| Viola Duplessis | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Japanese Name |
ヴィオラ・デュプレシ |
|
Romanized Name |
Viora Dyupureshi |
|
Nickname(s)/Alias(es) |
Moon Goddess of the Kingdom (王都の月女神 Ōto no Tsuki Megami) |
|
Debut |
|
|
Voice actor |
かかずゆみ |
|
Status |
Alive |
Viola Duplessis is a popular high-class courtesan who attracts men of wealthy and important families, including Armand Jeremiah. She’s a beautiful homunculus artificially created by Melgar through alchemy in a laboratory. She is present in The Magician's Daughter story.
Background
Viola was brought forth by Melgar in a laboratory inside his castle. They refer to each other as father and daughter. She’s an artificial doll with liquid mercury in place of blood, a homunculus that is supposed to experiment the boundaries between object and living beings. Viola was purposely built through alchemy to attract men with her unbelievable beauty. She first appeared in the town, three years before the events of The Magician's Daughter, with no memories, although she showed knowledge about literature, history and other advanced academic fields, and even about the Black Biblioprincess. Her knowledge about Phantom Books came from her father Melgar, a powerful magician.
She immediately acquired supporters who provided her with expensive clothes and prestigious houses. Her mysterious past is part of her charm. Viola became a luxurious courtesan desired among the night society, attracting nobles, celebrities, wealthy men and even royalties who hide their identities to be in her presence. Feeling an imminent threat, she requested five specific Phantom Books to her suitors as a way to oppose Melgar. She was supposed to choose between the men who could find these items. After that, she eventually met her lover Baron.
Viola's mansion.
Viola predicted the Black Biblioprincess would look for her. For that reason, she prepared a letter with her address to the hostess of the brothel where she works, so it could be delivered to Dalian. The brothel is one of the most distinguished buildings in the Kingdom, located in a quiet residential area. It’s a place where nobles come for evening social nights. As for the house where Viola is seen, it’s a beautiful mansion kept by servants. It’s placed in a park, with a courtyard showing green trees, blooming roses in flower beds and a small fountain. She has a large bedroom with a balcony.[1]
Personality
Working as a successful courtesan, Viola probably knows how to captivate men of the highest classes without relying solely on her beauty. She’s a very polite, cultured and intelligent woman who lives financially supported by her admirers but somehow doesn’t seem selfish or spoiled. Although she has many suitors wishing her hand, she loves Baron and ultimately chooses to be with him. At the start, Viola has no memories of Melgar, but somehow fears him and predicts their confrontation. There’s a specific perfume she regularly uses. During the climax of The Magician's Daughter story, she reveals to be incredible fast and strong.[1]
Appearance
Viola, as seen in the light novel.
Her beauty is said to be out of this world, comparable to Dalian’s. It seems as if her presence could illuminate a dark room. According to Armand, even the Devil would be charmed by her smile. When she’s awaken at Melgar’s laboratory, Viola is seen wearing a simple thin cloak, the slim shoulders covered by her pale, straight blonde hair. She has gorgeous, clear eyes, a thin body and seems to be 20 years old. Her white skin is glossy like a pearl, her face symmetric, as if it was precisely produced, hence the epithet Mercury Craftsmanship.[1]
In the anime adaptation, she’s naked during the laboratory scene, covering her breasts with her hands. When first talking with Hugh and Dalian, she’s wearing a long blue dress with a knot on its back and a red rose next to its frilly neckline. During the next meeting, she also sports a blue hat on her neatly done hair. This headwear has a light blue lace and big red flowers. In this version, Viola has golden eyes and a wavy hair that reaches her waist.[2]
Plot
Viola awakes on the bed of Melgar’s laboratory. He affirms her appearance would be perfect to perform an experiment.
Viola wrote down her address to be delivered to the Black Biblioprincess.
She’s mentioned by Armand after he appears at the Disward estate to ask for the Book of the Salamander's Seal. He tells everything about the repute of the woman he loves. The high-class courtesan is requesting five specific Phantom Books from her suitors in exchange of her hand in marriage. Her other admirers have already questioned Hugh and Dalian about the rare books. Irritated by the nuisance, Dalian decides to investigate the case to discover why Viola is looking for those Phantom Books. While heading to a brothel, Hugh and Dalian speculate about Viola’s true intentions. She definitely knows something about Phantom Books, otherwise she wouldn’t have requested specific titles. It wasn’t only her way of refusing proposals. They receive a letter from the hostess of the brothel. It contains Viola’s address, as if she had predicted the Black Biblioprincess would be looking for her.
Viola is warned by one of Melville's creatures.
