archetypal criticism in othelloarchetypal criticism in othello

Frye's thesis in "The Archetypes of Literature" remains largely unchanged in Anatomy of Criticism. (And nope, we don't source our examples from our editing service! This allows our team to focus on improving the library and adding new essays. Both Desdemona and Othello defy by their words and gestures the calumnies heaped upon them by Roderigo and Brabantio and vindicate the imperatives of the heart over parental authority and custom. Archetypal Criticism of Othello Othello, one of Shakespeare's most popular tragedies, is full of symbols, motifs, and themes that make it relatable to people all over the world. According to Hillman, that discourse was anticipated by Evangelos Christous Logos of the Soul (1963) and extended in religion (David L. Millers New Polytheism, 1974), philosophy (Edward Caseys Imagining: A Phenomenological Study, 1976), mythology (Rafael Lopez-Pedrazas Hermes and His Children, 1977), psycholinguistics (Paul Kuglers Alchemy of Discourse: An Archetypal Approach to Language, 1982), and the theory of analysis (Patricia Berrys Echos Subtle Body, 1982). Despite naively playing into Iago's hands earlier by giving him the handkerchief, Emilia shows her earnest loyalty to Desdemona. Shakespeare's play, Othello, the Moor of Venice, is a powerful example of a tragedy and its main character, Othello, is an excellent illustration of what Aristotle constitutes as a tragic hero. In addition, Othello is far from being a perfect character - another quality that meets Aristotle's requirements. As Hillman puts it, Corbins insight that Jungs mundus archetypalis is also the mundus imaginalis that corresponds to the Islamic alam al-mithl (3) was an early move toward a reappraisal of psychology itself as an activity of poesis (24). Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand, QAFQAZ UNIVERSITY SPRING, 2013. For the onlookers on stage, the final tableau of the dead Desdemona and Othello poisons sight and provokes the command to Let it be hid. The witnesses on stage cannot compute rationally what has occurred nor why, but the audience has been given a privileged view of the battle between good and evil worked out in the private recesses of a bedroom and a human soul. Categories: Archetypal Criticism, Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, Myth Criticism, Psychoanalysis, Tags: Achetypes, Alchemy of Discourse: An Archetypal Approach to Language, Anatomy of Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, Archetypal feminist criticism, Archetypal Patterns in Poetry, Archetypal Psychology, Archetypal Theory, Archetypal Theory and Criticism, Archetypal Theory Criticism, Claude Levi-Strauss, Ernst Cassirer, Evangelos Christou, Francis Fergusson, Frazer, Gilbert Durand, Henri Corbin, Hermes and His Children, Hillman, Imagining: A Phenomenological Study, J. G. Frazer, J. G. Frazer The Golden Bough, James Hillman, Jessie Weston, Joseph Campbell, Jung and the Humanities: Toward a Hermeneutics of Culture., Jung's Psychology of the Unconscious, Jungian Approach to Literature, Leslie Fiedler, Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, Logos of the Soul, Maud Bodkin, Myth, Myth theory and crticism, New Polytheism, Northrop Frye, Philip Wheelwright, Psychoanalysis, Rafael Lopez-Pedraza, Richard Chase, Spring Journal, Spring: A Journal of Archetype and Culture, Spring: An Annual of Archetypal Psychology and Jungian Thought, The Golden Bough, The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion, Alchemy of Discourse: An Archetypal Approach to Language. Up until Act III Scene iii Othello, "noble Moor" is in an elated position and is very aware of his importance. Here are some examples of archetype in Shakespearean works: Lover: Romeo ("Romeo and Juliet"), Juliet ("Romeo and Juliet"), Antony ("Antony and Cleopatra") Hero: Othello ("Othello"), Hamlet . Othello's Integrity One of Othello's admirable qualities is that he believes that men should be transparent and honest as he is; "Certain, men should be what they seem" (Act 3 Scene 3 Line 134). Othello is characterized by his plainspoken read analysis of Othello Iago Othello's disloyal standard-bearer and the villain of the play. Nor set down aught in malice. Essays may be lightly modified for readability or to protect the anonymity of contributors, but we do not edit essay examples prior to publication. And so much duty as my mother showd Comparing the amount written about the two plays, people find Hamlet more interesting to discuss. Farewell! Herbert Read, Michael Fordham, and Gerhard Adler, 20 vois., 1953-79), Letters (trans. Despite this, Desdemona continued to stay true to Othello. Historical is basically know the background story before you making assumptions off the text, and to better understand text lookup time period close to the time like 1600's . Othello is a man of high rank in Venice. : 2022625 : archetypal criticism in othello Furthermore, they must also have a fatal flaw, that eventually leads to their downfall. The tragic protagonist must make a fall from a high state of being to a low state or death. Even when Desdemona was found after Othello strangles her, she still believed that her death was not the fault of Othello. BASIC PREMISES