There's gotta be a good one for:: Public Execution

I would imagine that Public Execution would be image-able, but my google-fu has been failing me, so I turn this over to the experts.

I'd say criteria for a good image would be:

1.) Must clearly reflect that a person(s) is about to be executed 2.) Must show the audience, to reflect the "public" part of the trope 3.) We should stick to fictional representations, as real-life images would probably be in bad taste.

Any suggestions, or other criteria that should be added?

There must be some good shots of Lucia's execution scene in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.

Here are a few I found with GIS:

[1]◊ [2]◊ [3]◊ [4]◊

edited 13th Apr '11 6:11:55 AM by AceNoctali

Something like this: [1]◊ ?

I like 3

edited 13th Apr '11 6:14:10 AM by Osmium

I like AceNoctali's #1 and #3.

Here a slightly lightend crop of 3

Here's◊ some◊ classical◊ stuff◊. Some of the less gruesome, I might add.

Heh, I was just going to suggest Lucia's execution.

Great minds think alike, I suppose.

I don't have it ATM, but what about the public execution near the beginning in Assassins Creed II? I recall some good takes of it.

I like #3.

I am also quite fond of #3 (assuming that is the one that Osmium posted a cropped version of.)

There's plenty of True Art around we could consider, too. Image quality, though... debatable:

Beheading of Louis XVI:

• Black and white◊
• Color 1◊
• Color 2◊

Various (non modern day) hangings:

• Witch hanging◊
• Public hanging 1◊
• Public hanging 2◊ (ooh, chiaoscuro)

Witch burnings:

• Inquisition 1◊
• Inquisition 2◊ (oh, look, the tears)
• mass witch burning◊

I'm deliberately avoiding anything that looks overtly symbolic. I would like to scrounge up some depictions of ancient Roman lynchings, but crucifixion has sort of been Hijacked by Jesus.

And I know this is completely unrelated, but apparently even the Inquisition◊ is Better With Giant Robots

edited 13th Apr '11 11:10:43 AM by Stratadrake

What about this one◊? It is a photograph from the execution of Eugene Weidmann, the last person publicly executed in France, on June 17, 1939. It shows the very obvious guillotine in the middle, and a thick semicircle of people watching the execution.

ETA: Whoops, I just re-read the OP and saw the "no real photographs" thing :P Sorry!

edited 13th Apr '11 1:10:18 PM by JoseB

OP didn't specifically say "no RL photos", just "prefer fictional depictions over RL photos" to avoid having a Flame Bait image.

GIS for example digs up a few clear color shots of, say, Itaq/Iran/Taliban public hangings and executions, but that's current history from volatile political territories.

edited 13th Apr '11 4:15:15 PM by Stratadrake

Of everything that's been posted, I like the Inquisition witch burning best. Is there a shot of that Lucia character actually being executed that could be joined with one of the other pics?

Yeah, well about that...she gets saved at the last minute.

So it's not that great of an example, then.

Doesn't change the fact that, for all intensive purposes, she WAS going to be executed, if it weren't for Ike and pals coming to save her.

Public Execution doesn't require one to die in the end. Characters are often rescued.

I still think I'd prefer a shot of the execution actually happening.

edited 13th Apr '11 7:21:25 PM by Willbyr

Also, the witch burning one is not this trope. It's Burn the Witch! which is a subtrope/sister trope.

The pic on that page is pretty bad; we could take one of the suggested pics or another and swap that one out while we're working on this thread.

Agreeing with Shima that the execution doesn't have to be carried through to fulfill the trope, and since you can't tell how it ends from that picture, it's a moot point anyway.

I'm still liking the Lucia pick just for being the cleanest looking of all the images thus far. The historical examples, while good examples of the trope, either seemed to be low quality or hard to tell what's going on.

I agree on replacing the current Burn the Witch! image and disqualifying all witch burning images from this image pickin'. Of the remaining images, I cast my vote for this◊ and this◊.

Ah, so Burn the Witch! is a separate trope. Okay.

Sorry for the delay, folks, but I've created a crowner for this here. (Sending a holler to have it attached.)

I added options that I saw get support from more than just the person posting. Feel free to add others as needed!

edit: For the sake of posterity, the current vote totals as of 8:20 AM EST on 4/19 are...

Lucia's Execution +6 (Y 7, N 1)

Medieval Beheading Engraving -1 (Y 2, N 3)

Execution of Louis XVI -1 (Y 2, N 3)

edited 19th Apr '11 5:21:12 AM by Meeble