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| “ | I wish I had acquired wisdom at less of a price. | „ |
| ~ Hosea Matthews. |
| “ | Don't take Dutch's patter about redemption too seriously. We're doomed, just like every other creature on this rock. But unlike them, we'll go out fighting. | „ |
| ~ Hosea Matthews. |
Hosea Matthews (1844-1899) is the overarching protagonist of the 2018 western action-adventure video game Red Dead Redemption II, serving as the tritagonist in the first 4 chapters.
Originally a stage actor, Hosea turned to a life of crime by scheming or stealing people of their money, referring to do this than turn to outright violence. He became the close friend and right-hand to fellow outlaw Dutch van der Linde. The two would be the founders and leaders of the Van der Linde gang, often running from the law while also taking care of their members. During the course of 1899, Hosea's friendship with Dutch is tested as his close friends turns more towards violence, which would lead to his demise by Pinkerton agent Andrew Milton.
He was voiced by Curzon Dobell.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Hosea Matthews was born in 1844 to unnamed parents, and was raised by his mother since he only saw his father three times in his life. According to Hosea, his father lives a life of sin that would make an emperor blush, but would die at the age of 75. Hosea also noted that his believes his father was a bigamist, and possibly has over 100 siblings due to his father sleeping with numerous women.
During his early years, Hosea dreamed of becoming a comedian and a priest, but admitted that he didn't know that one had to be Catholic to become a priest. Due to this implication, it's assumed that Hosea grew up irreligious, was raised in a different branch of the Christian faith, or was raised in the Jewish religion.
Seeing that he couldn't become a priest, Hosea decided to follow his dream of becoming a comedian and became a stage actor, but would leave his job and turn to a life of crime presumably due to becoming an orphan.
Outlaw[]
Becoming a outlaw, Hosea used his intelligence and quick wit to get out of situations or scheme people for their money, becoming a master thief and conman. While stealing a chicken, he was caught by a sheriff and was placed to be hang as punishment for his crime. Hosea survived due to the crowd starting a riot since they saw his hanging as unfair, and an unnamed man came to his assistance by cutting Matthews' rope. After the incident, the sheriff was hanged himself, and Hosea got away with only a sore neck. Despite nearly being killed, Hosea continued his schemes and during the mid-1870s, came across Dutch van der Linde at a campfire. Hosea attempted to con Dutch but realized that van der Linde had robbed him, and the two saw each other's abilities, and decided to team up.
Hosea and Dutch would continue to con people in Kettering, Ohio, where they arrested by the sheriff until they escaped from their cell. Sometime after, Hosea and Dutch came across a teenager named Arthur Morgan, whom they took under their wing and mentored to become a criminal. Matthews described Arthur as a delinquent when they first came across, but Morgan improved and became one of the first members of the Van der Linde gang. Hosea and Dutch would form the gang after coming across numerous outlaws, and had Arthur be there lead enforcer and right-hand. Hosea would become known for his being more level-headed than Dutch, and often had to reason with his friend during disputes on how to deal with robberies.
At an unknown point, Hosea would meet and marry a woman named Bessie, and left the gang for a time to be with her. He would return to the group over time, but Bessie understood who Hosea was, and remained loyal to him. She would die before 1899, and Hosea stated that he was drunk for a whole year after she passed away. Despite the loss of his wife, Hosea stayed loyal to the gang and assisted them on numerous robberies, but also tried to give money to the poor. During the early years of the gang, they tried to help those in need, but Hosea became disillusioned after seeing his comrades become more violent and focused more on survival. Members of the gang showed deep admiration and respect towards Hosea, as his wisdom would keep the gang in order during harsh times.
Red Dead Redemption II[]
Hosea is first seen riding with Dutch on the wagon in the opening cinematic. He tells Dutch that they need to find shelter quickly, and then points out Arthur up ahead. When they arrive at Colter, Hosea is seen investigating a cabin. After discovering that it is deserted, he tells the others to bring the mortally wounded Davey Callander inside. The following morning, Abigail begs Arthur to find John Marston, who hasn't returned after two days. After a slight argument, Hosea steps in and tells Arthur that they are all worried about him, before sending Arthur and Javier to go and look for him.
Along with Charles Smith, Hosea stays behind at camp while the majority of the other gang members are attacking a nearby O'Driscoll hideout. He later voices his opposition of robbing the Cornwall train that Dutch has set his sights on, and is absent from the robbery. He is then seen a few days later helping to load up the wagons, preparing to leave. Upon arriving in New Hanover, Hosea and Arthur hang back to fix the wagon's broken wheel with the help of Charles. Hosea then points out the Native Americanspositioned atop the ridge and tells Arthur and Charles about their history, which leads to a discussion about Charles and later, Arthur's upbringings. He later hands Arthur some Ginseng and Yarrow before reaching the new camp.
After setting up camp, Hosea can be seen wandering around camp, doing various activities. Later, he gives Arthur a Raven Black Shire horse and the two go out hunting in Ambarino for a "1000 pound bear." After nearly being attacked, him and Arthur either return to camp together, or they will part ways. He also gives Arthur a map of the legendary animals.
Soon afterwards, Hosea heads to Emerald Ranch in the hope of finding a lead. Arthur finds him talking to Seamus, who asks Hosea to prove himself by stealing a stagecoach from Bob Crawford, his “cousin by marriage.” Despite hesitation from Arthur, Hosea accepts, and the two ride to Carmody Dell. Upon arrival, the two observe that Crawford is in, and the player can decide to steal the stagecoach now, or wait until night. If they decide to do it at day, Hosea will distract Bob Crawford and his son, while Arthur loots the house and steals the coach or, if they do it at night, Hosea will steal the stagecoach and Arthur will loot the house. After commandeering the stagecoach, the two take it back to Emerald Ranch, and get paid $300 by Seamus.