OF ARCHETYPAL THEORY: 1. Iago tries to prove Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio which increases Othello's torments of jealousy. R. F. C. Hull, 2 vois., 1973-75). However, these fields of study contributed a lot to the development of archetypal criticism through the characters of Sir James Frazer and Carl Jung. Rashness: The play is replete with rash decisions. The young Venetian noblewoman, Desdemona, has eloped with the middle-aged Othello, the military commander of the armed forces of Venice. He is the general of the Venetian army and a well respected man by the towns noble men. Othellos motivation in the play appears to be his love and concern for his wife Desdemona, which ironically, ends up being his downfall in the end. Archetypal Criticism Volume I. To furnish me with some swift means of death In Othello, the plot meets the definition of both Aristotle and Shakespeare on a tragedy. Desdemona senses a change in Othello and she has a feeling that she will die soon due to the hands of Othello. While acknowledging the grave weaknesses of much Jungian writing on literature as unsubtle and rigid application of preconceived psychological notions and schemes resulting in particularly ill-judged or distorted readings, van Meurs still finds that sensitively, flexibly and cautiously used, Jungian psychological theory may stimulate illuminating literary interpretations (14-15). Desdemona finally, dramatically appears before the senate to support Othellos account of their courtship and to balance her obligation to her father and now to her husband based on the claims of love: My noble father, Mythological critics compare one work to others with similar story . Archetypal criticism is a product of both cultural anthropology and psychoanalysis which are academic fields that might seem to be far from the concept of archetypal criticism. His destruction is essentially precipitated by his own actions, as well as by the actions of the characters surrounding him. Archetypal criticism is a type of literary criticismexamining the presence of archetypal characters within a piece of literature. Seeing her dying, Emilia asks who would do this. Now art thou my lieutenant. Unfortunately, this got the ball rolling for Othellos inevitable downfall. Feminist Critique of the Character Desdemona in Othello Introduction Women during Elizabethan age are assumed to have spent their lives in the service of men - prearranged marriages, child rearing, and their role as sexual objects. In. Archetypal criticism focuses on such things in a work. It is in Act 3 Scene 3 where Othello takes on a new persona, where his confidence and happiness is tragically replaced with jealousy and rage. As the pair kneels together, they exchange vows: Iago: Witness you ever-burning lights above, No products in the cart. Home Drama Criticism Analysis of William Shakespeares Othello, By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 25, 2020 ( 0 ). This juxtaposition between Othello's transparency and Iago's duality identifies him as a sympathetic character despite his actions. Literary Archetypes The Legend of Sleepy Hollow The Loved One The Magus The Making of Americans The Man in the High Castle The Mayor of Casterbridge The Member of the Wedding The Metamorphosis The Natural The Plague The Plot Against America The Portrait of a Lady The Power of Sympathy The Red Badge of Courage The Road The Road from Coorain Despite his deliberately selective focus on critical works written in English on literary texts that are, for the most part, also written in English, van Meurs, with the early assistance of John Kidd, has collected 902 entries, of which he identifies slightly over 80 as valid and valuable literary criticism. Iago replies: Demand me nothing; what you know, you know: / From this time forth I never will speak word. By Iagos exiting the stage, closing access to his motives, the focus remains firmly on Othello, not as Iagos victim, but as his own. The critical annotations are astute and, given their brevity, surprisingly thorough and suggestive. Archetypal criticism gets its impetus from psychologist Carl Jung, who postulated that humankind has a "collective unconscious," a kind of universal psyche, which is manifested in dreams and myths and which harbors themes . "Othello is essentially an noble character, flawed by insecurity and a nature that is naive and unsophisticated". To wronged Othellos service. The next significant development in archetypal theory that affected literary studies grew out of the effort made by U.S.