Part 34 - Rango - Jailers of Virtue? A Bitter Vengeance Resurrection Plot

During the opening sequence of Rango the umbrella drink chalice was a major signal device. I addressed that terrarium stage's prop pretty thoroughly in the previous post. Another featured prop is the palm tree, which I've already introduced as a signal device but there's more to be gleaned by leveraging that valuable insight.

Again, you can watch this clip posted online: [video] First 14 minutes of Rango. For this post, the clip of interest spans from about 2 minutes in to a little past the 3 minute mark. You might find it helpful to open the video in another window to keep it available for ready review alongside this post's commentary.




The palm tree is a symbol of victory over death, as rightly noted by Masonic author Albert Mackey. The palm tree on the chameleon's theatrical stage set is a pretend actor named Victor. “Victor,” as in “victory over death” in resurrection. The first use of the palm as a signal comes early. The chameleon's show begins. He picks up two palm branches and holds them behind his head to form a curtain that obscures the set from view.

The narrating chameleon: The stage is set, the night moist with apprehension. Alone in her chamber, the princess prepares to take her own life.

The palm branches symbolically form the curtain or veil that separates the realm of the living from that of the dead, a veil which the princess prepares to cross. If she were dead, victory over death would raise her from death through the veil to life. This is dramatized for us as the chameleon, while saying “to take her own life,” parts the two branches in vertical action moving one up and one down to expose the maiden as she is about to cross over.

The play continues.

Princess (dubbed by the chameleon): It is far better to nourish worms than to live without love.
The narrating chameleon: She reaches for the poison chalice. Meanwhile, the wicked Malvolio plots his ascension to the throne. [Dubbing Malvolio's evil laugh.] While her aging father lies gravely ill.
Princess' father (dubbed by the chameleon): Yes, I'm gravely ill.

At this point, the focus is upon the bug, obviously dead, floating on the water with some detached limbs floating nearby. We hear a fanfare and what should appear? Not the chameleon, but Victor, the palm tree. After an awkward moment passes, the chameleon voices Victor's part.

“Hark, who goes there!”

Then, the chameleon finally leaps into the frame, with dialogue that reveals he has come to rescue the maiden. The fanfare, however, was for Victor, who arrived right on cue to rescue the bug from death. That's the role of the palm tree, after all! The NLP suggestion of "grave" was embedded twice in the repeated expression “gravely ill.” There was an obvious need to rescue the princess' father, a king, from the grave. Victory over death, to the rescue!

Continuing, the self-narrating actor has leaped into the scene.

Tis I, the much anticipated hero, returning to rescue his emotionally unstable maiden. Unhand her, you jailers of virtue, or taste the bitter sting of my vengeance! [No response from the lifeless prop-characters - so he repeats as if they might have missed their cue.] The sting of my - eh!

There is a passage of scripture that deals with dead bodies, victory over death, and a related sting, a word used twice in the stage play and twice in this passage.

50) Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51) Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53) For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54) But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.
55) O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?”
56) The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:50-56

Verse 54 could be described as the palm tree verse, and this is immediately followed by the “sting” verses, cleverly modeled in Rango's dramatic sequence, you see. Rango's intent, however is not by any means to advance the genuine but rather counterfeit it with a twisted version. The chameleon delivers his dramatic line then repeats it, leaving off a word to highlight it. Attention is drawn to what's missing - vengeance. More accurately, two words are left off, “bitter” and “vengeance”. We've seen this testimony before and I've noted it on this blog with some frequency. The victory over death that the agents and agencies behind Rango have in mind is about bitter vengeance!

The Lord's way for his obedient saints who walk by His spirit is as follows.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.

Romans 12:19

The enemies of God take what is God's upon themselves. The dragon and his hero seek vengeance with bitterness. For what? Rango drops a clue.

Unhand her, you jailers of virtue, or taste the bitter sting of my vengeance!

Unhand her. Yuk yuk. Her is already unhand-ed, with but a torso and a single arm. What's not so funny is what is implied by the rather awkward expression, jailers of virtue. Sure, imprisoning the virtuous maiden, ok, superficial, but the word “virtue” has another meaning that is the key to the deeper plot!

A Virtue is the fifth of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology. This is a fitting definition, and one that comes from medieval times. This is a Shakespearean production, from long ago when the language was very different, right? Jailers of Virtue. Jailers of angels. Are you getting this? Is someone bitter about jailed angels? Is there some bitter vengeance plotted against the jailer of angels? Does this plot involve some fashion of resurrection, a claim of victory over death? Isn't all this, somehow, familiar? It should be, by now!

The play continues with the chameleon pointing his sword threateningly at the dead bug, which does not respond, of course.

Dr. Martz. Dr. Martz, I'm not getting anything from you. People, we've talked about this. Acting is reacting.

Meaning? The action plotted for revenge is a reaction, a response to the action taken by the jailers. What is coming is in response to the judgment and sentence executed upon those responsible for the flood of Noah's day. There is bitterness in their ranks, and vengeance is plotted against the jailers. A jail break is part of the plan!

More to follow, Lord willing!