"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't."

"O my prophetic soul!"

Foreshadowing is a common literary device used to indicate or suggest beforehand what will happen in the text. An example would be Marcellus's quote in Hamlet, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." Authors, like Shakespeare, use this all the time in their plays and novels. Even as a game, FFVII is still a story, just in a different medium. So it comes as no surprise that the creators would add some foreshadowing to hint later events.

Some would say that because Cloud says he's not interested after his mother suggests that he settle down with an older girlfriend to take care of him, that it means that he can not possibly be interested in Aeris years later. However if indeed the creators' intentions were to favor Tifa, why is it that Cloud's mother, who must obviously know Tifa since she lives next door, does not opt for their union? The fact that Cloud remembers this specific memory while in Aeris' house, can certainly be interpreted as indicating their growing rapport.

FFVII's best use of foreshadowing is when President Shinra presages the fates of Aeris, Cloud and Sephiroth in the Queen's Room at the Honeybee Inn.

...The wind's calm now....
It's the curse of the resurrected Satan (Sephiroth)...
Our beloved Queen (Aeris) does not awaken...
The time is ripe...
A legend has been passed on through generations...
.....the sought after Promised Land....
....One with Blue Eyes (Cloud)....
.....and a Great White Sword on his back.....
.... Will not lead to the Promised Land.....

Hopefully the last line is not finalized and Cloud will eventually find the Promised Land he is desperately in search for.

Although Cait Sith is known for reading erroneous fortunes, his predictions are not completely awry as many of them actually ring true. He's very much like the Polonius of FFVII, a foolish traitor with astonishingly insightful advice. Aside from telling him to give into the good will of others, to be careful of forgetfulness, and his lucky color, Cait also gives Cloud one of the most prophetic lines in the game:

"What you pursue will be yours. But you will lose something dear."

Which loosely translates into a victorious defeat over Sephiroth, but at the expense of Aeris' future alongside Cloud.

So then if Aeris is meant to die, why did Cait foresee a great future in their juncture?

"Looks good. You are perfect for each other!"
"Aeris' star and Cloud's star! They show a great future!"

By stars, he probably was referring to their astrological signs. In the Western Zodiac, Cloud is a Leo () and Aeris is an Aquarius (). These two are polar opposites and they easily bring to mind the old adage "opposites attract".

Leo (the Lion) can be described as being cheerful, proud, and powerful, and Aquarius (the Water Bearer) as curious, outgoing, and independent.

Although it's not a recommended pairing for the best compatibility results or an easy relationship (neither is Leo and Taurus), they are inexplicably drawn to each other and together they are capable of achieving a meaningful relationship of mutual respect and appreciation. And this is really what Cloud and Aeris had with one another.

Aeris fueled Cloud's ego with her constant attention and praise, just as Cloud keep Aeris entertained with his unconventional nature and compliance to her strange, unorthodox ideas. In other words, they are indeed perfect for each other and perhaps Cait's prediction might still come true just as his others did.

"The play's the thing..."

Parallelism is the literary device used by writers when trying to emphasize a relationship between ideas via the use of recurrent syntactical similarity. A simple example would be in Hamlet's third soliloquy, "to die, to sleep, perchance to dream" While there are probably several instances in which parallelism was utilized in FFVII's dialogue, we'll focus on the one that is of the most importance to us here.

"Loveless" is the mysterious play announced by the billboard seen atop Aeris as she selling flowers on the streets of Midgar. It has also been playing every summer since Cid was a kid and nothing is ever mentioned about it except for a couple of choice lines quoted by him. So then what connection does this play have with Cloud and Aeris?

It's an odd coincidence that what Cid describes has almost the same parallel structure as Aeris' speech when she departs from Cloud.

"I promised. The people I love are waiting."
"......I don't understand. Not at all. But...... please take care of yourself."
"Of course... I'll come back to you. Even if you don't promise to wait. I'll return knowing that you'll be here."

