We've all heard of the Greek Tragedy, in which an otherwise good and honest king / demigod (because let's be honest, none of them are about common mortals) finds their life destroyed by the end because of their one Fatal Flaw, usually Hubris, or Pride. While the Greek Tragedy is no longer a thing, the Tragic Hero archetype still persists today. We see a good deal of this in the antagonists of DAO, most notably Loghain; a stalwart man who descends to villainous actions and is disgraced (and is possibly executed) because of his pride.
A lot of people like to discuss how Loghain is a Tragic Hero and compare him to the classic Tragic Heroes of literature and theatre; and that's fine.
However, after the Roman Empire collapsed and Europe broke up into hundreds of little warring clans/countries, a lesser known genre became popular. This was the Medieval Tragedy. It involved a noble (usually a prince, sometimes a knight) who starts off well-off but then the Wheel of Fortune turns downward and they're somehow stripped of their privilege/titles, descend into poverty, and then have to work their way back up the Wheel of Fortune into privilege again. Unlike the Greek Tragedy, where the bad stuff occurs because of a personal flaw and is permanent, the Medieval Tragedy happens due to downwardly turning fortune wheel but then fortunes turn upward again and it almost always had a happy ending--partly because the cultural norm for Medieval Europeans (well, definitely Medieval English and French) was to write things the way they thought it should be, rather than what it was.
Why do I bring this up? Because I've studied centuries of Medieval English literature (I'm actually hoping to become a professor of medieval literature) and noticed the strong similarity with the Dwarf and especially Human Noble origins. While there were many genres of literature throughout the thousand years or so of the so-called "medieval period," from the highly religious hagiographical (saints' lives) stories to the highly sensational Medieval Romances, most stories that involved the "medieval tragedy" followed a pretty strict formula:
A good, noble-hearted, stalwart knight/prince (almost always male, though occasionally female) is universally adored by the people, is living the most charmed life possible (with loving parents and/or siblings if a kid, or a loving wife and kids as an adult), and/or is next in line for the throne. But then an evil, traitorous false friend (Howe) or conniving, usurping relative (Bhelen) either murders their whole family (if a prince), and/or gets them exiled, and/or usurps the throne when they should have inherited. ("Oh, your dad just died? Well, I'll just throw your six-year-old self into the dungeon and ease myself/my son onto the throne instead of you.") Then they usually find themselves having to escape and/or go into exile. They're then raised in poverty (if a child) or live in poverty (if an adult) for a while, although usually their inborn noble qualities tend to be quickly apparent to those around them, and they tend to gain the notice of another king/noble from a neighboring kingdom, and get promoted to a high position of steward or knight or whatever by that good king/noble. If it's a prince and he's not married, you know he's going to meet and fall in love with the story's heroine, a princess of the said neighboring kingdom (usually the daughter of his patron king/noble) who has a generous inheritance of her own. By the end, the usurped prince always, always, always exposes, fights, and defeats their evil false friend / usurping relative. They then regain all the lands and titles they lost and then some, while also retaining all the new allies, lands, titles, etc. that they earned through merit while in exile. By the end they're filthy rich, universally beloved, marry the princess (and thus gain her inheritance through marriage--usually a second kingdom), and live happily ever after.
Does this sound like the Human Noble Origin? I hope so, because that's what it is.
Now, I know the Medieval Tragedy hasn't quite left the public conscious. We still have the "Riches to Rags (to Riches Again)" trope in popular culture (although that's not quite as popular as "Rags to Riches" these days since today's audience love underdogs). Many classic British authors loved writing about heroes and heroines from good families who were somehow separated or fell on hard times, but then discovered long-lost rich relatives and then were restored to their rightful wealth and privilege before the end. (Charles Dickons especially loved writing about lost/abandoned little boys who meet long-lost rich relatives who take them in and insure they don't have to struggle anymore--something I'm sure he wished happened in him in real life.) We've also got the "Rightful King Returns" trope, most famously Aragorn, Son of Arathorn reclaiming his rightful throne to Gondor from the "lesser" steward family of Denethor, Boromir, and Feremir.
