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Myth in greek culture
Myth in greek culture
Early greek psychology
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In The Great Mother, Erich Neumann attempts to provide a structural analysis of the archetype. He states in the preface that not only does it "provide the foundation for all psychotherapy," it also provides for each man a view of the world that "enriches his own personality" as well as his "new perspective on life and on mankind as a whole." When referring to an archetype, Neumann refers to "an inward image at work in the human psyche." By examining the separate aspects of the archetype, one can approach a more thorough understanding of the archetype and, finally, the implications of its structure and its appearances in the real world. Three main components play a part in the realization of the archetype. First of these, the dynamic component, is the effect of the archetype. This effect is "manifested in energetic processes within the psyche." Whether it remains unconscious or "grips" the conscious, every mood, positive or negative, manic or depressive, is an expression of the dynamic effect of the archetype. The dynamic action of the archetype "extends beyond unconscious instinct and continues to operate as an unconscious will that determines the personality." It not only has a "decisive influence" on the mood, but also the inclinations and tendencies of the personality, and "ultimately on it's conceptions, intentions, interests, on consciousness and the specific direction of the mind." Secondly, the symbolism of the archetype occurs when the activity of the unconscious manifests itself in "specific psychic images." Each archetype, when confronted with consciousness, is perceived in a symbolic form or image separate from the image of any other archetype. For example, the Great Mother archetype will have a dif... ... middle of paper ... ... knowing the ironic truth, and when he asks her why, she replies, "I'm their mother." She grieves for what she will lose in seeing them grow up, seeing them "[become] prosperous. I shall never see your brides, adorn your bridal beds, and hold the torches high." Through all this it is evident that the loving aspect of the Great Mother is still present in the drama. Though this loving characteristic is present, it is the persuasive and manipulative facet of Medea that is most important in terms of plot. If Medea had not been so able to persuade the other characters, then she would not have been able to stay in Corinth for the day it took her to carry out her plan, and would not have had a refuge in Athens. Thus, the Great Mother's manipulative aspect was the propelling factor in Medea and all else sprung from the effects of this manifestation of the Great Mother.
“The archetype is probably Jung’s most difficult concept. Archetypes are inherited predispositions to respond to the world in certain ways. They are primordial images, representations of the instinctual energies of the collective unconscious” (Frager). The archetypes in Jung’s analysis are the shadow, anima, animus and self. Beginning with the shadow, this to be a person of the same sex but possessing different traits. The Wicked Witch represents the shadow, the dark or unconscious part of the personality that the conscious ego tries to ignore. Along with the witch, her heinous flying monkeys could be categorized into this archetype. The Wicked Witch of the West is a dark, controlling presence who seeks to dominate and control. Any person seen throughout the world could be symbolized by the witch as a foreboding character and one who thought all was right with their plan of action, hence a universal
archetype is very typical example of a person or a thing. Carlson’s most important characteristic
“We meet ourselves time and time again in a thousand disguises on the path of life” (Jung). Writer’s usually have archetypes in their stories to engage the reader's understanding. Throughout the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed, she encounters several archetypes both positive and negative. She was impacted by the people, which made her accomplish her journey hiking the Pacific Crest Trail alone and getting herself back together. There are various archetypes that play a big role in Cheryl's physical and emotional journey. The archetypes make her who she is today and without them she wouldn't be able to transform.
An archetype is a model of a character, that reflects what everyday people believe how a character should look or act in a situation. Archetypes help the reader easily understand a character’s purpose, and follow commonly accepted universal traits. Two recognizable archetypes include The Villain and The Hero. In the book Highly Illogical Behavior, Lisa Praytor is willing to do anything to be accepted into a psychological college. She uses the town hermit, who is known as Solomon Reed to promote herself for college acceptance. Lisa’s decisions and behavior present her as The Manipulator, (a person who plays with people, situations, or opportunities to get what they want) who is self-absorbed, determined, and underhanded.
Jung describes archetype as “patterns of behavior”. After many incidents between Peter had with Matt, Peter created a virtual computer game which he eventually turned to reality. “Peter got out of bed and sat down at his desk, pulling his eighth-grade yearbook from the drawer where he’d banished it months ago. He’d create a computer game that was Revenge of the Nerds, but updated for the twenty first century. A fantasy where the balance of power was turned on its head, where the underdog finally got a chance to beat the bullies. He took a marker and started circling portraits. Drew Girard. Matt Royston. John Eberhard. Josie Cormier” (Picoult 222). When relating to Jung’s theory, “Jung believed that the human psyche was composed of three components: the ego, the personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious. According to Jung, the ego represents the conscious mind while the personal unconscious contains memories including those that have been suppressed” (Cherry par. 2). Peter used the video game to bury his memories to his unconscious mind. “The appearance of an impressive shadow figure antagonistically confronting a personal consciousness[...] because the shadow is so disagreeable to his ego-consciousness that it has to repressed into the
The tragic play Medea is a struggle between reason and violence. Medea is deliberately portrayed as not a ‘normal woman’, but excessive in her passions. Medea is a torment to herself and to others; that is why Euripides shows her blazing her way through life leaving wreckage behind her. Euripides has presented Medea as a figure previously thought of exclusively as a male- hero. Her balance of character is a combination of the outstanding qualities of Achilles and Odysseus.
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.
