A Jungian Reading of Beowulf This essay will propose an alternative means by which to examine the distinctive fusion of historical, mythological, and poetic elements that make up the whole of Beowulf. Jeffrey Helterman, in a 1968 essay, “Beowulf: The Archetype Enters History,” first recognized Grendel as a representation of the Shadow archetype and identified Grendel’s mother as an archetypal Anima image; I wish to extend the scope of the reading by suggesting that the dragon, too, represents
A Jungian Reading of Beowulf The epic poem, Beowulf, depicts the battles and victories of the Anglo-Saxon warrior Beowulf, over man-eating monsters. The noble defender, Beowulf, constantly fought monsters and beasts to rid the land of evil. The most significant of these monsters, Grendel, represents Beowulf's shadow, the Jungian archetype explored in the essay collection, Meeting the Shadow. The character Grendel portrays the fallen self, which will assert itself violently if neglected
are complicated on many levels, and Tori Amos' lyrics demand a mythological approach to scratch the surface of her artistic vision. In several interviews, she has admitted to being much influenced by numerous books of symbology and others of Jungian psychology and their archetypal insights. "I don't fall in love much. I mean, I fall in love every five seconds with something but I don't go from boy to boy. I go from archetype to archetype" (Rogers 33). Most dominantly, her lyrics rely
W. Norton and Company, 1995. 145-150. Fetterley, Judith. "A Rose for A Rose for Emily". Literature for Composition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: Harper College, 1989. 193-196. West, Ray B. Jr. "Atmosphere and theme in A Rose for Emily". Readings on William Faulkner. Ed. Bruno Leone. San Diego: Greensboro Press, 1991. 65-73.
wishes, things that happened in the past or even predict the future. In the past, there have been many attempts to unravel the secret hidden behind the dreams and so far the world came up with three main theories of interpreting the dreams (Freudian, Jungian and Cognitive)(Wade, Travis 1998). In this essay I will attempt to analyze my dream by using each of the theories mentioned above, then compare the outcomes as well as their possible connections to my life and in the end determine, which one of these
A Jungian Interpretation of the Tempest Shakespeare’s Tempest lends itself to many different levels of meaning and interpretation. The play can be seen on a realistic plane as a tale of political power and social responsibility. It can be seen as allegory examining the growth of the human spirit. The Tempest investigates marriage, love, culture. It is symbolic of man’s rational higher instincts verses his animal natural tendencies. This is a play of repentance, power, revenge and fate that can
In Lisel Mueller’s poem “Reading the Brothers Grimm to Jenny,” the narrator details the relationship that he or she has with a child named Jenny. A central aspect to the connection between Jenny and the narrator are the fairytales that the narrator reads to her. Although this is a part of their relationship that Jenny enjoys, the narrator is conflicted by it. The archetypes utilized in fairytales is having an effect on the development of Jenny’s mind. However, as the narrator explains what is happening
Eve as a figure of desire, Helen as the classical beauty who inspires men to great deeds, Mary as the virtuous mother and at last, Sophia as the figure of wisdom and enlightenment. In Jungian analysis, the anima archetype is the collective unconscious image of the female, which is also said as universal and permanent, but Madonna challenges the original meaning of it by recreating her own anima. Throughout Madonna’s career, her use of
vital though never glorious role of Fifth Business” (Davies, 9). His psychological fate was sealed the second the snowball left Boy’s hand; him being Fifth Business and all subsequent events in his life stemmed from the outcome of that day. The Jungian archetypes of the Persona, the Anima, the Shadow and the Self all played a significant role during Dunstan’s journey towards self-awareness because they all played a substantial role in his life, affecting each move he made. Dunstan’s role of Fifth
Jungian Archetypes and Oedipus the King The play Oedipus the King by Sophocles has multiple examples of collective unconscious archetypes from the theories of Carl G. Jung. In general Jung's theories say that there are archetypes that define the world, its people, and why people participate or commit certain activities. Jung explains that these archetypes are harbored in the collective unconscious of every person's mind. The archetype of the hero is one of them. The middle of Oedipus the King
