The Matrix Character Names

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Several of the character names in the Matrix series have additional meanings.

Certain programs which controlled the execution of the Matrix were not given names, but titles. (e.g. The Oracle, The Architect, The Keymaker).

Contents

Characters

  • Neo - neo- as a prefix means "new": denoting he is the latest 'One' who can control the Matrix's future. Neo is also an anagram of one, reinforcing his Messianic status.
    • Thomas Anderson - Thomas can be considered a reference to the Gospel of Thomas, known in Gnosticism. Anderson means son of Andrew, and since Andrew is from the Greek for "man", this surname could be referring to one of Jesus' titles, "the Son of Man". The names "Thomas" and "Anderson" put together could be symbolic for the doubt Neo feels throughout the first film that he is, indeed, the One. "Thomas" as in "Doubting Thomas" and "Anderson" as interpreted above. Thomas also means "twin" in Aramaic, and has been interpreted in Gnostic texts to indicate Thomas as the Eidolon (lower self) to Jesus's Daimon (higher divine self). This could indicate a parallel structure with Thomas and Neo (the One).
  • Smith - "Smith" is the most common surname in many English-speaking countries, reinforcing his generic, conformist appearance as an Agent. In an early scene in The Matrix Reloaded, Smith drives a car with the license plate number "IS 5416"; in the King James Bible Isaiah 54:16 reads "Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy." The name also refers to Smith's powers of creation; Agent Smith creates Smith clones just as a shoesmith creates shoes.
    • Smith's fellow Agents in The Matrix are named Agent Brown and Agent Jones. These are also common Anglo-Saxon surnames (all of the Agents have nondescript names, and Morpheus comments "you all look the same to me").
  • Trinity - Possibly a reference to the Trinity site, where the first atomic bomb exploded on July 16, 1945. Also could refer to the Holy Trinity, with Morpheus as God the Father, Neo as the Messiah, and Trinity as the Holy Spirit. This makes sense, as in the first movie, Neo finds Morpheus through Trinity; i.e., the Son finds his Father through the Spirit. Trinity is a woman, rather than a man, which is the sex usually associated with the Christian dogma. Holy Father, Son of God, etc.
  • Morpheus - Morpheus was the Ancient Greek god of dreams - appropriate since he first contacts Neo through a series of dream-like events and his aim is to "awaken" people from the dream-world of the Matrix. The name also means "he who forms, or molds" (from the Greek morphe).
  • Cypher - A cypher (or cipher) is a cryptographic system used for coding and decoding messages - Cypher's allegiances are coded and concealed. A cypher is also the mathematical symbol 0, from the Arabic word sefr (صفر), denoting the absence of quantity - Zero (to Neo's One). It is possibly also a reduced form of Lucifer, a name for the Devil.
  • Agents Jackson, Johnson, and Thompson - The "upgraded" Agents can be viewed as the "sons" of the original Agents. Like the previous generation of Agents, these are very common generic Anglo-Saxon surnames.
  • Apoc - In UNIX operating system family computer parlance, "epoch" is used to designate the 1st of January of 1970 at 0:00. This date and time is used to calculate the "absolute time" in seconds (for instance, this program started to run at 235423452353 seconds since epoch and finished at 235423452986). In neural networks, epoch refers to one update of all weights for all the examples from the training set as the network converges upon the minimal prediction error using the backpropagation learning algorithm. This sounds a bit similar to apoc. A second theory is that "Apoc" is possibly a shortened form of "Apocalypse", referring the Biblical Book of Revelation. The shooting screenplay for "The Matrix" states that he wrote "The Four Horsemen" virus.
  • Mouse - The name of a character in the Hugo Award nominated Science Fiction novel Nova (1969) by Samuel R. Delany. Nova can be regarded as a proto-cyberpunk novel. In particular, its characters control a starship by "jacking in" to a virtual reality representation of the vessel and its environment. Also, could be a reference to a computer mouse, a common input device - Mouse appears to be a programmer who inputs training scenarios and characters into the Matrix Construct.
  • Switch - Computers are made from binary switches at the basic level, or a switch could be a control for a device. A switch can also be a person who is bisexual or, in BDSM, plays both dominant and submissive roles.
  • Tank A tank is a type of heavy vehicle. (Cf. the name of his brother, Dozer). Also a subtle reference to the "tanks" the humans are kept in at the power plant towers.
  • Dozer - A bulldozer is another type of heavy vehicle. "Dozer", meaning "sleeper" could also be seen as connotating the "sleeping" state of those jacked into the Matrix (although Dozer himself was Zion-born).
  • Link - May refer to the computer term, such as hyperlink, the fact that this character links the audience with the events of the films, or the fact that he is the crew's link to the outside world.
  • Niobe - In Greek mythology, Niobe was a boastful queen whose seven children were killed by Apollo. In her grief, Niobe wept perpetually until the gods took pity on her and turned her into a stone fountain.
  • Sparks - Possibly related to the term 'Spark of life' or referring to the commencement of an object (a spark can start a fire). Sparks was also a common nickname for radio operators.
