»Who is the Merovingian?«

In biblical mythology the merovingian is a decendent of Jesus and protector of what he represents. The architect represents GOD and so the merovingian is protecting that which represents him.

Just like Neo, he is a program designed to be a form of control over humans. Since he is a program and not a human, he can live forever within the matrix, as long as he can avoid deletion. Neo is a program from the Machine World, and Zion is a Matrix within a matrix.

The oracle says the Merovingian is old.
The Merovingian has faced Neo's predecessors.
Persephone says that the Mero was just like Neo when he first 'came here'.
As has already been stated, the Merovingian Kings were supposedly descended from Jesus. And how many characters were given names randomly?

unlike neo, though, the merovingian performed his mission correctly. But then he refused to submit to deletion.

The Merovingian is a proud, egotistical,pompous git....

He is a previous oracle as stated in a previous post of mine. Someone please find it and post the think here (I would but dont know how)!

matrix-explained.com...

Merrovigian is the pimp of the matrix.However, i believe he is a former one with quotes pertaining to the skill level of neo, in the battle scence. and he did say his skills were quite impressive and said he got some skill. beyond that he's a pimp. hes a code writen pimp with software to spare.

The beautiful, fallen angel? Lucifer? All that?

he is quite pimp-tacular.

stanley_125 wrote:

When Neo visited the Architect, The previous Ones apeared on screens on the walls of the room, None of them looked like the Merovigian.

There were too many images of Neo for them to be previous Ones.

The Merovigian is not a previous One, The One is human. The architect chides Neo because when it's all said and done he is human. It's his humanity (and that of all humans) that created the anomoly in the first place.

The Merovigian is most definately an exile, the idea that he might have been a previous version of the Architect doesn't hold because the Architect himself says HE created the 1st matrix.

(This is going on the assessment that the Architect doesn't tell any lies and according to the poll, the majority of people here support this)

He's an AI who's purpose was made obsolete. It is likely that in an earlier version of the Matrix causality was a program variable that the Architect tried to use to balance his equation. It obviously doesn't work, because causality is not the driving force of existance in the Matrix. Therefore, he was replaced and rendered obsolete.

As for the Oracles eyes. Greek mythology covers that with the story of the GRAEAE. Sisters of the Gorgon that used 1 tooth and 1 eye between them. The eye gave them the power to protect the Gorgon. Classic fiction is filled with allusions to inner sight and the eye. Maybe the Oracle is the one who in studying humans decided that causality was not effective and therefore brought about the downfall of the Mero.

Further to this, don't ignore the significance of eyes .. Neo is unable to "see" outside the Matrix until he is blinded by Bane/Smith. It was this sight that allowed him to guide Trinity to the machine city.

.... edited because I can't spell.

The Merovigian is just an exiled program from the very first or at least earlier version of the matrix. According the oracle.

The Merovigian preaches Causality. It is the 'WHY?'. Hence everything about him is not about choice but causality.

He detested the fact that Neo, Morph and Trin went to him without knowing WHY they needed the Key Maker.

For me, I believe he is probably the first of all exiles.

I believe all programs that are done with their purposes are intended to hop on the train and return to the Source.

The Merovigian probably questioned this. 'WHY return to the Source and be deleted?' Hence, CAUSING him to remain in the matrix.
It should take a powerful/advance enough program to do this.

Remaining in the matrix, without any other purpose will not do. So he needed a purpose which I will attempt to explain.

Causality is everything about the The Merovigian. To do that he needs to ask why to everthing. Solve the cause and effect. How do you solve 'WHY?'. As to solving any question, you need information.
Hence The Merovigian job which he (maybe) gave himself is to collect every form of information.

He studies humans, (e.g. girl with the cake) and other exile programs. Normal programs functioning correctly and returning to the Source for deletion probably do not really interest him as much as say exiled programs that do not wish to be deleted. (Why are they not wanting to follow their intended 'Karma' and return to the source?) He imprisoned the Key Master. He has a say in which exile gets to return or not return. Seti's parents needed his permission to return to the source. The Merovigian wanted Seti. (Imagine how many 'Why?' and how much information Seti would be alone.) He wanted the Eyes of the Oracle.

In short, he wanted everything. Which information comes knowledge. With knowledge comes power. He is like a power hungry gangster. Head of all exiles when not all exiles wants him as the head. Like any other gangster-like heads, he is surrounded by his cronies and bodyguards as in M3. In M2 Neo sees bombs underneathe the floors or elevators. The Merovigian does goes to quite an extent to protect himself.

By questioning the why, he is in defiance to the nature of things. Hence in need to be deleted one way or another. But not quite as much as Agent Smith.

