Analysis of "Blood Wedding"

2988 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Symbolism essay

Federico Garcia Lorca's three plays, "Blood Wedding," "Yerma," and "The House of Bernarda Alba" share many symbolisms. Lorca (Short Biography) wrote about many subjects and objects that often have an unconscious double meaning. These unconscious symbols are known as archetypes, developed by the psychologist, Carl G. Jung. This paper will analyze these symbols using Jung's theory of the archetype. By doing so, the analysis will better explain some of the unconscious meaning and original thoughts behind Lorca's symbols. This is important because a detailed reading will allow the reader to clearly understand each symbol and why it is important to the society in the play, and to Lorca's society.

To begin, Jung explains that an archetype is an inherited idea or thought derived from the experiences of the society and present in the unconscious of the individual. The archetype depends heavily on the collective unconscious. The unconscious is merely a place of thought that retains all forgotten and suppressed information. The collective thinking is important because this part of the unconscious does not focus on the individual. It is universal and has elements that are basically the same everywhere and in every person. Jung suggests, "The collective unconscious, so far as we know, is self-identical in all Western men and thus constitutes a psychic foundation, superpersonal its nature, that is present in every one of us" (53).

Therefore, when dealing with the archetype, we are dealing with ancient images impressed upon the mind. The archetype expresses the primitive view of the world spoken in myths and fables. In these situations, we are dealing with the molded form of the unconscious, images about the world that have been handed ...

... middle of paper ...

...for each other. Even Yerma realized that her desire to have a child was so strong that it was eating away at her soul. These people refused to live inside their Personas, embraced their dark side and developed a personality outside of society.

As we have seen, the archetypes within all of the plays can dramatically change any basic analysis. By understanding the nature of a symbol and how a person's conscious can reflect his unconscious thinking, it is therefore possible to understand the actions of that person. The basic symbolic analysis does not do justice to the complex characters of Lorca's plays. It is necessary to dig deeper and analyze not only the symbols but also the original, prehistoric concepts behind each symbols. Man had to have had a foundation for identifying these symbols, and the archetypal analysis explains this foundation.

By:Akbar Mirzaee

Show More
Related

  • Archetypes In Momotar

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    Archetypes are found in every story that has been told; although stories may seem unique in their premise, every single story is actually interconnected in several ways by archetypes. Recurring themes are found in stories with even the most dissimilar settings and protagonists. In “Momotaro: Boy-of-the-Peach” and “Theseus”, several of the same archetypes are found, though the protagonists possess different goals and experiences. These archetypes include a valiant hero, an evil villain, and the hero undergoing a quest to defeat this villain. The “hero” archetype is especially prevalent among media.

    Read More

  • Archetypes in Grendel

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    Consistent in literature throughout every era and culture, archetypes represent a recurring image, pattern, or motif mirroring a typical human experience.  An idea developed by Carl Jung, archetypes in literature exist as representations reflecting vital perceptions of the human psyche expressing the manner in which individuals experience the world.  Using Jung’s concept, writers of all epochs embeds archetypes in structures, characters, and images of their narratives.  John Gardner, in his novel Grendel, integrates several of Jung’s archetypes into his epic tale derived from the early story Beowulf.  Gardner associates Jung’s personas of the outcast, the shadow, and the mentor-pupil relationship through the identities of Grendel, the narrator of events, and the dragon.

    Read More

  • Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and the Dark Shadow Within

    1525 Words  | 4 Pages

    Psychoanalyst Carl Jung suggested all humanity is innately programmed with a set of primordial images as a collective unconscious. These primordial images, which he called archetypes, are buried deep in the subconscious until a triggering event brings them to the forefront. Artists, writers, musicians and p...

    Read More

  • Archetype In The Tempest

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Tempest, is a timeless play about Prospero getting justice by having his throne back. William Shakespeare uses various dramatic elements to help readers deepen their understanding of the text in the play. The archetype critical theory can be used when reading Act 1, Scene 2 of The Tempest, for enhancing the reader’s understanding of the play. The archetype critical theory is patterns that are universal and have been applied to literature. These archetypes are present in the symbols, imagery, allusions, and dramatic irony of the scene.

    Read More

  • Archetypes Essay

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    An archetype is a human experience or symbol that is universally known and accepted. Archetypes can be images or stories passed on through history. Carl Jung, a prominent psychiatrist in the early 1900’s, used archetypes in his theory about the human psyche and how humans can recognize these symbols because they reside in the collective human subconscious. Some common examples of archetypes are The Hero, The Mentor, The Mother, The Villain and many more. Archetypes like these can be seen in everyday things like books, tv or movies. In The Complete Stories by Zora Neale Hurston there are many different archetypes in each story but three prominent ones are The Trickster, The Devil or Evil, and The Hero. In the novel The Trickster archetype

    Read More

  • Arnold Friend Archetypes

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    In literature, Archetypal Criticism is a critical approach where the reader interprets the meaning of a story by looking at the archetypal characters, events, and symbols that it contains. In general, an archetype is a universal, primordial representation of an event or character that is seen as a general blueprint for stories and myths, such as the Hero or Death and Rebirth (Meyer 1587). Archetypes can be very important in identifying and supporting a theme by giving us background and references for aspects throughout the story. Carol Joyce Oates uses a couple vital archetypes in her short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” a tale about Connie, a teenage girl, who goes through an innocence to experience situation, signifying a transition from childhood to adulthood.

