"The Matrix" and Karl Marx

Paper Summary:

This essay presents the theories of Marx in "The Communist Manifesto" and looks at their application in the movie "The Matrix." The essay analyzes the setting of the movie, the names of the characters and the plot of the movie and finds parallels to Marxist theory.

From the Paper:

"Morpheus "like Neo" is clearly meant to be a symbolic name for this character. In Greek mythology, Morpheus is the god of dreams, the son of Hypnos, god of sleep. Here he stands for the sleeping masses of humanity who may be technically awake but have lost their essential consciousness, their souls, their ability to act as agents in their own destiny because they have become blind to the true nature of the relationship between themselves, their reality, and the ways in which they are being exploited for the benefit and profit of others. Morpheus also formed the dreams that came to those asleep and represented human beings in dreams. The name Morpheus is derived from the Greek word for "shape" or "form" signifying how Morpheus could take on the shape of every human. He stands for all those humans in the film who are ensnared in terrible reveries and who must be awakened to be redeemed and made whole."

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