History Main / DuetoTheDead

* In ''AssassinsCreed 2'', Ezio viciously murders his first target after his assassin training, then continues to stab it over and over, claiming it's not enough that he just died. His uncle and mentor explains calmly that in death, all things should be at peace, even those with absolutely evil intentions in life. From then on, Ezio viciously kills all his targets, then calmly tells them to rest in peace as they expire.
** No, he doesn't, he does it with a clean cut to the throat.

* In ''Antigone'' Before the beginning of the play's action, Eteocles and Polyneices, two brothers leading opposite sides in Thebes' civil war, died fighting each other for the throne. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, has declared that Eteocles will be honored and Polyneices disgraced. The rebel brother's body will not be sanctified by holy rites, and will lie unburied on the battlefield, prey for carrion animals like worms and vultures, the harshest punishment at the time. Antigone and Ismene are the sisters of the dead Polyneices. In the opening of the play, Antigone brings Ismene outside the palace gates late at night for a secret meeting: Antigone wants to bury Polyneices' body, in defiance of Creon's edict. Ismene refuses to help her, fearing the death penalty, but she is unable to dissuade Antigone from going to bury her brother herself. ''HillarityEnsues''

* In ''TheIliad'', Achilles secured Hector's body to his chariot after killing him, and circled the city thrice with the corpse in tow. For the era, this was regarded as crossing the MoralEventHorizon, and sealed his doom in the eyes of the gods. Now, Achilles is known more for [[AchillesHeel how he died]] than how he didn't. However, after Priam, Hector's father came to him in person, Achilles regretted his actions, and gave Hector's body to him, so did eventually have a proper funeral.

* In ''TheIliad'', Patrocles's funeral -- and Hector's, once Achilles gave it up.
** Achilles' attempt to mutilate Hector's corpse by dragging it behind his chariot three laps around the city was stopped by the [[ClassicMythology Greek Gods]] themselves, who used their powers to keep the body untouched. They don't agree on much else, but proper treatment of the honorable dead is very high on their standards of behavior.
* When Admetus's wife Alcestis died in ''{{Alcestis}}'', and Hercules appeared at his home, Admetus tried to hide that he was in mourning for his wife because they considered [[SacredHospitality hospitality sacred]]. When Hercules learned of the death, he was shocked and went [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome to wrestle with]] [[GrimReaper death]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming to reclaim her]].

* William Faulkner's ''AsILayDying'' -- the entire plot

[[folder: Legends ]]

* In ''TheIliad'', Achilles secured Hector's body to his chariot after killing him, and circled the city thrice with the corpse in tow. For the era, this was regarded as crossing the MoralEventHorizon, and sealed his doom in the eyes of the gods. Now, Achilles is known more for [[AchillesHeel how he died]] than how he didn't. However, after Priam, Hector's father came to him in person, Achilles regretted his actions, and gave Hector's body to him, so did eventually have a proper funeral.
* In ''TheOdyssey'', Agamemnon tells Odysseus:
-->''As I lay dying, the woman with the dog's eyes would not [[DiesWideShut close my eyes]] as I descended into Hades.''

[[/folder]]

* In ''TheIliad'', Achilles secured Hector's body to his chariot after killing him, and circled the city thrice with the corpse in tow. For the era, this was regarded as crossing the MoralEventHorizon, and sealed his doom in the eyes of the gods. Now, Achilles is known more for [[AchillesHeel how he died]] than how he didn't.

-->'''Octavius:''' According to his virtue let us use him\\

->''Requiescat In Pace.''\\
-- '''Ezio Auditore''', ''[[AssassinsCreed Assassins Creed 2]]''

* In TheHungerGames, Katniss covers [[spoiler: her young ally Rue]] in wildflowers when she dies, before her body is taken away. Considering the blasé way the tributes' deaths are usually treated, this also serves as a beautiful TakeThat to the Capitol.

* In TheHungerGames, Katniss covers [[spoiler: her young ally Rue]] in wildflowers when she dies, before her body is taken away. Considering the blasé way the tributes' deaths are usually treated, this also serves as a beautiful TakeThat to the Capitol.

