Solving Some Problems with Ares
Remember when I expressed my confusion about Ares (TL;DR version)? I wondered why Xena never saw him during her warlord days, and, further, why we never did either. Well, today, I’d like to answer those questions.
The key (haha; callback definitely intended) is in “Dreamworker.” I know that I made fun of Xena for not recognizing herself in my FFLM post for the episode and that her doppleganger in it is obviously a representation of her dark side, buuut… this person whose touch Xena cringes from and whom she fights with all her being is also…
Ares! Seriously. Look at the similarities in dialogue.
What Xena says back to her dreamscape nemesis matches what she often says to and about Ares as well.
Beyond analogous words, this symbolic figure and the god of war also engage in similar actions. Isn’t it just like Ares to reach out to caress Xena’s cheek and then strike her across the face? Offer her an embrace only to head-butt her?
Their patterns of manipulating the warrior princess are alike too. First, they activate a threat against her. Then they identify with her, mixing nostalgia and incitement to solidify their bond and the “rightness” of their being together. When these tactics inevitably fail, the old Xena and the old Ares resort to ridicule and then violence. The latter most is where their moves mirror and can even flow into each other bilaterally.
And though these particular foes may leave the reformed Xena hunched over in physical and emotional pain, she doesn’t give into them, much to their surprise. Her pattern is recognizing the past’s place in her life and identity but also that she has grown beyond it. She uses the lessons she learned from and with her old self and her ex-mentor to continue moving toward a new future.
So, how do these things relate to my first two questions about Ares? They suggest that he didn’t appear to Xena as a separate entity during their time together. Hence, she never saw him before “The Reckoning,” and he never showed up in a single flashback. Most likely, Ares conversed with Xena how we saw Aphrodite talk to herself in “If the Shoe Fits.” Or perhaps the god of war was the devil on Xena’s shoulder whispering temptation and encouragement into her ear á la “Intimate Stranger” but unseen or even more viscerally burned within her per “Path of Vengeance.”
It has also been in my mind that, actually, neither Xena or Ares directly refer to having had a carnal relationship with each other. They evoke romantic sentiments but never more than that. Or, if Ares did appear to Xena in the flesh, perhaps it was like the story Gabrielle recited in “The Furies.” The god of war impersonated his warriors to get with their wives; why wouldn’t he do the same thing with their female commander, his princess? Xena wouldn’t be fooled by this (nor, do I imagine, would Ares try to trick her in that way) since being able to sense his presence at all times is one of her many skills, but her longing to see his real face could also have been something Ares used to string her along and keep up her interest in him. …Um, side note: I’m just going to ignore the possibility that he engaged in the practice of appearing to Xena in a bull, swan, or some other ridiculous/horrifying animal disguise, as is canon in Greek mythology. LOL!
What do you think? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Thanks again for reading!
*WHOA! What’s with the new ten pictures only rule??? :( I worked so hard on this post, and now parts of it are illegible. Siiiiigh. I’ll make an extra post for the blurred images… HA! I beat the system by turning off the beta editor. Whew!
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