Hamlet: Jungian Perspectives The term consciousness refers to "one’s awareness of internal and external stimuli. The unconscious contains thoughts, memories, and desires that are well below the surface of awareness but that nonetheless exert great influence on behavior."(Weiten) In the view of the Jungian analyst, there are two forces that drive Hamlet. One is his anima, which is the "personification of the feminine nature of a man’s unconscious"(Platania). The second is Hamlet’s desire to
been taken to another level. Individuals such as Henry Littlefield, John Beebe, Joey Green, and others have interpreted the story and have found many different theories to go along with it. Theories include parallels to Populism, Buddhist Taoism, Jungian Psychology, etc. The two main theories that make the most sense are Henry Littlefie... ... middle of paper ... ... L., and Martin, Dick. The Oz Scrapbook. New York: Random, 1977. PageWise. “What is the Gold Standard?” 20, Oct. 2004, <http://tx
The Picture of Dorian Gray begins with Basil describing his fascination with Dorian, and ends with his masterpiece reverting to its original splendour. He describes his reaction to Dorian in these words: "When our eyes met, I felt I was growing pale. A curious sensation of terror came over me. I knew that I had come face to face with some one whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself." (6) Such
A Jungian Analysis of the Epic of Gilgamesh This paper will provide a unique, psychological perspective on a timeless story that is alive with mythological and religious splendor. I must state clearly that this is not the first time that Gilgamesh has been viewed in the light of the philosophy of Jung. One of two Jung essays I happened upon while preparing my research was the Psychology of Religion. Although I initially felt that this source would provide little help with my paper, I was very
the over compensation for an unwanted shadow, forces her mind to “unsex me here” to which her unraveling begins (1.5.42). Jung believes women try to “repress masculine-typed qualities” in hopes of being seen as a more delicate and feminine being (Jungian Psychology 47). Though th... ... middle of paper ... ... in the beginning was brutally ended by what she thought was her only option- suicide. Ultimately Macbeth shows the modern day reader how far ahead Shakespeare was in his time while learning
of the upperworld. Though “Dr. Jung’s discoveries were not known to Conrad, “ (Hayes, 43) who wrote this master work between 1898 and 1899, Heart of Darkness presents a literary metaphor of Jungian psychology. This paper explores the dark territory of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as metaphor for the Jungian concepts of the personal and the collective unconscious, as a journey of individuation, a meeting with the anima, an encounter with the shadow, and a descent into the mythic underworld. Like
An archetype is best defined as “a typical example of a certain person or thing.” In the book, “The Old Man and The Sea,” Hemingway expresses Santiago’s archetype through his interaction with the fish while at sea. Hemingway compares Santiago to the fish in order to reveal that they are both one in the same. This comparison creates this impression because Santiago and the fish both have a great desire to live and are stubborn. This developes the archetype of a “tragic hero” through Santiago’s fight
The use of archetypes in works of literature is especially prominent in stories of characters with bad past, the evident pattern of a bad home life or abandonment builds a connection between the readers and the character. While researching I was quite shocked by the vast resemblances, at odd times I has epiphanies of the subject and their attributes.Though many authors The similarity between Frankenstein’s monster and King Arthur is not difficult to find as both display the innocent and orphan archetype
An archetype is an original template of something, from which other things of the same nature are based. There are many types of archetypal characters, and one type is the archetypal hero. The heroes in Greek mythology have seven rules to follow to be thought of as true heroes. The most interesting guideline is that a hero must return to face a father figure, which involves some kind of retribution. Three important hero stories in Greek culture, the Perseus, Theseus, and Hercules myths, all include
Novel Analysis – Fledgling by Octavia Butler Introduction. The novel follows the story of Shori Matthews, a 53-year-old vampire with a special ability to last longer in the sun than her relative vampires due to her darker skin. Shortly after awakening, Shori meets a construction worker by the name of Wright Hamlin who helps her along the way. A human woman named Brook became another important helper and source for Shori, who in turn helped her and another young woman named Celia—a darker skinned