The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy_ I Link Therefore I Am - Luke Cuddy [81]
The Order of Utopia
Despite its literal meaning, Utopia has, at its heart, a physical presence. It is this physicality that facilitates the lofty ideals suggested above. This is why most imagined nowheres have very clearly been somewheres. The idea of physical Utopia is at its most concrete in the concept of the city, or ancient Greek state of the “polis” discussed by the early Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle. In the writings of these philosophers, the structure of a city allows for an ordered, ethical way of living.
This is certainly something that survives in more recent Utopian thinking. Utopian scholar Robert Fishman, for one, suggests the place of the city simply cannot be overestimated: “The ideal city is a working plan for the total transformation of society in order to achieve a natural harmony—the natural harmony—of man, society and the environment.”56
While portions of Plato and Aristotle’s visions have drawn criticism, particularly the advocating of slavery and the state’s near-totalitarian sphere of influence, much of the more praiseworthy elements can be found in the towns of The Legend of Zelda.
A Platonic Relationship
Plato’s Utopia is presented to us through the dialectics—the elaborate, back-and-forth dialogues in his famous work, The Republic. Here, the ideal city-state is broken down into three classes: producers, auxiliaries and guardians. As 1940s critic Lewis Mumford put it, there’s no chance of social advancement for those in any of these classes: “Plato makes his Republic immune to change: once formed, the pattern of order remains static, as in the insect societies to which it bears a close resemblance.”57
The “best” become the leaders (guardians), those who don’t quite make the grade become guards (auxiliaries) while the rest become the workers (the producers). It is on the whole, however, a just society, with the guardians gaining no more material profit than the producers. Notably, for the first time in such thinking, women were at least considered as equals. Such a consideration is evidenced in this question posed in Book V:
“Are dogs divided into hes and shes, or do they both share equally in hunting and in keeping watch and in the other duties of dogs? or do we entrust to the males the entire and exclusive care of the flocks, while we leave the females at home, under the idea that the bearing and suckling their puppies is labour enough for them?”58
The Minish Cap shares something of this social structure, albeit rather loosely. The Royal Family and its inner circle (The King, Princess Zelda, and Minister Potho) could be seen as the guardians. The guards which patrol the castle, the castle gardens, and (once Vaati makes his evil intentions known) Hyrule Village, could be viewed as auxiliaries. Lastly there are the workers, most of whom are, literally, producers: the market traders Beedle, Brocco and Pina, the blacksmith Manon, and other artisans such as the shoe-maker Rem. While this last category has been broadened to allow for other professions in this only-just post-agrarian society, its spirit remains true.
Also, while it may not be quite the fifty-year program of study recommended by Plato (for the guardian class only, mind you), education is clearly important in Hyrule. There are in fact two educational establishments. The school, presumably, caters to academia and its importance is signified by the generous size of its allotment of land. The Sword School provides the practical skills required by Hyrule’s many guards and, of course, its Hero of Men, Link.
Hyrule, then, is something of the Platonic ideal. In other ways it is much more. Here, there is no slavery and, as indicated by Princess Zelda’s high status, there is absolutely no ambiguity regarding sexual equality.59