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. Othello falls in love with Desdemona and they secretly marry; later, he leaves to Cyprus to stop the Turks. Consistent with his role as guardian of order in the state, Othello carries out his own execution, by analogy judging his act as a violation reflected by Venices savage enemy: And say besides, that in Aleppo once, Jung and the Humanities: Toward a Hermeneutics of Culture. Othello as a character of noble blood seems to conform to all these. To you, preferring you before her father, Shakespeare shifts the action from Venice to Cyprus. Myth criticism grew in part as a reaction to the formalism of New Criticism, while archetypal criticism based on Jung was never linked with any academic tradition and remained organically bound to its roots in depth psychology: the individual and collective psyche, dreams, and the analytic process. Archetypal Criticism Archetypal criticism argues that archetypes determine the form and function of literary works, . 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. An archetype is universal; it is generated by man's psyche regardless of time of place. FREE Archetype Essay Essay - Example Essays This recurring idea of an evil witch is extremely common and archetypal. The patterns are the major intrinsic aspects of a work. The critical annotations are astute and, given their brevity, surprisingly thorough and suggestive. Human emotions have a lot of power over how we react to situations in life, the trick is learning how to not let them take over. Nothing extenuate, He seems to breathe an atmosphere as fateful as that of King Lear, but more confined and oppressive, the darkness not of night but of a close-shut murderous room. Frye's work helped displace New Criticism as the major mode of analyzing literary texts . Is Othello or Hamlet better? They were built to defen the city of Nicosia during the Otto-man Venetian war. Confirmation of this theory was Jungs reading of Faust: part 1 was psychological; part 2, visionary.. . Essays may be lightly modified for readability or to protect the anonymity of contributors, but we do not edit essay examples prior to publication. For more information on choosing credible sources for your paper, check out this blog post. Aristotle believed that the plot is the most important element in a play and that plot also clearly points out the problem of any characters to be solved. Of all Shakespeares tragedies . An example, is that they had to overcome a huge obstacle such as love because Othello and Desdemona were in love but her father did not approve of it. A general in the army, Othello holds a distinguished place in the Duke's court due to his victories in battle, but not an equal one. "Othello", by William Shakespeare, is a story of jealousy's potential to manipulate thoughts and eventually lead to ultimate demise. Up until Act III Scene iii Othello, "noble Moor" is in an elated position and is very aware of his importance. To you I am bound for life and education; In Re-Visioning Psychology, the published text of his 1972 Yale Terry Lectures (the same lecture series Jung gave in 1937), Hillman locates the archetypal neither in the physiology of the brain, the structure of language, the organization of society, nor the analysis of behavior, but in the processes of imagination (xi). This assignment is intended to encourage you, and require you . To date, the British Journal of Analytical Psychology and the retitled American Spring: A Journal of Archetype and Culture are the best resources for archetypal criticism of literature and the arts even though only a small percentage of their published articles treat such topics. 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. Ironically, as in the feminist revisioning of explicitly male-biased Jungian theory, the rise in the 1980s of Reader-response theory and criticism and the impetus for canon revision have begun to contribute to a revaluation of Jung as a source of literary study. 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. Even though Othello had a reputation as a hero, he ends up being one of the most gullible characters in the play when he completely falls into the evil trap that Iago set for him. Nobody; I myself. 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. A Modern View of Feminist Criticism William Shakespeare 's "Othello" can be analyzed from a feminist perspective.This criticism focuses on relationships between genders, like the patterns of thoughts, behavior, values, enfranchisement, and power in relations between and within sexes. As Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black. I will withdraw ukraine russia border live camera /; June 24, 2022 An archetype criticism of othello, a play by william shakespeare. Hillman also discovers archetypal precursors in Neoplatonism, Heraclitus, Plotinus, Proclus, Marsilio Ficino, and Giambattista Vico. 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. Van Meurs also does a service by resurrecting successful but neglected early studies, such as Elizabeth Drews of T. S. Eliot (1949), and discovering value even in reductionist and impressionistic studies, such as June Singers of Blake. If we carefully examine the third scene in the third act, we can see how Othello fits into Aristotle's definition of tragic hero. Come, go with me apart. 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. A fig! Self-interest is all that matters, and love is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of the will. Othello and Desdemona cannot possibly remain devoted to each other, and, as Iago concludes, If sanctimony and a frail vow betwixt an err-ing barbarian and a super-subtle Venetian be not too hard for my wits, and all the tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy her. The problem of Iagos motivation to destroy Othello and Desdemona is not that he has too few motives but too many. edmonton oilers jokes archetypal criticism in othello archetypal criticism in othello. Frye, however, notably in Anatomy of Criticism, essentially redefined and relocated archetype on grounds that would remove him unequivocally from the ranks of Jungian critics by severing the connection between archetype and depth psychology: This emphasis on impersonal content has been developed by Jung and his school, where the communicability of archetypes is accounted for by a theory of a collective unconsciousan unnecessary hypothesis in literary criticism, so far as I can judge (m-12). http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/an-archetype-criticism-of-othello-a-play-by-william-shakespeare-yJF4zltX, ("An Archetype Criticism of Othello, a Play by William Shakespeare. Desperate to cling to the security of his former identity as a soldier while his current identity as a lover crumbles, Othello begins to confuse the one with the other. 