Viola greets Armand, Hugh and Dalian on one of the mansions provided by her admirers. She was crying while staring at the moon. She reveals to have no memories from before three years ago, when she arrived in town. Somehow, she felt the Earl would come to capture her, and that she would need the five Phantom Books to protect herself. She also knows about the Black Biblioprincess and The Mystic Archives of Dantalian. A magical winged woman suddenly appears to warn Viola. The Earl would show up in the next full moon night. When the creature flies away, Viola collapses on Hugh’s arms. She affirms running away was not an option, since there is someone she doesn’t want to part ways with. Armand promises to find the Phantom Book she’s looking for. Dalian tells her they would be back on the next night of full moon.
Armand and his rivals obtained the five Phantom Books requested by Viola.
On that night, Viola’s mansion is crowded with armed men wishing to protect her. They have heard the rumors about the threatening Earl. Armand and the other suitors managed to find the Phantom Books. The courtesan is finally seen descending a staircase. She’s glad by everyone’s presence, but asks them to run away. Watching the beautiful woman crying makes the men more motivated to protect her. Armand and his rivals show the Phantom Books she previously requested. When the Earl appears, floating as if ignoring gravity, Viola calls him father. He wants to investigate his daughter’s body to study the results of his experiment. Viola is frightened, shaking her head. She watches the old man using his staff to summon hostile winged women and to transform a man’s blood into liquid mercury. Armand tries to protect her, but there is nothing he can do when the Phantom Book he found is revealed to be a fake. The others suitors were also carrying forfeits.
They stand in front of her, defying the Earl. The latter points out how everything in Viola’s life is false. He commands his flying fiends to attack. Viola counterattacks, showing incredible speed and strength. She knocks the creatures out, but ends up with her left arm sliced and broken. Instead of blood, her limb drips liquid mercury. Delighted, Melgar exposes his daughter as an automaton born from alchemy, a social experiment to determine how close an artificial being can be from humans. Viola skills in attracting men surpassed his expectations, until she decided to betray her creator. She was supposed to be dissected by her father. Followed by his rivals, Armand decides to keep protecting the courtesan, affirming his love for her is real. The Earl releases a powerful magical attack to kill them. However, after Hugh opens the Labyrinth Library, each one of the five men are chosen by a Phantom Book, this time the real exemplars. They are able to shield every attack from the magician and even heal the wounded, including Viola. Melgar admits defeat and disappears into a rift in space. For now, he would allow Viola to live freely.
Feeling relieved, Viola seemed even more beautiful after the confrontation. She thanks everyone for their help. Armand and the others are prepared to know who she will chose to marry. For a moment, her eyes meet with Armand’s. In that moment, Baron calls for her. Viola runs into the arms of her lover. Embraced with the extravagant man, she explains how they met after she requested the five Phantom Books. She apologizes, showing her tongue. The couple departs in a carriage, leaving Armand in tears.[1]
Viola is mentioned by Dalian during the Book of Connection story, while the Biblioprincess is talking about the day she first met Armand.[3]
Trivia
- The term “homunculus” comes from Latin for “little man” and indeed refers to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept appears in alchemical writings from the 16th century, possibly based on even older folklore.[4]
- Paracelsus was one of the alchemists who wrote about homunculi.[4] In the series, he’s the author of the Liber de Nymphis.[5]
- Homunculi are compared to golems.[4] Both are artificial creatures. There’s a Golem in the Book of Fetus story, born from a Phantom Book.[6]
- Her name is a reference to courtesans Violetta Valéry and Marie Duplessis. The first one is a fictional character from Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's opera La traviata, based on a 1852 novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas, fils called "La Dame aux Camélias".[7][8]
- La Dame aux Camélias is based on the author's' love affair with Marie Duplessis[8], a French courtesan, lover to many prominent and wealthy men.[9]
- In La Dame aux Camélias, Marie's fictional counterpart is named Marguerite Gautier. As described in the novel, she uses a red camellia to indicate when she's sexually unavailable due to menstruation.[8] Curiously, Viola's clothes also present red flowers.
- In movies and plays, Marguerite Gautier sometimes is portrayed wearing a blue dress adorned with red flowers. In the anime, Viola shows up in this same fashion.
- Viola has similarities with Princess Kaguya from the Japanese narrative The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Both appear in unconventional ways, have extraordinary beauty and ask impossible tasks to their five suitors.[10]
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- Yumi Kakazu and Takahiro Sakurai, Armand's voice actor, play the Final Fantasy VII's characters Yuffie Kisaragi and Cloud Strife, respectively.[11]