Class Disparity through the lens of The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine
The Witcher 3’s Blood & Wine introduces players to the almost fairytale duchy of Touissant, a region of the world that owes fealty to Nilfgaard but has its own independence under the rule of Duquessa Anna Henrietta. It is a world that has rolling hills, vineyards, knights, and a beautiful castle that dominates the skyline. This too good to be true Duchy is under threat from a Beast that is targeting individuals and is putting fear into the population, especially in the city of Beauclair. However, while the story is about a beast that is sowing terror, Blood & Wine can be considered a commentary on class disparity within society.
Spoiler Warning: It should go without saying, but this article contains spoilers for The Witcher 3 and its Blood & Wine DLC.
Rich and Poor in Toussaint
When we as Geralt first venture into Toussaint, we do so in the company of knights giving a sense of splendour to the journey. You come across a new victim of the Beast, de la Croix, another knight and are soon on the way to be meet the Duquessa in Beauclair. The sense of splendour remains as you walk through the winding streets and steep hills of the city until you are in the company of Anna Henrietta, in royal regalia and surrounded by other rich and other influential people. They stand at the top of the societal ladder, but it also reflects in the city’s layout and further afield.
Beauclair Palace sits atop the hill of the city and it is the pinnacle of power and wealth in Touissant. However, as you make your way down the hill you see not everything is well in this almost unreal looking location. Go a few tiers down and you are still in a relatively wealthy part of the city with nice inns like The Pheasantry, shops that sell expensive paintings, and a master blacksmith. Keep going down the hill and you start noticing a difference where the paint isn’t so colourful, the types of establishments in the area more run down, and beggars asking for alms in the shadow of the castle. It reflects reality in that the richest cities in the world have an endemic situation of homelessness, coming from a variety of causes like unaffordable homes and unemployment.
In Toussaint, people who rise do so at Anna’s discretion, while others will never have such favour placed upon them. The only real employment, aside from working in stores, seems to be limited to working on the region’s vineyards which is back-breaking. It also does not seem to pay well, and we see in one quest that at least one vineyard owner does not even care that one of his workers has been killed, commenting he will just replace him with another peasant. It is an attitude the rich and powerful have in Toussaint, of seeing those not of their class as lesser and expendable. This plays in to events later in the main quest but more of that in a bit.
Higher and Lower Vampires
Humans are not the only society ruled and divided by class hierarchy. In Blood and Wine we get more insight into vampire society, and how this is also divided between Higher and Lower. The Higher Vampires that exist in Blood and Wine includes Regis, an ally of Geralt, and Dettlaff, who we also learn is in the Beast. Both of them are known as Higher Vampires because they employ things like reason, have deep emotions, and are capable of living in plain sight within human society. Lower vampires are those like Bruxa, Alps, Ekimmaras, and Katakans. They are represented as being more animalistic, acting on instinct rather than any sort of reason.
This reflect the way human society also structures itself. Those at the top would consider themselves as reasonable and intelligent, while those lower in social standing are considered less intelligent, less reasonable and prone to rashness. It is seen across representation within TV shows as well as how certain groups are portrayed within factual media like the news, with headlines and perspectives altered based on the subject’s class and background.
Both Regis and Dettlaff are shown to have some reason, though Dettlaff also represents what happens when those who consider themselves to be reasonable and smart collapse under the weight of strong emotions and instinct. He shows how desperate those with any sort of power, possession, or even love will go to hold on to that, and what they will unleash if they are wronged with consequences felt by those with no say in the matter.
The Vampire Attack on Beauclair
The events of Blood and Wine culminate in an attack on the city of Beauclair with Dettlaff and Anna Henrietta at war. This is a war between two of the most powerful individuals of their respective societies, because neither gets what they truly want. Dettlaff wanted Syanna, his former lover and Anna’s sister, to come meet him to get some closure on the whole thing. Anna instead locked her sister in a tower, leading to a massacre.
On both sides, we see a lack of care and compassion for the lower classes. Anna will still not agree to anything that would jeopardise her sister or even her power. From Regis we learn lower vampires do not usually follow the will of higher vampires, but Dettlaff has compelled them to attack Beauclair. What this represents is the ruling and political classes forcing the poorer classes of their societies to engage in violence with each other, while the rulers stay hidden and behind layers of safety to protect them from the violence they have commanded to be unleashed. The vampires attack is primarily focused on the lower districts of Beauclair, with a couple of attacks on the main castle, so the majority of people killed are from the lower and middle classes with the higher classes relatively unscathed. This is war the world over. Political classes from across the globe make demands of each other and when they are not met, wars are declared with the majority of the suffering being bared by those who had no say in any of the decision making, left to pick up the pieces as their lives are shattered.
The Witcher 3’s Blood and Wine is not just a story about a vampire killing certain targets in a fanciful society, it is a commentary on class and social disparity. It exposes myths of power and reason being the sole purview of the higher classes, but it also shows how the actions of the most powerful in society can have a devastating effect on the lower classes.
The attack on Beauclair shows the lower classes of both human and vampire society thrown into the meat grinder. Class and social disparity will not be solved overnight and we will likely go through many more generations before there is a re-evaluation on societal structures, but it is important to be aware of these issues and try to contribute to improving society no matter how small your contribution.