Personally, I think he is a fag with a hot wife, but then again that is the kind of response you'd expect from a young teen...

Don't overlook the importance of Hades/Pluto in thinking about the Frenchman, that would make him lord of the underworld (Hell Club) and overseeing death and deletion. Hades took Persephone and had her eat his 'magic' food, in the Matrix movies we have a wonderful update on that myth with an explicitly sexual explanation for how his 'magic' traps Persephone.
Hades' right-hand man being Charon the ferryman of the dead, who takes you from the underworld off to the afterlife, ie the Trainman.
And Hades is the Greek god no-one bothered making temples to, you couldn't sway him by prayer or libation, you respect him but when it is your time he will come for you, god or mortal, and when he comes for you that is the end. Cause and effect? More like Fate.

The Merovingian is an "Angel", he believes in cause and affect, there is only why, no choice. He is one of the first programmes of the matrix which was to be exiled. Neo is a human, he has choice to do so. When Smith asked why Neo kept trying to defeat him his reply was because it was his choice. The original Myth/Bible storys of why god created humans after angels is because angles had to pray to him/obey him (there being no choice) whereas humans would choose weather they would obey a god (choice).
I don't belive Mero is the devil, smith is the fallen angel, the programme which refused to be over powered by Neo a human as he belives he is a better being, such as when smith is in banes body and complains about its inadequecies.

There are many ways to see. You all must know that. I agree with the reply of our Smith friend here. The Merovingian stands for the evil in each one of us. I hope he knows where he stands for.. . (sorry about my English but I speak french)

I think he's Pascal Savage from 'Johnny English'. But alternatively...

He's obviously quite evil, Machiavellian, crimelord-esque.

He's just an exile, in my opinion....a very clever one, but with no deep and meaningful purpose. I think he's chaos

LeLiO wrote:

For me, I believe he is probably the first of all exiles. I believe all programs that are done with their purposes are intended to hop on the train and return to the Source. The Merovigian probably questioned this. 'WHY return to the Source and be deleted?' Hence, CAUSING him to remain in the matrix. It should take a powerful/advance enough program to do this.

I think this is indeed the most likely explanation of just who the Merovingian is. I think also, that Seraph originates from the same period as Mero does.

The merovingian is none of the choices offered. It seems to me he hails from one of the first versions of the matrix as a Hades character, a corruptor and a personification of indulgence, sin and everything else that is fun. He is the devil. He may be more but that seems to me the most realistic and rational view.

sumesh wrote:

The merovingian is none of the choices offered. It seems to me he hails from one of the first versions of the matrix as a Hades character, a corruptor and a personification of indulgence, sin and everything else that is fun. He is the devil. He may be more but that seems to me the most realistic and rational view.

Which is what I stated in matrix-explained.com..., however it's possible for a character to perform more than one role.

You’ve brought up quite some interesting theories, but I wonder that no one of you has yet posted the rumour about Merv and Persephone being human collaborators working with the machines to design the Matrix, that were then loaded into it as programmes given power and eternal life as reward.

Interesting Idea. I came across a similar one at a site related to the 1st film, where it was suggested that the Oracle was human, but from a different )non-Zion) enclave. It was more convenient to supposedly to meet in the Matrix than to do so face-to-face.

Well, back when I saw the first movie, it didn’t even occur to me, that the Oracle might be anything other than human. Only the second film opened my eyes to the possibility of Programs as complex as her, Mero or the Architect.
I mean, there were the Agents.. yeah.
But their pattern of Moving, speaking and interacting with people just screamed CREEPY – I thought the Wachowski-Brothers were making just fun of the Men In Black kind of stories.

Zariva wrote:

he Agents.. yeah. But their pattern of Moving, speaking and interacting with people just screamed CREEPY – I thought the Wachowski-Brothers were making just fun of the Men In Black kind of stories.

Heh heh heh, "Men in Black III" -- Will Smith and Keanu Reeves co-starring.

HA, theres actually a rumor that the Wachowskis originally wanted to cast Will Smith as Neo. I don't believe that the Merovingian was ever the One, but he clearly fits into the role of Hades ( theres alot of Suttle and Not so Suttle references) but to fit into the Futurism of it compared to Greek Mythology, they made seem just like a Horny Crime Boss Exile. I could say more, but some of you have already pretty much said what I think.

Hades + Persephone yup.

I think Mero is just a program who samples and analyses human communication for the whole learning process. With the things he samples though he can gain a certain understanding of the way humans operate and therefore the knowledge he has comes from experience (being old) and this communicative experience aswell.

Of course now he's an exile but I think the sampling was his original purpose.

Who is and who is

Who isn't ?