Meridian App
PLAYER INFO
Name: Wings
Main Journal: entropicwings
Contact Info: entropicwings -at- gmail
Played Characters: None
AC Reminders: LJ Message
CHARACTER INFO
Name: Cesare Borgia
Age: 22
Species: Human
Series: The Borgias
OU/AU: OU
Canon Point: End of Season 1
History:
NNDB, Wikipedia, FanWiki
There are a few differences between the television show and historical events as we know them, though most do not have a huge impact on Cesare's characterization. Those that do are as follows, in The Borgias:
• Cesare helps his father Rodrigo attain the Papacy by bribing enough Cardinals for a majority vote.
• Murdered Cardinal Jacobi.
• Was somewhat complicit in the murder of Prince Djem alongside his brother Juan and lied about the Prince's cause of death to his sister Lucrezia.
• Kidnapped and assaulted Giovanni Sforza, whom he brought to Rome to force an annulment of marriage from his sister Lucrezia Borgia.
• Had a brief affair with Ursula Bonadeo and murdered her husband.
Personality:
From the beginning of the series and through Episode 9, Cesare is above all dedicated to his family. He is extremely concerned with his father's wishes for him at the expensive of his own wishes for the direction he would like his life to go. His father Rodrigo is determined and devious in his desires to become the Pope of the Holy Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican of Rome and Cesare as the eldest son, the son destined to also serve the Church, is expected to help him get it. Cesare knows his father would become the most powerful man in Rome and all of Italy and while that has its own benefits Cesare's desire is to see his father consolidate power for the good of their family, not just his own or his father's own gain. The Borgias are not a well-liked family and Cesare knows that. They are of Spanish descent in Italy making them mistrusted as foreigners, and further mistrusted and disliked for the questionable reputation the Borgia name has.
This affects Cesare's personality in several key ways and not the least of which is how he views himself and his own moral bankruptcy. As he says himself, "I was born with a stain, a mark like the mark of Cain. ... The mark of Borgia." He sees his own ability to get what needs to be done (even if that way is normally unthinkable) as a mark of his family name and justified, as he says himself that he has tried to be different but cannot be. He knows what he does is wrong but sees his actions as necessary. Again, almost every sin he commits is for the betterment of his family.
Cesare is loyal to his family, to a fault, but to little and no one else. Although he becomes a Cardinal in the Church, a very high rank in itself, his heart is not in the position and there are several circumstance we see his disregard for the Church and its customs, history and beliefs. It is unclear whether Cesare even truly believes in God given some of his discussions with his lover Ursula. I would venture that if he does believe in God that belief is secondary to his need for consolidating the protection and power of the Borgia family.
His sister Lucrezia is his closest relationship within the family. With her Cesare shows a compassion, concern, loyalty, vulnerability and gentleness. It is rare he shows these in any noticeable degree to any other person, and the tenderness he has for Lucrezia is returned fully. They nearly dote upon one another and the mutual concern is obvious in nearly every scene they have together. The pinnacle moment of this is at the reception after Lucrezia's marriage: their father does not allow their mother to the wedding and Lucrezia is near heartbroken by it, but Cesare defies his father and brings their mother to the reception afterward despite the scandal it threatens. It is not until the murder of Prince Djem that a small shift between them forms where Cesare lies to her about the nature of her friend's death, and that shift continues through the time of Lucrezia's unhappy marriage over which she lies to Cesare the extent of which. After Cesare enables the annulment of that marriage, at the end of the season in Episode 9, they seem to come together again.
Besides his father and sister, Cesare's personality is most shaped by his brother Juan. Who is the favorite son is debatable in the television show, though historians claim Juan (also called Giovanni) was the favored son and this is why he was given the very prestigious position of military command over their father's Papal Armies. Cesare covets the position of Condottiero and shows a healthy dislike of Juan not only for having the lay position Cesare would prefer over his own holy vestments, but Juan's ineptitude in nearly all respects. Whereas Cesare is secretive, devious, loyal and intelligent Juan is shown to be indiscreet, inept, disloyal, and making poor choices. Cesare is shown to be cunning, an excellent swordsman and ruthless when it comes to politics.
Powers: Nothing super-human though he is a brilliant strategist and decent swordsman.
Weaknesses: Nothing unusual as far as fatal weaknesses, but a few of his personality flaws are as follows: prideful, egotistical, over-confidant, manipulative, untrusting.
Possessions: A long sword, a dagger, a rosary.
Marking Location: Middle of his chest.
Miscellaneous: I can't think of anything :)
First Person:
Would you say the ends justify the means?
[Cesare already knew Micheletto's answer before it came, the whispery, "Your means are my ends, Your Eminence." The question had been rhetorical anyway and he is silent as he thinks of the lives taken and to be taken in the coming months.]
And my father's means are my end. [Somewhat literal and morbid but sometimes Cesare did wonder if his father would get both him and his younger brother Juan killed before this was all over.]
You know what needs to be done. [Cesare did not look up to see Micheletto's nod.] You failed at the baths to kill our friend the Cardinal. The monk you sent was supposed to spy and instead he was killed. Now there is only one choice for della Rovere and that is France.
[A pause and Cesare's velveteen glove of black curled into a fist. Finally he looks up at his servant and there is no room in his expression that would broke a third failure.]
If he allies with France they will march on Rome. That cannot happen. I will not let that happen.
[He is waving the assassin away even before the farewell whisper of, "Yes, your Eminence."]
Third Person:
What had been an inconvenience had turned into a genuine problem. Cesare stood at the second-story window overlooking the yard and garden below. It was dark and rain washed sound and color from the street and people below. The inn still had noise in it: servants cleaning up the bar, other customers chatting before bed, people hurrying through the rain to wherever.
The Cardinal was still, inwardly fuming. His face was blank and shoulders relaxed, masking the anger inside at the turn of events that now made his plans not those he would choose they come to. Cesare believed in making his own way and when unforeseen events forced him to alter his own plans inconvenience was too kind a word.
But he would not let it sway him or what he needed to do. An inconvenience is all it would remain. If only Micheletto were here. The sweet assassin, a failure of late but constantly looking to redeem himself and Cesare was willing to let him try. There was something both annoying and endearing in his manservant's continued loyalty. Cesare cherished that loyalty while simultaneously wishing it did not mean the assassin need be kept around for it being as he had not been doing much successfully lately. But sometimes loyalty meant more than small victories, in the grand scheme of things. And Cesare always had a grand scheme.
Which was why this, being caught out in the rain unable to travel the rest of the way home was such a damned inconvenience. Lucrezia was waiting for him. Were his manservant here, Cesare would send him on ahead and let the scoundrel figure out a means through the storm.
"Will there be anything else, my Lord?"
Cesare turned to the maidservant, who had finished hanging up the drenched, dripping black cloak he had been wearing. When he could the red robes of his holy office were left behind in exchange for his favored layman's clothes of black. "That will be all," he said to her, turning in dismissal to look back out the window. His thoughts turned then to the coming days and what needed to be done: his duties as Cardinal were of course secondary to what his Holy Father needed of him, but most importantly was reaching Lucrezia and reassuring her. Surely his sister was sitting at home, worried, thinking of him just as he was her.
The door opening caught his attention and he turned his head slightly, expectantly waiting for the girl to ask him something else. What he heard instead was the familiar voice of Micheletto.
"Your Eminence, she would not stay at your mother's," the assassin began to explain.
Cesare turned in time to see a blur of pale blue silk hurrying toward him, golden hair of an angel on earth in sweet floral scents to his nose as he pressed his face to the young woman's hair as she clung to him. Their smiles were near identical.