Friday, March 16, 2012

AS SEEN ON TV: STEERPIKE


We started out the work week with Gormenghast Castle, so I figured I may as well finish it with one of the castle's "residents"
.....



STEERPIKE

CREATED BY:
Mervyn Peake

AS SEEN IN:
'Gormenghast'

AS PLAYED BY:
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time
(But probably off-world - Mondas)

STATUS:
Humanoid Alien

From Wikipedia:
Steerpike is a character in Mervyn Peake's novels "Titus Groan" and "Gormenghast".

In 2000 Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers portrayed Steerpike in the BBC miniseries 'Gormenghast'.

Steerpike might be called the antagonist of the "Gormenghast Series", but in truth he is more of an anti-hero; the first book for example is largely focused on him, only covering the first year of the titular hero Titus's life. Steerpike could also be considered an archetypal Machiavellian schemer: a highly intelligent, ruthless character willing to justify any and all means to reach his end.


From the source:
If ever he had harboured a conscience in his tough narrow breast he had by now dug out and flung away the awkward thing - flung it so far away that were he ever to need it again he could never find it. High-shouldered to a degree little short of malformation, slender and adroit of limb and frame, his eyes close-set and the colour of dried blood, he is climbing the spiral staircase of the soul of Gormenghast, bound for some pinnacle of the itching fancy - some wild, invulnerable eyrie best known to himself; where he can watch the world spread out below him, and shake exultantly his clotted wingsAnd his appearance, as described in Titus Groan:

Limb by limb, it appeared that he was sound enough, but the sum of these several members accrued to an unexpectedly twisted total. His face was pale like clay and save for his eyes, mask-like. These eyes were set very close together, and were small, dark red, and of startling concentrationSteerpike's red eyes and pallor, frequently referred to in the text, suggest that he is an albino. However this is never stated explicitly and he certainly does not suffer from the poor sight typical of the condition.

BCnU!

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