"And Cloud, you take care of yourself."
"So you don't have a breakdown, okay?"
"Then, I'll be going now. I'll come back when it's all over."

It's basically the same tone of hope through sadness. Notice how they are forced to leave the one they love, but they make the promise of returning to them afterwards.

There's also one more scene that has always reminded me of the lines above and that takes course in FFVIII during the introductory FMV placing Rinoa in a flower field. The exchange that she has with Squall here will set forth a revolving theme in the game.

"I'll be waiting...for you...so..."
"If you come here..."
"You'll find me."
"I promise."

Strangely enough, it seems that FFVII is now imitating FFVIII since in Advent Children, Cloud is only able to communicate with Aeris in a flower field.

"...native hue of resolution"

Symbolism is another literary term that is often used to represent an abstract or universal concept by ascribing specific images or objects. An example in Hamlet would be when Ophelia gives fennel, which in Shakespeare's time stood for flattery, and columbines, which were a symbol of unchastity or ingratitude, to King Claudius and Queen Gertrude. And like Shakespeare's well-known placement of plants to convey a literal and larger meaning, symbolism can also come in other forms of nature, everyday items, or colors.

Speaking of colors, Cloud is dressed in the traditionally masculine color blue, while Aeris is wearing the more effeminate color pink (or light red).

So then could the colors worn by Cloud and Aeris further emphasize their opposite natures?

Now any Art student knows that the orange is the complement of blue, and green is red's, however it is blue and red that are most often used to signal contrasting elements (i.e. good and evil, hot and cold).

While this might sound like over-speculation, when considering that Nomura, their creator, has used colors to accent the designs of his other characters, then maybe it's not just wishful thinking.

He assigned certain colors to the FFX cast, which included giving blue to Tidus and red to Yuna. In Okinawan, a Japanese dialect, Tidus' name translates to "sun" and Yuna's to "night", both of which are commonly seen as opposing forces.

Also FFVIII's Squall and Rinoa were designed to be opposites in personality, and this influenced their features and speaking patterns. In this case, Rinoa is the one wearing blue and Squall dawns red wings on the back of his jacket in Kingdom Hearts, possibly in homage to their relationship.

"A dream itself is but a shadow."

Juxtaposition is the literary term that describes the comparison of two items by placing them side by side in order to accomplish a desired effect. And for some time now there's been that constant comparison between the love stories in FFVII and VIII, with some similarities being more obvious than others.

So not focusing on appearances alone, how close do both tales actually come to each other? Here's the basic run-down.

First we'll take a look at the beginning FMV since it's the first impression of the game. The first person made known to the player, but not introduced, is the heroine/love interest, alone in a secluded area.

She is holding her main symbol, which will become of greater significance later in the game. In Aeris' case, it's the "holy" materia, and for Rinoa, a feather.

Directly afterwards, we meet our protagonists (respectively), Cloud and Squall. Both are the withdrawn, insensitive, silent type and will be our reluctant anti-heroes. They are fueled by their own personal grudge and weld large heavy swords (Squall uses a "gunblade" in combat).

Neither of them truly cares about saving the world and are cold to their friends and allies as the game begins. They continue to be this way until they are given a reason to think otherwise.

Squall nor Cloud knew their fathers as children and could be described as growing up without having much of a real family.

It is after their first mission that they meet the two girls from the introduction, in the least likely of places and which will become a very memorable scene.

You (as the player) are able to interact with the girls for that brief meeting, but little, if anything about themselves or their purpose is revealed.

But before then, there is the inclusion of another woman and the second love interest for the hero, Tifa and Quistis. Both are portrayed early on as having secret amorous feelings for the hero which both have difficulty expressing. Also, both girls are physically stronger than the heroine, and are better equipped for battle.

The first time they meet the heroine, both girls are apprehensive around them, and at times curt. However, during the course of events, they put aside their differences and become good friends instead. Also, before being placed alongside the hero, both girls had their own careers to attend to. Tifa was a bartender and Quistis was a SeeD instructor.