-born, Zurich-trained analyst James Hillman (b. It has been mentioned earlier that pattern in literature refers to recurrent images, forms and words. The three fundamental qualities of an archetype are: An archetype is a preconscious, instinctual expression of man's basic nature. What hooks you? This assignment is intended to encourage you, and require you . The first two acts of the play enact the standard pattern of Shakespeares romantic comedies. For more information on choosing credible sources for your paper, check out this blog post. : Feminist: Ex. 1: 4), but he distinguishes his concept and use of the term from that of philosophical idealism as being more empirical and less metaphysical, though most of his empirical data were dreams. Othello makes an error in judgement, which leads to his change in fortune, and later realizes that his actions are what caused said change in fortune. And it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets Hes done my office. Othello is decisive, confident, and secure in his identity, duty, and place in the world. Often in our society people are labelled as, or fit into a, certain character mould and their behaviour and actions remain consistent. I do perceive here a divided duty: The archetypal characteris a simple character template recognizable to all readers. : In this quote, Othello is stating that his wife's supposed infidelity has ruined his name and turned it "black" and dirty like his own face, showing that a woman's fidelity was linked to a man's honor. reflects the archetypal villain" (Sen, ). Hillman invokes Henri Corbin (1903-78), French scholar, philosopher, and mystic known for his work on Islam, as the second father of archetypal psychology. The fulfillment of the wedding night that should come at the climax of the comedy is relocated to act 2, with the aftermath of the courtship and the wedding now taking center stage. He interprets literature in the light of various rituals and myths. In Othello, the themes such as love and jealousy reflects on the characters motivation and their values. I will withdraw Come, go with me apart. Archetypal criticism is a literary approach that analyzes works of literature based on the idea that there are universal, timeless patterns and themes that recur across all cultures and throughout history. Cultural criticism is exploring or examining the relationship of dominant role based on ethnicity, and sexual identity of person, also a great understanding of yourself. He offers throughout the play multiple justifi cations for his intrigue: He has been passed over in favor of Cassio; he suspects the Moor and Cassio with his wife, Emilia; he is envious of Cassios open nature; and he is desirous of Desdemona himself. The essays in our library are intended to serve as content examples to inspire you as you write your own essay. 125-126). That such a man should unravel so completely, ushered by jealousy and hatred into a bestial worldview that cancels any claims of human virtue and self-less devotion, shocks and horrifies. I pray you, in your letters, Just another site. Aristotles theory is not the final word on tragedy, however it can support in pinpointing the pivotal traits in. Bettina Knapps 1984 effort at an authoritative demonstration of archetypal literary criticism exemplified this pattern. Archetypal theory and criticism, although often used synonymously with Myth theory and crticism, has a distinct history and process. Patterns originate from the writer's . The concept of the archetype is a venerable philosophical principle that came into new prominence and usage in the twentieth century with the development of archetypal literary criticism . In this play there are only three women in the entire play. The tragedy of Othello is not a fault of a single person, but is rather the consequence of a wide range of feelings, judgments, misjudgments, and attempts for personal justification revealed by the characters. In this essay let us examine the various themes and determine which are dominant and which subordinate. This explains his fascination with a text like Rider Haggards novel She: The History of an Adventure (1886-87), with its unmediated representation of the anima. As Jung himself noted: Literary products of highly dubious merit are often of the greatest interest to the psychologist (Collected 15:87-88). Literary Theory from 1900 to 1966: A-Z A Alexander Chirila First published: 24 December 2010 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444337839.wbelctv1a009 Read the full text PDF Tools Share Abstract Archetypal criticism is a form of analysis based on the identification and study of recurring symbolic and mythic patterns. Richer than all his tribe. Desdemona and Othello, therefore, face the usual challenges of the lovers in a Shakespearean comedy who must contend with the forces of authority, custom, and circumstances allied against their union. Othello: I greet thy love, I am hitherto your daughter. However, as the play progresses, jealousy clamps down his mind, and his decisions are colored with jealousy that Desdemona is betraying him, leading him to kill her and take his own life. What makes you cringe? The tragedy of Othello is not a fault of a single villain, but is rather a consequence of a wide range of feelings, judgments and misjudgments, and attempts for personal justification exhibited by all of the participants. (2023). Issues of genre, period, and language were ignored or subjected to gross generalization as Jung searched for universals in texts as disparate as the fourth-century Shepherd of Hermas, the Divine Comedy, Francesco Colonnas Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (1499), E. T. A. Hoffmans tales, Pierre Benoits LAtlantide (1919-20), and Henry Wadsworth Longfellows Hiawatha, as well as works by Carl Spitteler and William Blake. After Othello learns of a possible affair between Cassio and Desdemona, at this instance is the turning point in Othellos