The story of ‘Dune Messiah’ is filled with emotional rollercoasters, intense paradoxical arguments, and complex dialoguing portrayed with quotes.
Time
The flesh surrenders itself. Eternity takes back its own. Our bodies stirred these waters briefly, danced with a certain intoxication before the love of life and self, dealt with a few strange ideas, then submitted to the instruments of time. What can we say of this? I occurred. I am not yet, I occurred.
Time is an element that proved to be an enemy to the protagonist of ‘Dune Messiah.’ Though Paul conquered his enemies and ascended the throne as emperor, the weight of his success began to wane his prescience and power. Admitting to his failures, Paul lost the test of time. Time takes back the flesh but eternity continues life.
Here lies a toppled god. His fall was not a small one. We did but build his pedestal, a narrow and a tall one.
The character Paul Atreides was a hero who fell from the pinnacle of his success. From being the most powerful emperor to a blind man walking into the desert. ‘Dune Messiah’ showed how a hero is never far from crashing down. Revered by many as a God, time tested Paul and stripped him of everything that made him special.
Empires do not suffer emptiness of purpose at the time of their creation. It is when they have become established that aims are lost and replaced by vague rituals.
A crucial question that ‘Dune Messiah’ asks is, what next after you have it all? Frank Herbert used the quote above to explain that massive governments and empires crumble because they lose their sense of advancement and purpose with time.
Religion
They are not mad. They’re trained to believe, not to know. Belief can be manipulated. Only knowledge is dangerous.
The quote above shows just how dangerous the lack of knowledge gets. Though it seems to antagonize knowledge, it talks about how knowing kills blind belief. Frank Herbert used this quote to explain the dangers of religion when there is no knowledge.
Religion, too, is a weapon. What manner of weapon is religion when it becomes the government?
The quote above asks a question that sparks both fear and mysteriousness. Frank Herbert always hated the idea of governments having sole power over everything. However, he asked an even terrifying question in ‘Dune Messiah’ involving governments and religion.
Governments and Power
Constitutions become the ultimate tyranny. They’re organized power on such a scale as to be overwhelming. The constitution is social power mobilized and it has no conscience. It can crush the highest and the lowest, removing all dignity and individuality. It has an unstable balance point and no limitations.
Paul Atreides realized that the key to preventing doom was to create a path that placed it on the track of exploration and free thought. However, he soon discovered that an enemy to his plan was the idea of a constitution. To Paul, constitutions make people mindlessly follow rules that cage their individuality and sense of exploration.
There exists a limit to the force even the most powerful may apply without destroying themselves. Judging this limit is the true artistry of government. Misuse of power is the fatal sin. The law cannot be a tool of vengeance, never a hostage, nor a fortification against the martyrs it has created. You cannot threaten any individual and escape the consequences.
The quote above shows a picture of how good governments are at controlling people. Paul knew that power was something that could lead to doom. He even admitted to being a tyrant killer of the likes of Adolf Hitler and Genghis Khan.
Truth
Truth suffers from too much analysis.
One thing Frank Herbert propagated was the idea that the truth was simple. However, he also stated that overthinking is a threat to reasoning. The truth is precise and accurate.
Some lies are easier to believe than the truth.
The truth is plain and accurate. However, it is harder to believe the truth because a lie always appeals to our human nature of hope and denial.
Loyalty
And loyalty is a valued commodity. It can be sold, not bought, but sold.
The quote above gives an in-depth analysis of loyalty. It explains that loyalty is something you could never buy unless someone willingly gives it to you. Our nature is to be loyal, and the quote portrays just how valuable that loyalty is.
FAQs
What does Paul Atreides become in Dune Messiah?
In ‘Dune Messiah,’ Paul becomes the emperor and launches a jihad on the universe leading to the death of 61 billion people.
What do the worms in Dune Messiah eat?
How did Paul go blind?
Paul goes blind after an atomic weapon called a stone burner gets detonated to kill him. He survives the blast, but the radiation destroys his eyes, rendering him blind.
Can Paul Atreides see the future?
On exposure to Spice, Paul’s prescience got unlocked, granting him the ability to see into the distant future.
