History Main / TheTower

* StarScraper: an ImpossiblyTallTower

* TheLighthouse: Exactly what it says on the tin.

* LighthousePoint might come into this.

The [[LivingLabyrinth Labyrinth]] or {{Dungeon}} is the inverse of this trope: a more expansive version of the Ominous Castle or Megastructure, with more stuff [[BeneathTheEarth below than above]]. See also BigLabyrinthineBuilding, which may or may not be a Babel-like megastructure. Compare {{Xanadu}}.

The [[LivingLabyrinth Labyrinth]] or {{Dungeon}} is the inverse of this trope: a more expansive version of the Ominous Castle or Ominous Megastructure, with more stuff [[BeneathTheEarth below than above]]. See also BigLabyrinthineBuilding, which may or may not be a Babel-like megastructure. Compare {{Xanadu}}.

The [[LivingLabyrinth Labyrinth]] or {{Dungeon}} is the inverse of this trope: a more expansive version of the Haunted Castle or Ominous Megastructure, with more stuff [[BeneathTheEarth below than above]]. See also BigLabyrinthineBuilding, which may or may not be a Babel-like megastructure. Compare {{Xanadu}}.

The [[LivingLabyrinth Labyrinth]] or {{Dungeon}} is the inverse of this trope: a more expansive version of the Evil Castle or Ominous Megastructure, with more stuff [[BeneathTheEarth below than above]]. See also BigLabyrinthineBuilding, which may or may not be a Babel-like megastructure. Compare {{Xanadu}}.

The {{Dungeon}} is the inverse of this trope: a more expansive version of the Evil Castle or Ominous Megastructure, with more stuff [[BeneathTheEarth below than above]]. See also BigLabyrinthineBuilding, which may or may not be a Babel-like megastructure. Compare {{Xanadu}}.

The {{Dungeon}} is the inverse of this trope: a more expansive version of the Evil Castle or Ominous Megastructure, with more stuff [[BeneathTheEarth below than above]]. See also BigLabyrinthineBuilding, {{Xanadu}}.

The {{Dungeon}} is the inverse of this trope: a more expansive version of the Evil Castle or Ominous Megastructure, with more stuff [[BeneathTheEarth below than above]].

In fiction, The Tower may appear as:

!!In fiction, The Tower may appear as:

* TheWorldTree: The [[WombLevel Living]], GeniusLoci version of the archetypal Tower.

* The [[OminousFloatingCastle Floating Castle]] (Possibly [[OminousFloatingCastle Ominous]]): [[DefinitelyFinalDungeon definitely important]].

* [[OminousFloatingCastle The Floating Castle]] (Possibly [[OminousFloatingCastle Ominous]]): [[DefinitelyFinalDungeon definitely important]].

* TowerOfBabel

* CityNoir

* MageTower or WizardsTower

* [[OminousFloatingCastle The Floating Castle]] (Possibly [[OminousFloatingCastle Ominous]]): ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.

* MageTower

* StarScraper

* TheWorldTree: The [[WombLevel Living]], GeniusLoci version of the archetypal tarot Tower.

** The {{Dungeon}} is the inverse of this trope: a more expansive version of the Evil Castle, with more stuff [[BeneathTheEarth below than above]].

* Impossibly Tall Tower: any structure whose [[AbsurdAltitude height is beyond imagining]].

* Impossibly Tall Tower: for any structure whose [[AbsurdAltitude height is beyond imagining]].

* The Evil Castle: Ominous, foreboding and perched on a cliffside, [[GraveClouds accompanied by lightning]] and haunted by [[{{Transylvania}} ghosts and monsters]] or {{mad scientist}}s and [[TheIgor their assistants]].

* The Ominous Megastructure: or TowerOfBabel, A gigantic, unimaginably huge looms-over-everything structure.

In many fantasy settings, towers are usually the [[MageTower homes, laboratories and/or schools of magic users]]. This convention is probably based on Saruman's tower, Orthanc of Isengard, from ''{{The Lord of the Rings}}'', though some settings justify it by having mages who are also astronomers.

At present, The Tower may also appear as:
* The Black Tower: Tall, dark, and evil.
* The Evil Skyscraper: The Black Tower's modern incarnation: home of the CorruptCorporateExecutive in a contemporary or futuristic setting.
* Impossibly Tall Tower: for any structure whose height is beyond imagining.
* The Ominous Megastructure: A gigantic, unimaginably huge looms-over-everything structure.
* The Evil Castle: Tall, Dark, and perched on a cliffside, accompanied by lightning and haunted by ghosts and monsters or mad scientists and [[TheIgor their assistants]].
* The Floating Castle (Possibly [[OminousFloatingCastle Ominous]]): ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.

Possible Subtropes:

* The Black Tower: Tall, dark, and evil: The Lord of the Rings examples; Stephen King's ''TheDarkTower.''
* The Evil Skyscraper: The Black Tower's modern incarnation: home of the CorruptCorporateExecutive in a contemporary or futuristic setting: [[{{Superman}} Lexcorp]], [[FinalFantasyVII Shinra]], [[{{Gargoyles}} Xanatos Enterprises]].
* Impossibly Tall Tower: for any structure whose height is beyond imagining: Kami's Watch Tower from ''DragonBall''; the tower that connects the levels of the afterlife from ''Spawn''; [[ShadowsOfTheEmpire Xizors skyhook]], and any skyscraper that extends into orbit.
* The Ominous Megastructure: A gigantic, unimaginably huge looms-over-everything structure: [[FoolyCooly Medica Mechanica]], [[NineteenEightyFour The Ministries]], the big pyramid from ''BladeRunner''.
* The Evil Castle: Tall, Dark, and perched on a cliffside, accompanied by lightning and haunted by ghosts and monsters or mad scientists and [[TheIgor their assistants]]: ''{{Frankenstein}}'', ''{{Dracula}}'', and countless others.
* The Floating Castle (Possibly [[OminousFloatingCastle Ominous]]): ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Ganondorf's tower from ''TheLegendOfZelda: OcarinaOfTime'', Mu's fortress from ''MonsterRancher'', [[FinalFantasyVIII Lunatic Pandora]], and a lot of examples currently in FloatingContinent.

[[folder:Film]]
* The "New Tower of Babel" in the silent movie ''{{Metropolis}}''.
* The "wizards live in towers" idea is used, I believe, in the film version of ''AConnecticutYankeeInKingArthursCourt''.
* In accordance to fairy tale tradition, [[{{Shrek}} Princess Fiona]] is imprisoned in the "highest room of the tallest tower."

[[folder:Folklore]]
* Classic ''{{Rapunzel}}'' is depicted to be trapped in a tower till someone comes to rescue her from imprisonment.
* ''SleepingBeauty'' is sometimes told with the spinning wheel that dooms her to eternal sleep being at the top of the tallest tower of the castle she inhabits.

[[folder:Literature]]
* "Childe Rowland to the Dark Tower came..." is a line from an old ballad (I ''think'' "Child Rowland and Burd Helen") quoted in ''KingLear'', retold as an English fairy tale, and used as the basis of a famous poem by Robert Browning.

[[folder:Religious Literature]]
* ''[[TheBible The Tower of Babel]]'' is probably one of the more infamous examples of the trope.

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In many fantasy settings, towers are usually the [[MageTower homes, laboratories and/or schools of magic users]]. This convention is probably based on Saruman's tower, Isengard, from ''{{The Lord of the Rings}}'', though some settings justify it by having mages who are also astronomers.

*The last dungeon of ''{{Mother3}}''