Robert Langdon

Infobox character
colour = #DEDEE2
name = Robert Langdon


caption =
first = "Angels and Demons"
last = "The Solomon Key"
cause =
nickname =
alias =
species =
gender = Male
age =
born = June 22, 1964
Exeter, New Hampshire, U.S.
death =
occupation =
title = Professor of religious iconology and symbology
family =
spouse =
children =
relatives = Howard Langdon (great-grandfather)
episode =
portrayer = Tom Hanks
creator = Dan Brown

Robert Langdon (June 22, 1964 in Exeter, New Hampshire, United States) is a fictional professor of religious iconology and symbology at Harvard University who appeared in the Dan Brown novels "Angels & Demons" (2000) and "The Da Vinci Code" (2003). He is scheduled to be the lead character in an upcoming third novel tentatively entitled "The Solomon Key".

Tom Hanks portrayed Robert Langdon in the 2006 film adaptation of "The Da Vinci Code", and will reprise the role in the upcoming "Angels & Demons".

Little background detail is given by Brown about Robert Langdon. In "The Da Vinci Code", he is described as looking like "Harrison Ford in Harris tweed" [http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/robertlangdon.html] . He was a diver at Phillips Exeter in prep school and played water polo collegiately as well. He suffers from claustrophobia, the fear of enclosed spaces. In the film adaptation of "The Da Vinci Code", Professor Langdon has nearly an eidetic memory and phenomenal problem-solving talents. Robert Langdon was named after John Langdon, [citation|date=March 13, 2006 |title=Dan Brown sprinkles statement with clues about next book |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article740691.ece |first=Philippe |last=Naughton |publisher=Times Online |accessdate=2008-03-01] a professor of typography at Drexel University who is known for his creation of ambigrams, typographical designs that can be read in multiple ways; for example, both right side up and upside down. An example of Langdon’s ambigrams appeared on the cover of the first edition of Brown’s novel "Angels & Demons". On the acknowledgments page, Brown calls Langdon “one of the most ingenious and gifted artists alive … who rose brilliantly to my impossible challenge and created the ambigrams for this novel.”

Drexel’s Langdon also created the logo for the Depository Bank of Zurich, which appears in "The Da Vinci Code" movie.

Background

"Angels and Demons"

Robert Langdon is called to CERN headquarters in Switzerland to find out about the religious symbological implications of the death of CERN's finest and most well known scientist, Leonardo Vetra. When he starts to investigate the murder, his obsession for the subject history comes into play. Langdon is later joined in the investigation by Vittoria Vetra (Leonardo's daughter) and they start their journey to the Vatican to unlock the mystery behind the Illuminati, an anti-Christian secret society which, according to the plot, has deeply infiltrated many global institutions, political, economical and religious. Langdon and Vetra solve the mystery of the Illuminati by following the "Path of Illumination" and in so doing to explain the disappearances of four Cardinals during a papal conclave, the murder of Leonardo Vetra, and the theft of antimatter (a weapon that can be used for mass destruction). At the end of the novel Langdon ends up having a relationship with Vittoria Vetra. In the last few sentences of Angels and Demons, Vittoria Vetra asks him if he has ever had a divine experience. When he replies in the negative, Vittoria strips and quips, "You've never been to bed with a yoga master, have you?" Their relationship, however, is only mentioned briefly in the Da Vinci Code, mentioning the fact that Langdon had recently felt as though he was drifting apart from Vittoria.

"The Da Vinci Code"

In the beginning of "The Da Vinci Code", Robert Langdon is in Paris to give a lecture on his work. Having made an appointment to meet with Jacques Saunière, the curator of the Louvre, he is startled to find the French police at his hotel room door. They inform him that Saunière has been murdered and they would like his immediate assistance at the Louvre to help them solve the crime. Unknown to Langdon, he is in fact the prime suspect in the murder and has been summoned to the scene of the crime so that the police may extract a confession from him. While he is in the Louvre, he meets Sophie Neveu, a young Cryptologist from the DCPJ. When Langdon and Sophie get the chance to talk in private, he finds out that Jacques Saunière is her grandfather. Saunière instructs Sophie to 'Find Robert Langdon', according to the message he left for her in the floor, therefore, Sophie believes he is innocent for her grandfather's murder.

He spends the rest of the novel dodging the police and trying to solve the mystery of a secret ancient society which was led by Leonardo da Vinci himself, the Priory of Sion. At the end of the novel, Langdon uncovers the mystery behind Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail. He and Sophie, on the other hand, are apparently falling in love with each other. In fact, they arrange to meet in Florence, Italy one month later.

References

External links

* [http://www.robertlangdon.com/ The official Robert Langdon website]

See also

* "Author surrogate"
* "The Da Vinci Code"
* "Angels & Demons"
* "The Solomon Key"
* Dan Brown