fortune because it changes his views, attitudes and ultimately his fate. An archetype is recurrent. Nothing extenuate, She is not as strong-willed like the other ladies and is Shakespeares example of the archetype of the innocence and has the bases of a flat character. Check out our Privacy and Content Sharing policies for more information.). Archetypal criticism proceeds from the initial assumption that every work of literature can be categorized and fitted into a large framework that encompasses all literature. First Cassio lands to deliver the news of Othellos marriage and, like the best man, supplies glowing praise for the groom and his bride; next Desdemona, accompanied by Iago and his wife, Emilia, enters but must await news of the fate of Othellos ship. Further, the text offered confirmation (and poetic representation) of the only direct contribution Jung made to literary theory: a distinction between psychological and visionary texts (Collected 15:89-90). After Othello returns from war at sea with the Turks, his fortune begins a downward spiral. In archetypal criticism, under the reductive method of analysis, a critic, while elucidating a text, moves from the particular truth to the general truth. O, damn her, damn her! As scholar Edward Pechter has argued, During the past twenty-five years or so, Othello has become the Shakespearean tragedy of choice, replacing King Lear in the way Lear had earlier replaced Hamlet as the play that speaks most directly and powerfully to current interests.. Egypt) and titles (e.g. Frye's work helped displace New Criticism as the major mode of analyzing literary texts . The romantic climax comes in the trial scene of act 1, in which Othello success-fully defends himself before the Venetian senate against Brabantios charge that Othello has beguiled his daughter, stoln from me, and corrupted / By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks. Calmly and courteously Othello recounts how, despite the differences of age, race, and background, he won Desdemonas heart by recounting the stories of his exotic life and adventures: She loved me for the dangers I had passed, / And I loved her that she did pity them. Wonder at Othellos heroic adventures and compassion for her sympathy have brought the two opposites togetherthe young, inexperienced Venetian woman and the brave, experienced outsider. Even French feminist Julia Kristeva has been brought to praise a Jungian contribution to feminist discourse on the maternal: recognition that the Catholic churchs change of signification in the assumption of the Virgin Mary to include her human body represented a major shift in attitude toward female corporaiity (113). Archetypal criticism ensures the efforts of all these concerned faculties to analyse of a text hence archetypal criticism is of immense significance. The scene crowns love triumphant. She stayed loyal to her lover throughout the entire play and in the end it did her no good. Their union is opposed by Desdemonas father, Brabantio, and by a rival for Desdemona, Roderigo, who in the plays opening scenes are both provoked against Othello by Iago. Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/an-archetype-criticism-of-othello-a-play-by-william-shakespeare-yJF4zltX. Othello is generally regarded as Shakespeares greatest stage play, the closest he would ever come to conforming to the constrained rules of Aristotelian tragedy. You know how looking at a math problem similar to the one you're stuck on can help you get unstuck? Othello is the most painfully exciting and the most terrible. Further, Jung termed his own theory analytical psychology, as it is still known especially in Europe, but Jungian thought is more commonly referred to today in all disciplines as archetypal psychology.. When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, The Critical Analysis Of A Novel: Atonement By Ian Mcewan Atonement by Ian McEwan is a literary masterpiece and a highly critically acclaimed novel. This last text explicitly named the movement and demonstrated its appropriation of archetypal theory for feminist ends in aesthetics, analysis, art, and religion, as well as in literature. The term 'archetype' is taken from the Greek words 'arche' (beginning) and 'typos' (imprint). The story opens on Briony Tallis, a 13-year-old growing up in the upper-middle class in England in 1953 with . As the handkercheif is stolen from Desdemona, Othello believes that she has become unfaithful to him, which leads him down a jealous path and eventually kill her. Ralph Manheim, 1974); Morris Philipson, Outline of a Jungian Aesthetic (1963, reprint, 1991); Annis Pratt et al., Archetypal Patterns in Womens Fiction (1981); Jos van Meurs and John Kidd, Jungian Literary Criticism, 1920-1980: An Annotated Critical Bibliography of Works in English (with a Selection of Titles after 1980) (1988); William K. Wimsatt, Jr., and Cleanth Brooks, Literary Criticism: A Short History (1957). Considered according to this definition, the concept becomes a useful tool for literary analysis that explores the synthesis of the universal and the particular, seeks to define the parameters of social construction of gender, and attempts to construct theories of language, of the imaginal, and of meaning