Heck, most people compare the Human Noble Origin's story to that of Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride; their family is killed by a dastardly villain (who is also the right hand to the story's main villain), they spend most of the story seeking revenge, then they kill the bastard, avenge their family, and all is good in the end.
I had to point out the Medieval Tragedy, though, because of how closely it follows the formula; especially for Medieval Romances (moreso than other medieval genres). The Couslands are one notch below royalty, and they have the idealized "perfect noble family who is universally adored by their subjects and fellow nobles alike" thing going, then they're horribly betrayed, slaughtered, and usurped by a diabolical, one-dimensionally evil false friend. The Human Noble, like the medieval fallen prince (especially from Medieval Romances) is then stripped of their privilege, plunged into destitution, and swears revenge against the villain for their slaughtered family. The HN then works their way back up the Wheel of Fortune (by becoming a Grey Warden, working to stop the Blight, allying with people that Howe and Loghain screw over), finds a fellow noble who allies with them (Arl Eamon), meets a potential, currently unmarried heir to the Ferelden throne (Anora for male Couslands, Alistair for the female Cousland), then they avenge their family by slaughtering the traitorous villain (by murdering Howe), then by the end (no matter what) they gain back all the ancestral lands, privileges, and titles they lost and then some. Not only that, but they also keep all the prestige, land, and titles they won through their own merit while in disgrace (recognition as Warden-Commander of Ferelden, Hero of Ferelden, Royal Boon that isn't wasted on asking for the crown, so you can also ask for the Teyrnship of Gwaren or whatever), and then they can also marry the Ferelden heir (Anora for male Couslands, Alistair for females) and gain their spouse's status as King/Queen of Ferelden on top of getting back all their family's lost lands and titles. Typical "Medieval Tragedy / Medieval Romance" happy ending.
What I find funny, though, is how the Dwarf Noble story alone deconstructs / subverts the medieval tragedy, while the Human Noble plays it completely straight. The Dwarf Noble is also betrayed and exiled by a scheming, usurping false friend (their younger brother Bhelen), stripped of their privilege and title, and exiled from home. However, any hope the Dwarf Noble might have had of getting revenge on their brother and reclaiming their right to the throne are soon disappointed. The Dwarf Noble can only gain revenge by proxy by supporting another noble against their brother rather than gunning for the throne themselves (you have to support Harrowmont against Bhelen, Harrowmont doesn't support you against him), and you NEVER gain back your lost birthright.
Sure, as everyone points out, the Dwarf Noble becomes a Paragon at the end, which is seen as even greater than a king/queen. However, this doesn't fit the typical Medieval Tragedy. Like I said twice, the "Medieval Tragedy" always involves the afflicted noble not only getting to keep the prestige they gained through merit while in exile (if they aren't martyred soon after at the end, in the case of saints' lives), but also regaining their original inborn privilege and birthright. If the Dwarf Noble Origin was a typical Medieval Tragedy (like the Human Noble is), then Bhelen would have been portrayed as a one-note villain who makes Orzammar worse instead of better while in power (which he is not, on either account), you could have denounced and killed him for his crimes, and then you could have regained your birthright as heir to the throne, and the game would have ended with the Dwarf Noble having the option to become the King/Queen of Orzammar AND a Paragon... Much like how the Human Noble playthrough ends with you not just restoring the Cousland family's lost lands and titles (as Fergus is Teyrn of Highever no matter what by DAI) AND getting the option to become King/Queen of Ferelden. The game doesn't subject Cousland to "you can have this but not that," it lets you have "both this AND that," which is the typical happy ending of Medieval Romances.
If I sound bitter, it's because I am.
However, I am exceedingly fond of medieval literature (it's so goofy! And so predictable once you learn the typical plot and stock characters of each genre), and I was pretty excited to learn the stock plots of the typical Medieval Tragedy (especially from Medieval Romances) matches that of the Human Noble Origin.
I'm still not a fan of the human noble origin (and you can hate me for it, I don't care), but I thought it was fun to learn it's an homage to the typical medieval tragedy (especially of Medieval Romances), and if you're a Cousland fan I thought you might find it fun to learn too. The more you know. 
Retour en haut
It was fun! I killed Hawke to save Loghain actually...
