Damn, have we just received a huge piece of news relating to Dragon Age 4's future narrative and it's potential inspiration, that seemingly, everyone and their mother has just overlooked! Without further ado, jumping straight into this like stabbing Anders in the back because I lack any kind of mercy for him...
This news came while Patrick Weekes was on a late flight arriving at Denver Airport last week, they hit Twitter up with an Ask Me Anything thread, and after they boarded their flight, there was a missed opportunity because they remarked that it was a shame no one asked them about the next Dragon Age....
However, it's okay because we did get something! Around the same time as Weekes tweeted that, Mark Darrah hit up Twitter with a 80k followers post, after being prompted to mention the next Dragon Age game for more followers, he came up with this savvy statement!
"I will say this: We have a plot with the working name of “Tevinter of our discontent” ... Who am I kidding, we’ll probably ship that."
This working title is a huge Shakespearean reference, that's completely gone over the radar! It's a HUGE tease for the foundations and inspiration of Dragon Age 4's narrative!
Something to bear in mind is, since the very creation of Dragon Age, David Gaider has always wrote the narrative with inspiration based on traditional British history and folklore.
For instance, the Celtic tale "Four Branches of the Mabinogi" is one of the very foundations of Flemeth's backstory, however the story itself descends from traditional-medieval British/Welsh literature.
So, from the very start of Dragon Age's writing day's, it's always had a foundation of real-life British literature and influence, and who's work is better to base any future Dragon Age narrative on then the Bard himself, good ol' Shakespeare!
"Tevinter Of Our Discontent" is a double entendre for "winter of our discontent", a line from Shakespeare in the play, Richard III (3rd), and also a book from John Steinbeck.
And-this is the time where you bear with me, as I'm going to completely ransack and delve into what this entendre could refer to regarding the next plot for Dragon Age 4! Sit tight, the show must go on!
So in one sentence and without context, what's the meaning of the phrase: 'Now is the winter of our discontent'?
Well, it simply expresses the idea that we have reached the depth of our unhappiness and that better times are ahead.
What's the origin of the phrase 'Now is the winter of our discontent'?
They're the opening words to the play - Richard III, and they lay the groundwork for the portrait of Richard as a discontented man who is unhappy in a world that hates him.
A segment of the soliloquy is as followed:
Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York; And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house In the deep bosom of the ocean buried. Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths; Our bruised arms hung up for monuments; Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings, Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
Later Shakespeare describes Richard as "Deformed, unfinished, sent before his time into this breathing world, scarce half made up". He says that as he "cannot prove a lover" he is "determined to be a villain".
What's the meaning of the phrase?
This phrase is a metaphor in which Richard uses winter and summer to suggest that the reign of King Edward-IV has turned sadness, which is like winter, into celebration, like summer.
Richard tells the audience about sufferings of his family during a series of civil wars, wars of the Roses and presents the comparison of horrible times to wandering clouds over the House of York during dark winter months.
However, now his elder brother has become the king of the country — the reason of the prevalent peace. This is like a “glorious summer” which is replaced with the “sad winter.”
Within the soliloquy, "winter" is a metaphor for sadness and oppression.
Now that winter has come to an end, summer has replaced it, this represents the death of their sadness, onward to a happy time in their eyes.
Since it simply represents the time of oppression and sadness, we can find its usage in any area of life.
For instance, a king or ruler of the country may be using it after regaining his family throne from enemies, or an eldest member of a clan may use it after regaining the lost name of his family.
Now apply all of this representation and meaning to the next Dragon Age plot!
And... all I can think about is Solas's entire motive for attempting to destroy the veil right now.
Richard the 3rd speaks on a derived time, a sad winter that has sluggishly passed, not only for him, but his entire family. However, Richard is rejoiced ever since his elder brother has taken the throne, not only for himself, but for the family.
Once there was a time of sadness, now there's a glimmer of hope and happiness for these individuals.
Correlating this to Dragon Age 4, Solas is currently stumbling his way through modern-day Thedas, attempting to somehow destroy the veil, he's unhappy, deprived, and frankly depressed at the way things are going in this reality.
However, he's trying to change that, with "Tevinter of our discontent" being the working title, perhaps a long, rejoicing summer is due for Solas and his people?
Something to take note is that, this play is subjected towards these characters, and their feelings of the current events, it's a matter of perspective that Richard III is happy his brother is taking the throne, what this play doesn't tell us, is how the rest of the British public think about the coronation of this new king.
And this fits perfectly for Dragon Age 4, in Solas's eyes, the destruction of the veil is everything to him, a complete refresh for the Elven people, a chance of redemption and hope for what he'd original schemed with the creation of the veil, however, what we know is that, just because Solas want's this veil to be destroyed doesn't bloody mean the rest of Thedas does!
So, it's a matter of perspective and subjectivity, the fact that BioWare are inspired by Shakespeare and his work only means one thing for Dragon Age 4, and that's pure, heartbroken tragedy!
It'll be interesting to see what plot avenues Dragon Age 4 takes us, and how this plot reference will correlate to the narrative of the game, if you see this meaning taken in a different approach within a future plot.