.... so, with the show only 1 episode away from ending, I thought how many characters might fit into the standard Dungeons and Dragons Character Alignment system?
To summarise: characters in D&D are defined by their alignment in terms of their ethical (lawful, neutral, or chaotic) and moral (good, neutral, or evil) axes.
A decent description can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)
You can also take the test to judge yourself: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20001222b
Given the huge number of main and supporting cast, it would be fun to see which characters embody which of the nine main character alignments? (that's 4 each forthe neutral alignments of Good, Evil, Law and Chaos, plus the 4 borderline alignments of Lawful Good, Lawful Evil, Chaotic Good and Chaotic Evil, and the one True Neutral alignment)
One attempt at such a categorisation has been done here: http://i.imgur.com/BeExU.jpg
What I think:
Lawful Good - the do-gooder alignment, someone pure of heart and high in morals. The best character that fits this category would be Rose.
Neutral Good - a character striking the balance of lawful and unorthodox actions, but remaining good in deed and thought. Someone who therefore is unafraid to break the rules for the greater good. For this, I think Desmond fits this role best.
Chaotic Good - a character who remains good and true but will prefer to do things their own way. In other words, a rebel. Alex Rousseau is such a character.
Lawful Neutral - someone who believes first and foremost in upholding the rules of the land for all, unshakeable and impartial to the extremes of good or evil. It seems that Eloise Hawking might be such a character.
True Neutral - one who remains independent of all other alignments, sometimes afraid to commit themselves to a cause. I agree that Richard Alpert and to a certain extent Jacob might fit this bill.
Chaotic Neutral - the alignment of madmen and those without plans, the truly free: free from the constraints of good and evil, that is. I think a good example is Danielle Rousseau.
Lawful Evil - those who create rules and diabolical plans to ensnare the innocent in order to reach a personal gain or goal, yet they still retain a sense of personal honour or a need to abide by a hierarchical system. Ben Linus, of course, fits this bill, but I would also include Charles Widmore here too.
Neutral Evil - a selfish and sad individual who isn't outright crazy but then again also doesn't totally reject the law of the land so long as it benefits them personally. I would place The Man In Black in this category, although the article does sugges Sawyer here too (on the other hand his character changed considerably that I wouldn't include him there).
Chaotic Evil - someone with no morals and with complete disregard for order and the wellbeing of others, who will do things randomly and seemingly without reason. The only person I can think of here is Martin Keamy, or perhaps Ethan Rom especially towards the end of his life.
(There is a more advanced depiction based on the Outer Planes and involving 8 more "border" alignments, but that's a little more complicated and makes more sense if you contemplate the Outer Planes themselves.)
Thoughts?
To summarise: characters in D&D are defined by their alignment in terms of their ethical (lawful, neutral, or chaotic) and moral (good, neutral, or evil) axes.
A decent description can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)
You can also take the test to judge yourself: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20001222b
Given the huge number of main and supporting cast, it would be fun to see which characters embody which of the nine main character alignments? (that's 4 each forthe neutral alignments of Good, Evil, Law and Chaos, plus the 4 borderline alignments of Lawful Good, Lawful Evil, Chaotic Good and Chaotic Evil, and the one True Neutral alignment)
One attempt at such a categorisation has been done here: http://i.imgur.com/BeExU.jpg
What I think:
Lawful Good - the do-gooder alignment, someone pure of heart and high in morals. The best character that fits this category would be Rose.
Neutral Good - a character striking the balance of lawful and unorthodox actions, but remaining good in deed and thought. Someone who therefore is unafraid to break the rules for the greater good. For this, I think Desmond fits this role best.
Chaotic Good - a character who remains good and true but will prefer to do things their own way. In other words, a rebel. Alex Rousseau is such a character.
Lawful Neutral - someone who believes first and foremost in upholding the rules of the land for all, unshakeable and impartial to the extremes of good or evil. It seems that Eloise Hawking might be such a character.
True Neutral - one who remains independent of all other alignments, sometimes afraid to commit themselves to a cause. I agree that Richard Alpert and to a certain extent Jacob might fit this bill.
Chaotic Neutral - the alignment of madmen and those without plans, the truly free: free from the constraints of good and evil, that is. I think a good example is Danielle Rousseau.
Lawful Evil - those who create rules and diabolical plans to ensnare the innocent in order to reach a personal gain or goal, yet they still retain a sense of personal honour or a need to abide by a hierarchical system. Ben Linus, of course, fits this bill, but I would also include Charles Widmore here too.
Neutral Evil - a selfish and sad individual who isn't outright crazy but then again also doesn't totally reject the law of the land so long as it benefits them personally. I would place The Man In Black in this category, although the article does sugges Sawyer here too (on the other hand his character changed considerably that I wouldn't include him there).
Chaotic Evil - someone with no morals and with complete disregard for order and the wellbeing of others, who will do things randomly and seemingly without reason. The only person I can think of here is Martin Keamy, or perhaps Ethan Rom especially towards the end of his life.
(There is a more advanced depiction based on the Outer Planes and involving 8 more "border" alignments, but that's a little more complicated and makes more sense if you contemplate the Outer Planes themselves.)
Thoughts?