Most people have noted a physical resemblance between Tifa and Rinoa. Both have dark hair in almost the same style and dark eyes. Aeris and Quistis are also compared for being the more fair-haired female with bangs, a pony-tail, colored eyes, and dressed in shades of pink. Thus, since Rinoa is Squall's love interest, Tifa must therefore be Cloud's. However, it's the personality and the character's role that is of the most importance here. Remember it's "more than the dress and the voice" that counts.

Tifa is presented as Cloud's childhood friend in the beginning, and Quistis, as the story progresses, is also discovered to be a friend from Squall's childhood.

However, it's proven, that both men have had no real close bond with either of the girls as presumed and were instead both loners without any real friends.

Both girls also share that "special" late night chat that could easily be interpreted as romantic. Yet, both of their advances are ultimately rejected during that event.

Coincidently, after another mission, both heroes are reunited once again with that unnamed, mystery girl they met a while back. This time the player is finally introduced, and are immediately "hired" by both as a guardian figure.

Upon meeting, both girls are openly and overly "friendly" to the men, a trait that is common to both, as neither conceals their obvious adoration for the hero.

Astrologically speaking, Cloud's zodiac sign is a Leo and Aeris?sign is an Aquarius, the direct opposite. By the same token, Squall is a Virgo, while, Rinoa is a Pisces. Again, opposites attract.

Both are cheerful, talkative, vibrant individuals who are the only ones able to change the hero's perception. They will be the ones to make the hero begin to care about protecting the planet and appreciate his fellow comrades.

Strangely enough, both Aeris and Rinoa have surnames that are not their own. Aeris Gainsborough should be Gast, and Rinoa Heartilly, should be Caraway. Their fathers were/are both men with government posts and their mothers were both uniquely talented women who passed away while the girls were at a young age.

Concerning their abilities in battle, both are more magically-inclined and each has their own special skills that they have inherited from a non-human source. In actuality, both are the successors of a special and ancient race. Aeris is the last remaining Cetra, and Rinoa is a witch. It's their strength in magic that makes up for their physical weakness and incidentally, makes them susceptible to precarious situations in which they then need the occasional rescue.

As the plot thickens and the hero and heroine become better acquainted, their relationship begin to deepen as well. Although the choice in the date sequence in FFVII is optional, it's the Aeris date that is the default and the one that makes the most sense in the storyline, since the deal for Cloud's services was one date.

Cloud's height, in the customary units of measurement, is 5' 7", while Aeris is 5' 3". A difference of 4 inches. Squall is 1 inch taller than Cloud, and Rinoa, at 5' 3.5" (5' 4" if rounded), could also be regarded as being 1 inch taller than Aeris. A difference of about 4 inches.

Both heroes are in their sleeping quarters when they are approached and propositioned, and both seem to be coerced into playing along. In FFVIII, it's referred to as a "walk" rather than a date, however, the intention is still there, especially after Squall is asked if Rinoa is his girlfriend.

Cloud's mother suggested that he should have an older girlfriend to take care of him. Aeris is older than Cloud by one year. Although Quistis is one year older than Squall, Rinoa is also older than him by a couple of months.

At one point even, both heroines take it upon their own accord to hinder their foe's plans through their own courageous actions. They are the only ones, it seems, that are capable of doing so.

Yet for all their efforts, it's not quite enough to defeat the enemy completely. Their noble acts fall short for the time being, but they will be an integral part in the villain�s downfall.

Halfway through the game, Rinoa, like Aeris, becomes unable to continue assisting the group. Yet unlike Aeris, she only becomes unconscious and does not suffer the same tragic fate. She will eventually regain consciousness.

In their absence, it can be said that both men become more aware of their feelings for the girls and vow to reunite with them again.

However it can not be forgotten that included in all of this, are two other very important characters. Not only do the men have secondary love interests, but so do the women. They are Zack and Seifer, both of whom were the past loves of the girls and bear a striking resemblance to the hero. Both girls still have lingering feelings for these two at first, but it's clear they now have their attention focused in on the hero.