  • The Kid - A common term to refer to a child - The Kid was considered naive and inexperienced by his peers, but with great potential. His real name (in the Matrix) was Michael Karl Popper, a reference to the Austrian philosopher Karl Popper.
  • Councillor Hamann - A reference to J. G. Hamann (Johann Georg Hamann), the philosopher.
  • Councillor West - A reference to, and played by, Dr. Cornel West, the philosopher.
  • Commander Jason Lock - A reference to John Locke, the philosopher. Also the opposite in function to The Keymaker, in that Lock stood as a hindrance to Neo's path while the Keymaker opened pathways for The One.
  • Captain Soren - A reference to Søren Kierkegaard, the philosopher, originator of the concept and terminology of the "leap of faith".
  • Vector - This name has many meanings. In mathematical terms, "vector" most often refers to an object that has a special relationship to spatial coordinates/directions. In linear algebra, a matrix can represent a linear transformation which can act on a vector. In computer programming terms, a vector is a list or one-dimensional array (these meanings could relate to one's presence in the Matrix as a package of code).
  • Binary - Binary is the numerical system of ones and zeros used in computers.
  • Maggie - an abbreviation either for the name Margaret, or for the magazine of a firearm.
  • Mauser - as in the German bolt-action firearm.
  • AK - as in the firearm, AK-47, by Russian manufactury IZH.
  • Captain Ajax - (commands the Icarus). A reference to the Greek hero Ajax in Homer's Iliad. Ajax is also an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript And XML, a Web development technique for creating interactive web applications.
  • Captain Thadeus - (commands the Osiris, as seen in the Animatrix) - Thaddeus is one of the names for Saint Jude, the patron saint of lost or desperate causes. The Osiris's final mission, a suicidal run to reach broadcast depth to warn Zion of the imminent invasion by the Machines, makes this reference apt.
  • Bobby - (operator on the Osiris) perhaps referencing the Windows-based software used for analyzing web pages for accessibility issues (as he would in fact be hacking the Matrix).
  • Jue - (character in Animatrix, on the Osiris) perhaps Chinese character meaning "role" as Jue's only role in the Animatrix is to get the warning out to Zion. Or, a jue is a Chinese libation cup. Pronunciation of the word can also mean "win promotion" or "noble rank".
  • Malachi - Meaning "My messenger/angel". Malachi was the last of the minor prophets and writer of the last book of the Old Testament.
  • Bane - meaning "nemesis", an apt name for the body Smith inhabits in Matrix Revolutions as he is the bane of Neo's trip to the machine mainframe.
  • Seraph - A "Seraph" is a member of the "Seraphim", the highest order of the hierarchy of angels in medieval Christian theology (among other angelic designations from other faiths/belief systems. See Seraph for more.). Appropriate as Seraph plays guardian angel to The Oracle. The Merovingian and his cronies refer to Seraph as "Wingless" and "L'ange sans ailes" ("the angel without wings"), implying his status as some kind of "fallen angel".
  • The Merovingian - The Merovingians were a dynasty of Frankish kings who ruled parts of France and Germany from the 5th to the 8th century AD. The Merovingian is characterized fairly heavily as Hades -- Lord of the Underworld in Greek mythology. This comes from several different places in the story. First is his marriage to Persephone. In Greek mythology, Hades is married to Persephone. This, coupled with the "Club Hel" location seen in The Matrix Revolutions, (Hel/Hell being analogous to the Greek Underworld), and the fact that The Merovingian has in his employ The Trainman who is himself analogous to Charon, the ferryman on the river Styx. All of these components help point to The Merovingian as representative of Hades. Trinity calls the Merovingian "Merv" at one point - Merv is an ancient city often considered to be the origin of Hindu belief.
  • Persephone - Greek mythology states she was taken to the underworld by Hades; she was the beautiful and lonely bride of a monster - Hades himself. Her mother, Demeter, goddess of nature, pled for her daughter's company; Hades, moved, allowed his wife to return from the underworld for six months a year. During the other half, Demeter mourns and winter reigns.
  • The Keymaker - A program designed to create access points through practically any location in the Matrix. Name likely is in contrast to Commander Lock, whose "deadbolt" manner of commanding the Zion army hinders Neo's journeys.
  • The Architect - An architect is someone who designs buildings, and The Architect is assumed to have designed the Matrix itself, but was unable to do so on his own; this is where The Oracle came in. It is also worth noting that Freemasons refer to God as "The Great Architect".
  • Charra - (defender of Zion, woman with bazooka) Spanish for "cowgirl."
  • Choi - Short for choice.
  • Zee - Dutch for "Sea." May also be an abbreviation of "zero"; also the American pronunciation of the last letter of the English language ("z") and a possible reference to the Nintendo videogame The Legend of Zelda, in which players control a young man (Link) attempting to rescue Zelda from the forces of evil.
  • Captain Kali - Kali is a hindu godess who is said to feed on the bodies of the dead on battlefields. The consort of Shiva, Kali counterbalances life with death.
  • Axel - Captain Axel is Captain of the ship, Witness and works with Turbine and Turbine alone.
  • Turbine- Turbine, also known as Mr.R.Lloyd, is a Hacker of ship, 'Witness' and co-operates with Axel and the Logos.

