Character Nines – Page 3 – Enneagram and Encaustic

ROBIN HOOD (1991), NINE

My goodness, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is near unwatchable at this point. I don’t remember it being so horrible when it was released, but it has aged very poorly. The tone is all over the place, from Alan Rickman’s broad comedy as Sheriff, to Morgan Freeman’s limiting Magic Negro trope, Azeem. The editor could’ve made three different movies, I think, out of the footage.

Robin himself may be physically gifted. He’s a decent archer. None of his character, though, follows the trope of Hood as a dominant fighter. The focus is more on his leadership skills, although that’s not clearly defined, either. He has some right and respect as a nobleman, and he mouths platitudes about fighting back, but we see none of this as show. We do see a ragtag band living rough in the woods transformed by Robin into a community. This is one arc for Robin that the story puts on film.

So, the tradition of Robin as a Nine might be broken here. Nothing about him says Body Type. This Robin is also not a strategist. There’s no moment when he stands on a tree limb and taunts the rich while his Merry Men hide in all the right places. All he has is a soft heart, but I’m not sure he’s a Heart Type.

He’s brave. He’s ashamed of his youthful behavior and deeply regretful of how he parted from his father. He’s impulsive, mostly in a good way. When an opportunity occurs, he takes it, such as his opening escape from prison.

Really, he just wants a quiet life with family. I’m going to call him a Nine due to this avoidance of conflict. He’ll fight if he must, but he’d rather sit. I really hate to do it, because the other two Robins I’ve reviewed are such clear examples, and he’s not in their league. But he’s consistent throughout, so there it is.

BRIENNE OF TARTH (BOOK), NINE

She wins the melee tournament, defeating Ser Loras at the end. She’s large, strong, a trained warrior, and ugly. Catelyn pities her for this, but even more for the look Brienne gives Renly when she asks to be named to his honor guard. Young. Naive. A heart to be broken.

It goes without saying that she’s a Body Type. She’s a medieval superhero. To fight this well, especially in an era when every social convention would contradict you, you must need it in your bones. This is a Nine. The strength and competency combined with her personal gentility are the key traits.

Brienne is a wonderful character, and it’s a shame to cut to the chase so soon, but her Enneagram number is easy to spot with only one chapter of information. I am distrustful of George R. R. Martin’s skill in writing women. I have found the main characters — Catelyn, Daenerys, Arya — contradictory and arbitrary at times. I’m going to peg Brienne here, mostly because I don’t trust the rest of the writing about her to be consistent. At this point, she’s very clear.

BRAN STARK (BOOK), NINE

He’s young, and the chapters from his perspective reflect a child’s understanding and interests.

He’s a knight-stan. It’s logical that a youngster in a medieval era would love the warriors and know their names by heart. This child, though, is clearly a Body Type. He climbs because he must.

When he and Robb receive Sansa’s letter proclaiming Ned a traitor, Bran cuts to the chase: Sansa lost her wolf. If the children and their wolves share a bond, then Sansa’s was broken, she was broken, against her will. (Nymeria runs free with Arya’s permission.) What a great insight — and a glimpse of the wisdom Bran will have — as to why Sansa would weaken.

He has a chance to study as a Maester, a vocation he’d excel at, but turns it down. It has no magic, and that’s what he wants. He wants to fly. Again, Body Type. He wants to ride out like Robb and hear the cheering. It’s the image of trotting rather than accolades that moves him. More than his body is broken by the fall. His inner self, his connection to life as a Body Type, is broken. If that can be rebuilt it will take a while.

I don’t think he has the vitality of an Eight. Nine or One? He’s a natural diplomat with no love of accounting. Nine.

THE HOUND (BOOK), NINE

He’s Joffrey’s dog. Mean and biddable. At the beginning he’s just a tool, and that’s how he sees himself. His will is not his own. Just because he’s a servant, though, he’s not a simpleton. He sees The Game around him and understands it. It amuses him. Killing and laughing, really, are the breadth of his range. He’s quite interesting as a character study.

Ah, he’s the first person to challenge Sansa, to point out that she’s a puppet. She has not begun to discover herself but only behaves as she’s been trained. Why does he care enough to confront her with this?

