic interpretation of the major arcana of the tarot and the ways in which that process (0 - XXI) manifest in the physical and fictional worlds.... 98% of the time
in orderI believe it might be in my
Memoirs of a Brokeback Mountain Priest or
Meditations on Brokeback Mountain threads which really go into this process, or at least begin to.
0 - The Fool - Ennis
I know that Ennis has recently been lauded as the Magus, but in examining his character from the first time he appears with bag in hand, then pulling his coat on, I could tell that this story had much to say about the origins and destiny of this single character, who did not know what was about to happen to him, nor how it would come about.
I - The Magus or The Magician - Jack
The Magician is perceived as the one more in control of his environment - capable of basic survival among other skills (not to say that Ennis was not capable of survival skills, only that the particular skills that were to be used had previously been used efficiently by Jack). The Magician is a force of balance and equalization, demonstrating mastery of knowledge and environment, unlike the Fool who is often uncertain of his origins and his destination.
II - The High Priestess - Wind
This is a difficult one for me, since no female character exists this early in the film, but the high priestess represents intuition applied to a diversified world filled with fluctuations. In the film, we observed wind play across the screen in a variety of ways, engaging each character - guiding their vision and foretelling future events in subtle ways. A turn of a head to avoid harsh winds can reveal more to ourselves and those around us than we might otherwise have known was possible.
III - The Empress - (Jack)
Once again, no female character is present here to represent the Empress... but considering the fact that the Empress represents creativity and the ultimate of femininity, opposite and equal to the Emperor... perhaps the Empress and Emperor represent the creative force of Jack and Ennis again. Of course, nothing about Jack was feminine so this is a far stretch of the imagination.... though there is a role of submission and a role of agression - and I am speaking about an emotional perspective, instead of a sexual one. Jack's intentional weakening and vulnerabalization of his own power in response to Ennis's presence (made more visible by the body language in the first few moments of their encounter) is perhaps a way in which the Empress's reality is brought into the picture.
IV - The Emperor - (Ennis)
See above. In the almost exact opposite of Jack's opening stance, and supportive body language, Ennis closes up, crossing his legs at the heels and tilting his hat over his eyes, becoming firm and resolute in the face of all transforming principles, including the presence of Jack. This represents, I think, the masculine dominance that can be interpreted from the Emperor card.
V - The Hierophant - Aguirre
An embodiment of structured hierarchy and a representative of global order, Aguirre characterizes all of these forces into a single person. He who has power granted to him by a greater authority, and who is unafraid to use it. He imposes order and balances the Imperial Duo by providing the legal bonds for their unification.
( More to come....)