After the shootout in Valentine, Hosea strongly opposes Dutch's idea of moving east, arguing that the West is where they should be going. Despite Hosea's opposition, Dutch still goes ahead with the plan to move east, much to Hosea's dismay.
After arriving at the new camp, Hosea, Arthur and Dutch go out riding, looking for a spot to go fishing. On the ride, they come across Sheriff Leigh Gray and his deputy, Archibald MacGregor, who are seen transporting Trelawny and a group of young outlaws. Soon, the outlaws escape, and Arthur recaptures them, leading to Trelawny's release at Dutch's request. If the player wishes, then Dutch, Hosea and Arthur can go fishing. On the fishing trip, the three reminisce about old times and eventually row back to camp after catching enough fish.
Later, Hosea and Arthur attempt to sell the moonshine that the gang stole from the Braithwaitesback to Catherine Braithwaite. Despite being initially hostile, Mrs. Braithwaite agrees to purchase the liquor, under the condition that Hosea and Arthur give the moonshine away at a local Gray owned saloon. Hosea and Arthur enter the saloon under the disguise of advertising and successfully give the liquor away, before they are interrupted by a group of Lemoyne Raiders. As a result, the two are forced to shoot their way out of the saloon and escape the town.
Hosea continues bartering with Catherine Braithwaite for jobs to do for her, in exchange for money. She eventually asks for the Gray family's tobacco fields at Caliga Hall to be torched; Arthur and Sean are sent to do this while Hosea continues to negotiate with Mrs. Braithwaite. The Braithwaites eventually see through the gang's duplicity after finding out that it was they who stole the family's prized horses, and so they kidnap Jack Marston from the gang in revenge. Hosea accompanies the majority of the gang in the impending assault against the Braithwaite Manor, in the hope of finding Jack.
Soon after settling in at Shady Belle, Hosea attends the party at the Mayor's residence. After the party, Bill remarks that the endeavour was a waste of time and that he didn’t get any leads, but Hosea says that he found a lucrative one in the city bank. Later on, Dutch proposes capturing Angelo Bronte after he betrayed them by setting them up with a fake lead. Hosea objects on the basis of it being unnecessary and likely to attract attention to the gang, but Arthur casts the deciding vote against him.
Later, Hosea begins working on a plan to rob the bank in Saint Denis, and eventually finds a suitable distraction for the gang to use. On the day of the bank robbery, Hosea manages to convince Dutch to use it and gets sent ahead with Abigail, with the task of setting it off. The distraction succeeds, sending off a loud explosion and a plume of smoke. However, while the remaining members of the gang are robbing the bank, Hosea is captured by Agent Milton, despite Abigail managing to escape. Milton holds Hosea hostage outside the bank, proclaiming to Dutch that he has given them enough chances. Milton then shoots Hosea in the chest, killing him, and says to Dutch that Hosea's death is their deal, angering both Dutch and Arthur.
Both the bodies of Hosea Matthews and Lenny Summers (who also died in the robbery) were eventually recovered by Charles and the remaining gang during the absence of Dutch, Arthur, Micah, Bill and Javier in Guarma. They were buried together in Bluewater Marsh.
Without Hosea's counsel, Dutch's decision-making became increasingly erratic, as he would continuously take unnecessary risks while his plans grew more and more unrealistic. His death also had a hard impact on Arthur, who expressed to Charles that he missed Hosea's "wisdom." To make matters worse, with Arthur having become increasingly doubtful toward him, Dutch ended up allowing Micah take Hosea's former spot as his right-hand man, who would end up acting as more of a yes-man to all of his wild ideas rather than an effective counselor.
Personality[]
Hosea is an intelligent outlaw in touch with his wits, having worked as a con-artist and a thief for over two decades. He appears to be a slick talker, using his brains to get into and out of any situation in hand. Unlike Arthur or Dutch, Hosea prefers not to use violence as a means of obtaining money. Instead, Hosea often resorts on elaborate schemes to swindle people out of their money, playing a character to distract and disarm those he is trying to rob. However, Hosea is willing to resort to violence when he feels that it is warranted, such as when he killed a man who tried to rob him, when he pulls a gun on Bill and threatens him, and when he participated in the assault on Braithwaite Manor. Hosea is generally a calm and patient man and rarely loses his temper or raises his voice to anyone, however his calm disposition and preference for non-violence is shown to have its limits when he catches Sean MacGuiresleeping while on lookout and subsequently kicks and berates the latter in a moment of anger, going as far as threatening to slit Sean's throat in an uncharacteristic outburst.
Having known each other since at least 1877, Hosea became Dutch's right-hand man and closest friend over the duration of two decades of association. By 1899 he appears to be Dutch's most trusted lieutenant, with only Arthur Morgan rivaling if not surpassing him. Over the course of the game, his relationship with Dutch is somewhat tested, as Dutch's increasing brashness and violence begin to clash with Hosea's preference for non-violence.
Hosea seems to have much remorse for his past actions in life and how they hurt people. In a conversation with Dutch he says that the gang has turned into just "a bunch of killers" and comments on how he dislikes both the killing and himself for putting up with it in a story he tells around the campfire.
Like Dutch, the gang seems to view Hosea as a sort of fatherly figure. Hosea is one of the few members of the Van der Linde gang that seems to be respected by all of its members, except by Micah Bell, and he openly dislikes him. He's viewed as a more level-headed leader than Dutch, with Arthur even remarking in his journal that although Arthur loves Dutch like a father, he "loves Hosea even more".
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- He can be heard coughing and wheezing in the game, indicating that he has an unknown illness.
- His coughing and wheezing also foreshadows his death.
[]
 Heroes
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