Many other tropes sometimes tie into this. KickThemWhileTheyAreDown may manifest the evil character just after the death. NoOneGetsLeftBehind may try to recover bodies for proper burial. DiesWideShut may motivate characters to close the eyes, out of respect. Even their belongings require respect; the difference between PersonalEffectsReveal and IfYouDieICallYourStuff turns on this. ManlyTears and TenderTears are suitable. MeaningfulFuneral often does, as does a memorial service when the body could not be recovered; TragicFuneral sorts out the (small number of) good guys from the bad guys. LibationForTheDead may involve this. DeadGuyJunior may be a form of remembrance. GraveRobbing may invoke this trope in the evil sense. Alas, {{Revenge}} may also be regarded as DueToTheDead -- and some ghosts seem to agree. On those occasions when a MoralityChain continues to bind after death, this is the motive, to respect her memory. NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead reflects the tendency for people to temper any criticism they might have had of the deceased in life upon their death, with justification usually along the lines that the deceased is no longer present to speak up in their own defence and can no longer cause any trouble along the lines they used to.

-- '''{{Ezio Auditore}''', ''Assassins Creed 2''

** Achilles' attempt to mutilate Hector's corpse by dragging it behind his chariot for days on end was stopped by the [[ClassicMythology Greek Gods]] themselves, who used their powers to keep the body untouched. They don't agree on much else, but proper treatment of the honorable dead is very high on their standards of behavior.

* In ''TheIliad'', Achilles abused Hector's body after he died.

* In ''MaiOtome'', there is a shrine to fallen Otome beneath Garderobe. Since an Otome's body dissolves after death, there are no earthly remains but what appears to be a copy of their GEM is inserted into a crystal pillar to serve as their monument. Miss Maria specifically kneels and apologizes to the deceased when a pair of unruly Corals accidentally shatter one of the crystal columns.

Many other tropes sometimes tie into this. KickThemWhileTheyAreDown may manifest the evil character just after the death. NoOneGetsLeftBehind may try to recover bodies for proper burial. DiesWideShut may motivate characters to close the eyes, out of respect. Even their belongings require respect; the difference between PersonalEffectsReveal and IfYouDieICallYourStuff turns on this. ManlyTears and TenderTears are suitable. MeaningfulFuneral often does, as does a memorial service when the body could not be recovered; TragicFuneral sorts out the (small number of) good guys from the bad guys. LibationForTheDead may involve this. DeadGuyJunior may be a form of remembrance. GraveRobbing may invoke this trope in the evil sense. Alas, {{Revenge}} may also be regarded as DueToTheDead -- and some ghosts seem to agree. On those occasions when a MoralityChain continues to bind after death, this is the motive, to respect her memory.

** One species on ''StarTrekVoyager'' apparently have a way to reanimate the dead. Harry Kim becomes angry when he discovers they did this to the body of his love interest; the alien is equally angry that they would have just "abandoned" her into space.

* "Return to Ostagar," a {{DLC}} mission for ''DragonAge,'' has the protagonist find the body of [[spoiler:King Cailan]], which the darkspawn have stripped, crucified, and apparently used for target practice. The player may then decide whether to give the corpse a proper funeral pyre or simply leave it there; the latter option loses approval from good-aligned companion characters, while the former choice gains approval with the good-aligned companions but loses approval with evil-tending ones, who apparently find it a waste of effort.
** With the exception of [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Sten]].
** Sten is more Neutral Good than anything...

* Antigone insists on burying her brother, though it leads to her own death as her uncle Creon has forbidden it.

*Sophocles*
**Antigone**
Before the beginning of the play's action, Eteocles and Polyneices, two brothers leading opposite sides in Thebes' civil war, died fighting each other for the throne. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, has declared that Eteocles will be honored and Polyneices disgraced. The rebel brother's body will not be sanctified by holy rites, and will lie unburied on the battlefield, prey for carrion animals like worms and vultures, the harshest punishment at the time. Antigone and Ismene are the sisters of the dead Polyneices. In the opening of the play, Antigone brings Ismene outside the palace gates late at night for a secret meeting: Antigone wants to bury Polyneices' body, in defiance of Creon's edict. Ismene refuses to help her, fearing the death penalty, but she is unable to dissuade Antigone from going to bury her brother herself. ''HillarityEnsues''