The difference between both these characters, however, is their relationship to the hero. Zack was a loyal and good friend to Cloud and died protecting him. While Seifer is Squall's main rival and seeks to destroy him rather than help. And this time around, it's Squall who made it into a higher rank, unlike Cloud who failed, while Zack prospered and Seifer didn't.

It's said that originally Cloud was meant to fall in love with Aeris making FFVII a romance, but because of certain circumstances, that idea was scraped and FFVIII became the love story of the series. This is probably the reason for so many of the similarities mentioned above and why FFVII became the "story of a love that could never be".

"...a suit of sables."

An analogy is a literary term that deals with the comparison of two seemingly unlike pairs that indeed have a similar relationship. An example in Hamlet would be: Gertrude is to Hecuba as fallacious is to sincere. These two have an opposite relationship. We'll exam another kind of analogy in this section.

Originally Cloud was supposed to have a darker look which included hair that was short, black, and slicked back, like Zack's. It was to be a striking contrast, or foil to Sephiroth's long white. However to show that he was the main character/hero and was tormented by mental anguish, it was later revised to the now spiky blonde. I also read once that the original model was that of an outfit resembling the one worn by Vincent, or rather the one seen in "Kingdom Hearts". If this is true, then that would explain the connection that exists between the two and why the old design was rehashed for the title.

So then is Cloud becoming another Vincent?

Vincent is a man unable to atone for his "sin" and is therefore doomed to re-live the perpetual nightmare for all eternity. He is immortal, never ages, and transforms into various bestial manifestations he cannot control.

So what was this sin?

"That was my sin. I let the one I loved, the one I respected most, face the worst."

Vincent's story began when he was still a member of the Turks. At the time he was working on the Jenova project with Shinra's top research scientist, Professor Gast, and his two assistants, Lucrecia and the ambitious Hojo.

During the course of the investigation, Vincent became involved with Lucrecia, whom he fell deeply in love with. At one point it seems as though he even intended to marry her, but she declined.

Vincent would then be witness to her betrayal, finding her in the arms of Hojo. Although not renouncing his love completely, he understood that as long as she was happy then he wouldn't mind.

That was until he discovered that Lucrecia's unborn child was the target of Hojo's curiousity. Outraged by his disdain for human life, Vincent went to stop him, only to fail and become the mad doctor's next experiment.

Scientifically altered, Hojo put him to sleep in the basement of the Shinra Mansion, where he would remain until being unearthed by Cloud and company, decades later.

"All that I was able to do was watch... That is my punishment..."

So how does this connect to Cloud's story in the sequel Advent Children?

In Advent Children we see a Cloud who has resorted back into the former state in which we met him at the beginning of FFVII. He is distant and has withdrawn from the company of his friends into a despondent, solitary life. He believes that he is inadvertently responsible for Aeris?death and is consumed by immense guilt. It causes him to feel he is unable to protect anyone else.

Even though Aeris never blamed him, Cloud begins to carry around the exact burden placed upon Vincent. He feels he has committed the same "sin" of letting the worst happen to the one he loved the most and was only able to watch as it occurred.

"Forgiveness... I think. Yeah. I want to be forgiven."

Complete details on Advent Children's storyline have yet to be divulged and much is still left to speculation, especially whether guilt is Cloud's only motivation for meeting Aeris. However, it has been revealed that Cloud has contracted Geostigma and is reluctant to fight his affliction to Tifa's dismay. He is also currently living in Aeris?church while in Midgar.

Just recently, Square announced September 14 as the simultaneous release date for AC in both the US and Japan, so we'll have to wait a while longer before we're finally able to see if Cloud will find the forgiveness that he seeks and for any possible interaction with Aeris. Yet if his conversation with Vincent is any indicator as to what is to be expected, we won't have to wait long.

"Are sins ever forgiven?"

"I've never tried."

"I'm going to try. I'll let you know how it goes."