that take gender into account. Reading example essays works the same way! In his major work, The Anatomy of Criticism, he states: 'I mean by an archetype a symbol which connects one poem with another and thereby helps to unify and integrate our . Earnest Cassirer, a social anthropologist was an important influence on myth criticism. This passage reveals how much Othello has deteriorated as far as his ability to reason. In the beginning of the play, Othello is seen as content with his new bride: For know, Iago, But that I love the gentle Desdemona (1.2.24-25). Twere now to be most happy, for I fear Othello, unlike the other Shakespearean comedies, adds three more acts to the romantic drama, shifting from comic affirmation to tragic negation. Macbeth) in the essay title portion of your citation. Mythological literary critics look for archetypes, characters and/or symbols with traits that are seen throughout literature regardless of time or place. Given this background, it is not surprising to find in a 1976 essay entitled Jungian Psychology in Criticism: Theoretical Problems the statement that no purely Jungian criticism of literature has yet appeared (Baird 22). That's a matter of opinion. No single motive is relied on for long, and the gap between cause and effect, between the pettiness of Iagos grudges and the monstrousness of his behavior, prompted Samuel Taylor Coleridge in a memorable phrase to characterize Iagos motiveless malignity. There is in Iago a zest for villainy and a delight in destruction, driven more by his hatred and contempt for any who oppose his conception of jungle law than by a conventional naturalistic explanation based on jealousy or envy. However, for Othello this is not the case. Othello relies easily on Iago to believe without being thought deeply. Indeed, myth criticism seems singularly unaffected by any of the archetypal theorists who have remained faithful to the origins and traditions of depth, especially analytical, psychologyJames Hillman, Henri Corbin, Gilbert Durand, Rafael Lopez-Pedraza, Evangelos Christou. Shakespeare shifts the action from Venice to Cyprus. Shakespeare often focuses his plays on human nature as well as fate, which Othellos fate ended in the tragic ending due to his reversal of fortune once the claims against Desdemona begin. Tis done at your request; but let her live. The approaches of semiologists, structuralists and deconstructivists . If Hamlet is a tragedy about youth, and Lear concerns old age, Othello is a family or domestic tragedy of a middle-aged man in which the fate of kingdoms and the cosmos that hangs in the balance in Hamlet and Lear contracts to the private world of a marriages destruction. The concept of the archetype is a venerable philosophical principle that came into new prominence and usage in the twentieth century with the development of archetypal literary criticism through the theories of psychologist C. G. Jung and literary theorist Northrop Frye. And new theories increasingly give credence to the requirement, historically asserted by Jungian readers, that each text elicit a personal, affective, and not merely intellectual response. archetypal criticism in othello. When he realizes the grave mistake he had made by taking an honest Desdemona's life he can no longer live with himself. While adding to the tone of the story it also adds to the characters overall personality from the reader's perspective. 2. A few names form a core of writers in English (including many Canadians)Martin Bickman, Albert Gelpi, Elliott Gose, Evelyn Hinz, Henry Murray, Barton L. St. Armand, Harold Schechter, and William Stein though no single figure has attracted the attention of academic literary specialists, and no persistent commonalities fuse into a recognizable school critics who draw on Jungs theories. By the end of the play, he has brought down his world around him with the relentless force that made him a great general turned inward, destroying both what he loved best in another and in himself. The present essay, "Archetypes of Literature," is taken from the book. As the story unfolds Othellos character evolves in an extremely tragic way as Iago manipulates him and leaves him to rot in his misery. For Jung, archetype is an explanatory paraphrase of the Platonic eidos (9, pt. So much I challenge that I may profess Othello is now reduced to questioning his wife's maid, Emilia, looking for evidence of Desdemona's infidelity. Confirmation of this theory was Jungs reading of Faust: part 1 was psychological; part 2, visionary.. Olympus-high, and duck again as low OTHELLO: My name, that was as fresh. Role of the Archetypal Symbols The handercheif is utilized throught Othello to demonstrate the loyalty of Desdemona, as well as Othello's love for her. Active Themes Emilia returns with Desdemona. If it were now to die Othello Zootopia Act 1 The wall Othello is referring to are the Walls of Nicosia which surround the capital city Nicosia in Cyprus. His expression of his jealousy quickly devolves from the conventional"Farewell the tranquil mind"to the absurd: Farewell the plum'd troops and the big wars. The men of the play manipulate her image of a naive lover to being a strumpet! (V.ii.94).

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