In the Jungian analysis of a character, there are three archetypes that must be considered. Carl Jung believed that the three archetypes that made up a person are the shadow, the anima or animus, and the persona (Dobie 64). In “Reading the Brothers Grimm to Jenny,” the narrator first introduces readers to Jenny’s shadow and animus. Jung saw the shadow as a human’s “darker side,” and the “part of ourselves we would prefer not to confront” (Dobie 64). Whereas the animus or anima is the “the life force within an individual,” and “life itself and the
Medea right off the bat is grieving over how Jason betrayed her. She shows this when she says “Ah, wretch ! Ah, lost in my suffering, I wish, I wish I might die.” (Medea Pg.4 ) She conveys such emotion in just one sentence. She believes her life is over, because Jason no longer views her as his wife. Yet at the same time she conveys even more when she shows in all her ranting that she knows she has no place to go. This is shown when she says “Oh, my father!, Oh, my country!, In what dishonor I left you, killing my own brother for it.” (Medea Pg.6) She also shows that she will kill for what she wants with this very statement. Yet when she starts to lay out her grievances with the women of Corinth do we start to see how she starts to rationalize her plan to get back at Jason. Yet even before that she is face with more tradgey when she told by the king that she banished from the kingdom. Yet she shows that more then cunning enough to use this to her advantage. All it does moves up her plans. This is seen when she asks the king “Allow me to remain here for just this one day.” (Medea Pg.12) Yet Medea shows how bitter she is with Jason when she tells him “It was not that. No, you thought it was not respectable as you got in years to have a foreign wife.”(Medea pg.19) When she meets the king of Athens does she show that she has bravery to stand her ground, and use a king as her pawn. She tells him “Swear by the plains of Earth and Helius, father of my father, and name together all these gods…”(Medea Pg.24) With this she has safety from the coming storm. Yet see still shows her concern for her children. She knows that after her act of getting back at Jason. Her children will be used as pawns against her. She tells why she does this when she days “To kill my children, and start away from this land, and not by wasting time, to suffer my children, To be slain by another hand less kindly to
Characters such as McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, exhibit many archetypes that better explain their unconscious actions. Carl Jung’s article on archetypes and Key Kesey’s characters perfectly correlate with the definitions of The Mother and The Anima Archetypes. For example, The Anima Archetype explains how, in men, that they tend to present forms of infatuation, idealization, and fascination with the opposite sex. In addition, in women, The Anima will radiate as a form of fate or destiny and stray away from the ideas of the conscious mind, which might be more possible or realistic. In the novel the protagonist, Randall McMurphy, develops The Anima Archetype when he bets the other patients that he can overcome the head nurse at the institution. The Anima developed because of his sudden infatuation with the nurse. This archetype explains the unconscious mind by verifying what McMurphy really feels involuntarily or naturally. Another Archetype that developed to justify the results of the unconscious is The Mother Archetype. Nurse Ratched, the lead nurse at the mental institute, display features of this archetype by setting up specific rules and regulations for the patients. In women this archetype shows love, care, and a diminishing expression of individuality. The mother tends to
The Maze Runner is a 2014 mystery/science fiction film that can be viewed from an archetypal perspective. An archetype can be described as a pattern that can and is copied and recurring symbols or characters. The concept of archetypes came from Carl Jung a psychiatrist who believed that all cultures use archetypes to build stories without communicating to each other about them. Two groups of archetypes are the character and symbolic archetypes. The film The Maze Runner should be analyzed through an archetypal perspective because it has character and symbolic archetypes.
...leaving moves Medea into a beggar status. She understands that she does not have authority, money, or power over anyone in the land. This leaves her powerless and desperate. Thereofore, she forms a crafty plan that revolves around herself and reestablishes power and authority.
Jung's analytical psychology can be divided into two parts: theory and practice. The focus of this prose will be on the former, which pertains to the structure of the psyche and the laws of psychic processes and phenomena and includes his theories of archetypes and the unconscious (Jacobi, 1942; Jung, von Franz, 1964). His practice involved the inclusion of his theory in therapy and consisted of four methods: association method, symptom analysis, anamnestic analysis, and analysis of the unconscious (Jacobi, 1942). The goal of all four of these methods was to reveal the patient's unconscious to themselves as well as the therapist. Jung found that one of the easiest and most effective ways of revealing a patient's unconscious was through the actions of archetypes in the patient's dreams (Jacobi, 1942). However, Carl Jung's idea of archetypes was not an entirely original one. Literature suggests Plato’s Forms, Kant’s Categories, Schopenhauer’s Prototypes, as well as Greek mythology and symbolism heavily influenced Jung.
Women have always been disempowered due to their gender in modern and ancient times alike. In Corinth they are expected to run the household and conform to social expectations of a dutiful wife. Medea, being an immortal and descendant from the gods has a certain power in intelligence and sly cleverness. Being a foreigner, Medea’s wayward irrational behavior was expected in this play as she was not born in Greece and was seen as an exotic creature. She comes across to the audience as a powerful female character in terms of violence. Some of Medea’s reactions and choices appear to be blown out of proportion as authors generally make characters seem larger than life; this creates a better understanding of the text and the issues which are developed through the characters.
... takes matters into her own hands and doesn’t wait for a man to handle things for her. Also, her internal conflict that is visible throughout the entire play signify that she actually thinks for herself, and is strong enough to need to make serious decisions on her own, regardless of her gender. All of this goes back on the traditional Greek society, and helps make Medea into a play that is ahead of its time. With Euripides challenging the notion of misogyny, he creates Medea to show how powerful and dangerous a woman can be in a story, even though it was never heard of in the modern eras.