And the story of Sandor’s burning is told to Sansa by him, not by Littlefinger’s gossip, here in the book. Why diminish such a powerful story, such a powerful moment between these characters, by giving this speech away? He threatens her to secrecy later, not that she would tell anyway, afraid possibly at the vulnerability he’s shown. His behavior is a wonderful mystery that makes him very interesting.

When he jumps in at the tournament to rescue Loras from the Mountain he’s magnificent. Brave, obviously, but he’s also a kind of watchman on his brother, who’s a truly evil creature. Stop Gregor from hurting anyone else might be Sandor’s only motto.

Now he’s part of the Kingsguard, standing watch over Joffrey. At the “gnat’s” tournament he takes Sansa’s part, although with a stone face. He won’t hit Sansa, the only guard who isn’t challenged to do so. He doesn’t care about anything, it seems, yet he interjects himself so effortlessly at key moments.

The ironic detachment, the physical competency, the lack of will to create his own destiny — what number? Nine, of course. He avoids conflict by not caring about anything. Only Sansa, through innocence, vulnerability, or naivete, can get him to engage.

JAIME LANNISTER (TV), NINE

I’ve just begun rewatching Game of Thrones so that I can refresh my memory on these characters and what Enneagram numbers they might be. I don’t need to dig too deeply, though, to know that Jaime’s a Nine. It’s pretty classic.

In the first episode he’s an incestuous child-killer. (Remember that?!) He comes a long way throughout the show’s run, though.

He’s physically gifted. Being a knight comes easy to him. When his hand is taken in a later season he falls apart. His physical prowess, but also his physical ability to communicate, are integral to his character.

His relationship with his sister is a dark Nine trait. He is so intent on avoiding conflict with her that he agrees to something dangerously disordered.

Near the end of the seasons Jaime becomes heroic. A Nine’s sense of justice and fair play moves him into relationships that strengthen him, such as with Brienne.

I’ll continue watching, and perhaps I’ll feel I need to add more to Jaime TV later (I’m also rereading the novels), but for now, going by memory, this seems accurate.

CATWOMAN (2012), NINE

Anne Hathaway physically hearkens back to the TV series casting: leather, long legs, sultry. Her Catwoman is in an obvious trajectory from the Newmar typing.

This Catwoman isn’t a thief for the thrill. She’s poor and hustling. When she hits a certain level of monetary comfort, she’s done. And, if we pay attention to the ending of The Dark Knight Rises, she lives contentedly in Italy with Bruce Wayne after the ultimate villain is defeated. Both of them walk away from the costume business.

She’s built like a Four, which could be casting coincidence, and Catwoman has that emotional engagement that could indicate a Four. Is she?

No. She’s a Nine. One clue: the Batcycle. Batman rides a physically complicated bike. You don’t just get on and balance. Catwoman jumps on and is instantly competent. This is probably for story concerns; no one wants to watch Bruce tutor Selina on the motorcycle details. However, we’ll take it as an Enneagram indicator. This Catwoman is a Body Type.

Another clue: Selina begins the movie primarily concerned with herself. She’s not heartless about the downtrodden, but her own needs motivate her. This changes. She helps Batman because it’s fair. Justice, that Nine balancing of diplomacy, moves her to participate in the Eight.

And then we have the finale. The piazza trattoria with Bruce. They’re almost companions, war survivors. Although romance is implied, it’s not the driving motivation. They’re just comfortable together. That lack of drama says Nine.

The long legs? The sultry? Nines don’t usually deploy those tools, but they can if they want, and when they do it’s a knockout.

BATMAN (1992-1995), NINE

Don’t underestimate this Batman just because he’s a cartoon. Batman: The Animated Series is arguably the best version made of the character.

The credits intro, with Shirley Walker’s powerful orchestrations and the Film Noir shading, is very binge-worthy.

When I complained that the Bale Batman had no humor, I was thinking of this series. Our Batman here is no camp comedy, like the old TV show was, but he has a subtle tongue-in-cheek humor. He’s not as stoic, either. He’s moved by more than his own sense of mission.

But is he an Eight?

He’s a tougher nut to crack because we’re looking at a series. A movie with a two hour arc must give us its Batman right away. Something that rolls out over weeks, even years, can be more coy.