Ships

  • Nebuchadnezzar (Commanded by Captain Morpheus) - Nebuchadnezzar was the babylonian king in the Bible who (as an agent of God) attacked Jerusalem. God did this because the people had become corrupt, turned from God, and even ignored the prophets God sent to warn them. Notably, the Bible records King Nebuchadnezzar having had a number of prophetic dreams - which relates to the ship's captain name: Morpheus, the Greco-Roman god of dreams.
  • Logos (Commanded by Captain Niobe) - In pre-Socratic philosophy - Logos the principle governing the cosmos, the source of this principle, or human reasoning about the cosmos. In Judaism, the word of God. In Christianity, the creative word of God, embodied as Jesus Christ. Neo and Trinity venture to the Machine City at the end of The Matrix Revolutions in this craft--in effect, the Word of the Matrix (Neo) is returning to the Source.
  • Mjolnir a.k.a. the Hammer - (Commanded by Captain Roland) - The name of Thor's hammer in Norse mythology, translated literally as "that which smashes". From this hammer, Thor could produce thunder (as the ship could emit an EMP - or electromagnetic pulse). Though the ship's name is Mjolnir, it is always referred to as "the Hammer", possibly to resonate with the ship's captain and crew, whose names all relate to firearms in some way.
  • Caduceus - (Commanded by Captain Ballard - Bane's ship) the staff of entwined serpents belonging to the Greek god Hermes. The caduceus had the power to induce sleep in men, or awaken them (following the theme of "waking up" common in The Matrix). Today it is an emblem for the practice of medicine.
  • Osiris - (Commanded by Captain Thaddeus) Featured in the Animatrix movie Final Flight of the Osiris. Osiris, from Egyptian mythology, the goddess of death and the Underworld. The common cycle of death and rebirth may be present in the sacrifice of this ship to warn the human city of Zion (which itself is continually destroyed and reborn).
  • Vigilant - (Commanded by Captain Soren) From the OED: "Wakeful and watchful; keeping steadily on the alert; attentively or closely observant." (again, references to "waking up" or being awake)
  • Gnosis - (Commanded by Captain Ice) Gnosis - Idea from Gnosticism of the awareness of the spiritual nature of the cosmos.
  • Novalis - (Commanded by Captain Tirant) pseudonym of German poet and novelist, Friedrich Leopold. Wrote, "Sleep is a digest of sensual impressions. Dreams are excrements." (another reference to sleep and the need to "wake up")
  • Brahma - (Commanded by Captain Kali) [Brahma]] is the Hindu creator god. One part of the Trimurti. His four heads recite the Vedas (which translates into "Knowledge" or "Truth" - common themes in The Matrix).
  • Icarus - (Commanded by Captain Ajax) Icarus is in Greek mythology, the son of Daedalus, who with his father, escaped imprisonment on wings crafted of feathers and wax. Icarus ignored his father's advice and flew too close to the sun, which melted the wax and caused him to crash into the ocean and die. "Icarus" is also a computer term for a program that crashes often (reference to the Matrix as a program, which they continually hack).
  • Witness - (Commanded by Captain Axel) This ship is owned by Turbine but commanded by Axel. The ship is named Witness because they travled with Captain Niobe, ghost and Sparks across the mechanical Tunnel and witnessed Sentinels not attacking them for once.

Locations

  • Zion - Hill in Jerusalem which was the site of Solomon's Temple; Jerusalem; Palestine-Anointed city of God, used through various religions.
  • Club Hel - Characterized as the Greek mythological Underworld, analogous to Hel/Hell in other belief systems. The Club is guarded by three identical bald men, denoting Cerberus, the three-headed dog guarding the underworld in Greek mythology. May also be a reference to Hel, the monstrous, half-rotten daughter of the Norse god Loki, and from whom Christianity gained its name for the abode of the damned.
  • Le Vrai Restaurant - "Le Vrai" loosely translated from French means "the truth."
  • Zero One - The first city of the machines. 01, in both binary and hexadecimal, common computing number formats, translates to the number 1, or first.

Footnotes

  1. ↑  Desa. "Unlocking The Matrix." Time, Canadian ed. (May 12, 2003): p. 53.

References

Copyright

"Original data received from Wikipedia on May 06, 2006. Credit given to original authors can be seen Here."

The Matrix series (edit)
Films The Matrix  | The Matrix Reloaded  | The Matrix Revolutions
The Animatrix Final Flight of the Osiris | The Second Renaissance | Kid's Story | Program | World Record | Beyond | A Detective Story | Matriculated
Games Enter the Matrix | The Matrix Online | The Matrix: Path of Neo
Characters Neo | Trinity | Morpheus | Smith | Agent | Oracle | Architect | Minor characters | Programs and machines
Locations Matrix | The City | Club Hel | Mobil Ave | Zero One | Zion | List of ships in the Matrix series
Other topics Matrix Source Code | The Matrix Character Names
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