Sylvanas the Banshee Queen, her soul was split into two, and in essence, she became the tool of the Jellyier. We have all elements of the criminal acts here. The “bad” Sylvanas was in control; she was aware of her actions, she had a guilty mind, and finally, she also committed war crimes, murders and not only. Thus, I understand why Horde and Alliance are upset and want “bad” Sylvanas gone for good.
Then the Jellyier let her soul counterpart free, and Sylvanas Windrunner became herself again. Here we are having an unexplained paradox. The “good” Sylvanas did not commit any crimes; she was not in control of her body, nor had guilty intentions or committed murders. It wasn’t even her fault that she ended up this way in the first place. This is like having multiple personalities disorder. We would not be able to prosecute such persons knowing that they had no control over their actions and their mind wasn’t present during the crime. However, here we don’t even deal with psychological illness. The Jellyier (aka Arthas) caused this situation, and the persona (soul) of the Sylvanas was unwillingly cut in half. This event, of course, is impossible in real life. Nevertheless, if we imagine that this is possible, we can split people’s personalities against their will and cause them to commit crimes. There is no way we can prosecute these people in court; instead, we would treat them as victims and point fingers at the people that made it to them. That means the “good” Sylvanas is a victim.
Then why did we send a victim of the crimes of the Jellyier into the Maw to clean up this mess?
If someone has associate identity disorder, Do you jail the person who is currently in control of the body even tho that might have not been the persona who did the crime?
We do not jail people that are insane, and have no awareness and control of their actions. We send them to the mad home. However, this situation has nothing to do with actual insanity…
He wasn’t controlling her, he just manipulated her.
As an example, if someone manipulated someone else to shoot up a bank, the shooter would be arrested too.
The manipulation does not remove the fact that her mind was altered by “magically” splitting her soul in half. If (let’s say) I hit you in the head, and you become crazy (insane), you will go and kill another person in that insane state. If you can prove that you had no control or awareness over the situation and your mind wasn’t there, you will be acquitted. The person who did this to you will likely be prosecuted for murder or culpable homicide.
The real “good” Sylvanas did not commit any crimes. She saw her body walking like a zombie across the Azeroth and slaughtering folks; this did not make her guilty, and she had no control over it. This makes it worse because she is not just a victim; she is also likely damaged.
The bad side of sylvanas is still there, it’s not like it disappeared because the good side also showed up.
The good and the bad are both sylvanas, the same person. Just because the bad was in control and the good was not doesn’t mean that when the good returns back that the bad is gone this time.
Sylvanas’ ‘good’ side acknowledges the deeds she as sylvanas has done why can’t you? Again, I’d like to stress the point that the bad side of her is not gone, it didn’t go away because the good now got melded with it.
EDIT: To stress this even more, right before she betrayed the jailer and when she spoked to imprisoned Anduin she acknowledged her wrongs even when the ‘good’ side wasn’t back yet so it’s not like the ‘bad’ side had no control over good or bad.
This isn’t what happened though, she changed on her own, if she had her entire soul it would be no different. There’d just be no way of feeling remorse because the older “good” version is gone.
As another example think of this, imagine 2 years ago someone began manipulating you into shooting up a bank. After you were arrested and felt no remorse, you somehow come into contact with the old you who wouldn’t dream of something so evil.
Now put the old version of you into the current you, both versions are there in your head as one person.
How does it make her liable? It was done to her unwillingly. Her soul was split in half. This caused her to contract a “mental” disorder and turned off any remorse, kindness, sympathy etc. Basically turned her into a psychopath with no control over her actions - like an insane person. Keep in mind, that real Sylvanas was not undead Banshee, she was an elf.
Instead of Sylvanas, let’s take someone you know. Let’s say there is a way to make people go insane in real life, and someone does it to the person you love. Your relative goes nuts and kills everyone around. Would we prosecute your relative who was unwillingly turned into an insane person, or would we charge the person who did it to them?