This Bruce Wayne is very much an inhabitant of his city. We see him with friends and at charitable events. His Batman is more compassionate, more involved with citizens, than any other iteration.

It’s the episode with Catwoman that shows us who this Batman is. He’s a Nine. Her volatility is irresistible to him. That dynamic, the Four/Nine attraction, is the key. Of course he’s a Body Type still. This Batman, though, is more about judgment than anger. And his community interactions are also the social diplomacy of a Nine.

A Nine superhero fits more smoothly into our expectations for the genre. It makes sense that this iteration is so beloved. He has all the troubled heartbreak we expect from Batman with none of the explosive surprise an Eight brings.

ROBIN HOOD (2010), NINE

Much to my surprise I liked this version of the Hood story very much. This is no Errol Flynn Robin, though. Not only is the fantasy-level wearing of tights not here, but the world feels more gritty and realistic. Also, the historical telling of King John and the negotiations around the Magna Carta are not often portrayed. I love stuff like that.

This Robin is honorable. He will return a dead man’s sword because he gave his word, even though no one would know if he reneged. He’s honest. Richard asks for his opinion and Robin gives it, regardless of the consequences of displeasing the monarch. He also has an interesting belief in fate. When he’s asked to pretend to be Marion’s husband, he agrees because this is where events have led him. It may not be a wise choice, but he has a trust in providence.

Of course he’s physically capable. On Crusade he’s an archer. At home he wields a sword. Does this mean he’s a Body Type? Not necessarily. A yeoman had to be competent in weapons. The focus of this Robin is more on his integrity. We must believe that Marion would come to trust him over a short period of time. What Enneagram number can sell sincerity?

Eh — he’s probably a Nine. He’s physically comfortable, beyond what a medieval soldier would feel. He’s a diplomat, gathering many friends (as Robin Hood does). He’s a fair judge, as a Nine can be. In his own way, as a poor man serving under a king, he is a philosopher, a seeker of truth. This is why others trust him. Crowe plays Robin with an interesting depth, but ultimately it’s the same archetype, the same Enneagram build as Errol Flynn gave us.

Good flick.

CHARLES BINGLEY, NINE

He’s not an Envy person, that’s for sure. Darcy would drive him crazy if he were. And he’s quite content to take advice from Darcy, sometimes without engaging his own feelings or thoughts.

He’s the most easygoing person on the planet. As Mr. Bennet says to Jane, “You are each of you so complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; so easy, that every servant will cheat you; and so generous, that you will always exceed your income.”

So, who is this pleasant, placid man? Head Type or Body?

He really isn’t a thinker in the mold of a Five or Six. Seven, possibly. He has no consciousness of money, obviously, so he’s no One. Not an Eight! Oh, that’s funny. I’d like to see some version of Bingley who tells Darcy to stuff it, but that wouldn’t be Austen.

His ability to avoid conflict leads me toward Nine. His willingness to party leads me toward Seven. Heh.

His modesty is of no help whatsoever. In some ways it keeps him from having a defining personality trait. He doesn’t break forward with a fault or a strength. He’s just the nice lad who goes where he’s told.

Nine. Although a Seven can blow with the wind, they also seek new experiences. Bingley has no appetite for grand adventure. A quiet life and amiable friends are enough to satisfy.

DANIEL CLEAVER, NINE

He’s the Wickham, so we know he’s charming and utterly deceitful. (I haven’t done Wickham yet! Holy cow, what am I thinking?) The casting of Hugh Grant leans in to the whole picture of a rascal who ends up being a rake. (I believe those are the proper Regency period-specific terms.)

So, what Enneagram is this version of Wickham? Cleaver is successful. He mentions that the Americans have come because the publishing house is in financial trouble, but we don’t see signs of hardship. It could just be one of his ruses, I don’t know. Unlike Wickham, Cleaver is not going to end in wrack and ruin. He’s a plain working stiff, moderately successful and fully employable.

Cleaver doesn’t really excel at anything. He’s not even a particularly great villain! He’s handsome and socially comfortable, and that’s all he needs to get through life.

Oh, gawd, he’s a Nine.

With Bridget as a Four, this makes perfect sense. The Four/Nine combo are drawn to each other, but they are more toxic than supportive.

I’ll officially delve into Wickham later, but I feel quite certain he won’t end up being a Nine.