    Read More

  • A Prayer for Owen Meany

    2622 Words  | 6 Pages

    Carl Jung was a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist who developed many theories concerning the unconscious mind. Jung’s theories state that the unconscious part of a human’s psyche has two different layers, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. The personal unconscious is unique to every individual; however, the collective unconscious “is inborn.” (Carl Jung, Four Archetypes, 3) The collective unconscious is present in everyone’s psyche, and it contains archetypes which are “those psychic contents which have not yet been submitted to conscious elaboration” (Jung, Archetypes, 5); they are templates of thought that have been inherited through the collective unconscious. Jung has defined many different archetypes such as the archetype of the mother, the archetype of the hero, the archetype of the shadow, etc. These Jungian archetypes are often projected by the collective unconscious onto others. If the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is examined through a Jungian archetypal lens it is possible to discern different archetypes projected by the protagonist’s unconscious self to illustrate the effects of the collective unconscious on character and plot analysis.

    Read More

  • Archetypes In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    An archetype in literature is defined as a typical example of a certain type of person. A character in a poem or play can be placed into many different archetype categories. Archetypes help a reader to gain a better understanding of who a character in the work is on the inside. This deeper insight into the character allows the reader to follow the flow of the story easier and more effectively. There are many different archetypes that can help advance the story.

    Read More

  • Native American Creations: The Myth Of The Earth Divers

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    Archetype is a set of pattern that is similar and inherited by all human beings throughout the history. Archetype exhibits same pattern regardless of time period in the history. While, a hero is born during dark times to maintain the world order and overcome the evil power for the welfare of being. A hero can have different characteristics as a hero is born to resolve specific world problems. Therefore, a hero does not exhibit similar pattern as an archetype does.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in A Doll’s House

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    The analysis argues the use of symbolism as it applies to the aspects of the characters and their relationships. Henrik Ibsen’s extensive use of symbols is applied to capture the reader’s attention. Symbols like the Christmas tree, the locked mailbox, the Tarantella, Dr. Rank’s calling cards, and the letters add a delicate meaning to the characters and help convey ideas and themes throughout the play.

    Read More

  • Archetypes In Oedipus Complex

    2303 Words  | 5 Pages

    Archetypes have been around for thousands of years, dating back to at least Plato discussing his “Theory of Forms”. In a literary contexts we think of archetypes such as the hero, the mentor, the journey, or the initiation. When looked at from these perspectives it appears that there is nothing original to write about, but these archetypes are used over and over with much success. The reason is because the writer and the reader empathize with the archetypes. Take for example the Initiation archetype, also called the Coming of Age story, in it is the struggle of the young against the old in an attempt to obtain individuality, and freedom that reflects what Jungian psychologists call, a “father complex”, a type of subset to the oedipus complex, in the authors.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Fuenteovejuna

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lope de Vega’s play touches upon several key components and ideas that were brought up in many of the other stories read throughout the semester. This included the role of gender and how men and women are viewed differently in the Spaniard town of Fuenteovejuna. Another topic included the importance of family, love, and relationships and their connection on loyalty, trust, and personal beliefs. The last major influence found in other literature and in Fuenteovejuna, were the political and religious references made throughout the play. Even though Lope de Vega didn’t make these views obvious, the reader could still pick up on their connotation and the references made towards these specific ideas. With all of this in mind, each of these components played an important role in each civilization read, and even over 1,000 years later it continues to be a social topic as well as a large part of the culture. The only difference a reader or scholar could make for this particular piece of literature is its authenticity and how it was based on a true event. Regardless, new views on power and how one obtain it become apparent through the dialogue between characters like Laurencia and the Commander.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas and Sur by Guin

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    Symbolism is commonly used by authors that make short stories. Guin is a prime example of how much symbolism is used in short stories such as “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and “Sur.” In both of these stories Guin uses symbolism to show hidden meanings and ideas. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” there is a perfect Utopian city, yet in this perfect city there is a child locked in a broom closet and it is never let out. A few people leave the city when they find out about the child, but most people stay. Furthermore, in “Sur” there is a group of girls that travel to the South Pole and reach it before anyone else, yet they leave no sign or marker at the South Pole. Guin’s stories are very farfetched and use many symbols. Both “Sur” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” have many symbols such as colors, characters, objects, and weather. The four types of symbols that Guin uses help the readers understand the themes in her short stories. Although her stories are farfetched, they need symbolism in them or the reader would not understand the theme; therefore the symbols make Guin’s stories much more enjoyable.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar

    2556 Words  | 6 Pages

    The first theory to be discussed is Structurealism, this theory is composed of many different branches. The branches that this paper will be looking into are archetypes. The definition of archetype is typical images, characters, narrative designs and themes and other literary phenomena. Archetypes have their own form of criticism, called archetypal criticism. Archetypal criticism means the generic, recurring and conventional elements in literature that cannot be explained through historical influence or tradition.

    Read More

  • Carl Jung Personality Theory

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Often, archetypes penetrate into the human mind without actual awareness as in dreams, myths or symbols; thus via those dreams the archetype becomes conscious. Subsequently, these archetypes assume a latent role in one's personality, and they become visible through repeated, similar experiences and through interactions with others. Ideally, the collective unconscious with its archetypes play a major role in the development of an individual's persona, one's true identity masked by their social identity. Moreover, it controls the shadows of our emotions that compel us to do wrong. Additionally, it balances the anima and the animus, the opposing sex sides of one's gender, so that the opposite psyches of one's gender do not completely dominate an individual. Another archetype, the self, plays an active role in unifying one's different aspects of personalities to express the best of it. In total, the archetypes, more than the ego, are responsible for an individual's social spot in

    Read More

More about Analysis of "Blood Wedding"

Open Document