No, she got stabbed by Arthas (Jailer) and became Banshee Queen, her soul (persona) got split. If this event did not happen, there would be no case to answer.
if she had her entire soul it would be no different
… but, it is different. Suddenly, when her soul was given back, she became aware and in control. She is not trying to kill everyone; she is agreeable, kind and compliant. Thus, we can underline two different Sylvanas with different personalities and liabilities.
Your problem is that you are not looking at the situation from the beginning. The real Sylvanas was not Banshee; she was an elf with an entirely different personality and character.
It didn’t, I think that’s what you’re missing. She changed after what she experienced.
And when those two became one being, that’s what messed with her and put her in a coma (or something akin to a coma).
The old her was added to the current her, which is why she suddenly feels bad about what she did, the old her didn’t have the same experience as the current her, the old her didn’t find life unfair.
ps, im terrible at explaining lmao, but the bottom line is that the jailer didn’t mess with her mentally using magic or anything, it was just his words.
This again confirms that the current Sylvanas is an entirely different persona or, in other words, the real Sylvanas Windrunner or maybe even someone else. Thus, there is no way to prosecute her. How can she admit guilt? How can anyone find her guilty for the crimes of the Banshee queen since, in essence, it was utterly another persona in her body and control of her actions? (it has nothing to do with Jailer) This is the most crucial element here. The actual night elf Windrunner would be able to control herself. She would never serve the Horde or the Jailer. That’s the problematic fact here. But not for the actions of the Arthas; Sylvanas would be just a night elf.
Arthas (Jailer) stabbed her, and then she became the Banshee, with a completely different personality, character, consciousness, interests and even powers etc. Everything was different about that Sylvanas.
Then her soul counterpart was given back, and she became her “normal self” or “different self”. The old-new Sylvanas Windrunner.
You can not suggest that her old personality as the elf was added to the Banshee queen’s personality, and that is somehow the same persona - the Banshee, or two separate personas, so she is insane then with multiple personalities? That’s again, how do we prosecute an insane person?
In any way, how can we add another personality to the character and claim that this is the same person?
Logically the Banshee had to be punished, but not the real or new Windrunner. This story has no morality nor natural justice; it is entirely illogical.
Was the one who agreed to the judgement, regardless of whether it was the Banshee Queen who was responsible.
Indeed if you wanted to punish only the Banshee Queen, you would have to put good Sylvanas back into a soul splinter for the duration, added to which, you would have to watch the Banshee Queen 24/7 in The Maw, since with Zovaal gone, the Banshee Queen seizing the opportunity to finally take control of her destiny, would be pretty much inevitable.
Not really, since the one you call the good Sylvanas wasn’t in the Banshee’s body. She knew nothing since she was just a soul shard first contained within Frostmourne, then kept in the Maw by the Jailer.
She did not. She saw everything the Banshee had done well after the facts when she was pushed back in her body by the Jailer at the end of the raid on the Sanctum of Domination.
Exactly
I suggest you look into Sylvanas’ lore before BFA if you really think that she was incapable of showing kindness or sympathy to anyone. Even Shadowlands says that she became more vindicative progressively, not immediately after she was brought back into undeath.
If you haven’t read the Sylvanas book yet, I really highly recommend that you do. It explains everything so well and honestly is the best Warcraft book I’ve read.
Getting the other fragment of her soul simply meant she felt guilt and remorse - her emotions were numbed to her most of the time bar anger. She felt what she was doing was truly the right thing, that the ends justified the means and everyone would have to suffer briefly before an eternity of freedom. However, she had indeed been manipulated by the jailer, very cleverly, and only at the end of SoD realised this.
Sylvanas feels great guilt for what she has done and wants to atone. Which is why she left her punishment to be decided by Tyrande who had done nothing but hunt her down throughout the expansion.
This also serves as a way to remove Sylvanas from the main story going forward into Dragonflight. They like to rotate the main characters in and out. Like when Jaina had a hissy fit in Dalaran early on in Legion and just upped and left, and how Khadgar had to move on at the end of Legion because we were back at war again.