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. Abstract. A Christian Moor and general of the armies of Venice, Othello is an eloquent and physically powerful figure, respected by all those around him. In her final moments, Desdemona chooses not to blame Othello for her death because she saw that the honor of their love was more important than honesty. And despite frequently perceptive readings, the work is marred by the characteristic limitless expansionism and psychological utilitarianism of her interpretive scheme. 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. 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. Iago leads Othello to suspect that love and devotion are shams disguising the basest of animalistic instincts. O my souls joy, At mid-century, Canadian critic Northrop Frye (1912-91) introduced new distinctions in literary criticism between myth and archetype. 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. Desdemona replies that it was her fault: Nobody I myself. Many fell prey to Jungs idiosyncrasies as a reader, ranging widely and naively over genres, periods, and languages in search of the universal archetypes, while sweeping aside cultureand text-specific problems, ignoring their own role in the act of reading and basing critical evaluation solely on a texts contribution to the advancement of the readers individuation process, a kind of literature-astherapy standard. 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. Dramatically, Shakespeare turns the focus of the play from the shocking crime to its causes and psychic significance, trans-forming Cinthios intrigue story of vile murder into one of the greatest dramatic meditations on the nature of love and its destruction. As Othello came to his breaking point, desdemona foreshadows her own death and he lets jealousy take over. The approaches of semiologists, structuralists and deconstructivists . He suffers barbs and preconceived notions, yet Othello is esteemed and wins the love of the daughter of a nobleman. (And nope, we don't source our examples from our editing service! His demise was of his own doing. archetypal criticism in 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). 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. Aristotles theory is not the final word on tragedy, however it can support in pinpointing the pivotal traits in. For Cassirer, reason alone cannot lead to truth, but mythical thinking which focuses on immediate experience is essential. 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. To see you here before me. William Shakespeare utilized archetype frequently as a literary device in his plays. 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 . After the. What bloody business ever. Thus archetype is recognized as the tendency to form and reform images in relation to certain kinds of repeated experience, which may vary in individual cultures, authors, and readers (Lauter and Rupprecht 13-14). In addition, Othello is far from being a perfect character - another quality that meets Aristotle's requirements. This type of criticism was first experimented by Maud Bodkin, in his book Archetypal Patterns in Poetry (1934). Thus criticism evolving from his work is more accurately named archetypal and is quite distinct from myth criticism. Othello is a man of high rank in Venice. Wow! 125-126). Innocent characters also suffer, like Desdemona. Archetypal theory then took shape principally in the multidisciplinary journal refounded by Hillman in 1970 in Zurich, Spring: An Annual of Archetypal Psychology and Jungian Thought. And it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets Hes done my office. In the essay Frye critically analyses literature against the backdrop of rituals and myths. This scene has suggested to some critics that Iagos true motivation for destroying the marriage of Desdemona and Othello is a repressed homosexual love for Othello. The essays in our library are intended to serve as content examples to inspire you as you write your own essay. 2. These archetypalists, focusing on the imaginaland making central the concept that in English they call soul, assert their kinship with Semiotics and Structuralism but maintain an insistent focus on psychoid phenomena, which they characterize as meaningful. Iago reviews Othellos performance as a lover by stating, O, you are well tuned now, / But Ill set down the pegs that make this music. Iago will now orchestrate discord and disharmony based on a life philosophy totally opposed to the ennobling and selfless concept of love demonstrated by the newlyweds. Othello relies easily on Iago to believe without being thought deeply. Othello assumes that Emilia is helping Desdemona in her infidelity. Northrop Frye, however, further developed this theory in his book Anatomy of Criticism and later in his essay 'The Archetypes in Literature . Even when Desdemona was found after Othello strangles her, she still believed that her death was not the fault of Othello. Northrop Frye has been the most influential of those critics who have argued that archetypal patterns underlie the modes, plots and genres of literary works. Desdemona senses a change in Othello and she has a feeling that she will die soon due to the hands of Othello. The character of Iago is so conducted, that he is from the first scene to the last hated and despised. Othello is a Moorish (African) general in the Venetian army and an eloquent storyteller who is respected, but often treated as an outsider. Farewell / Commend me to my kind lord. Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/an-archetype-criticism-of-othello-a-play-by-william-shakespeare-yJF4zltX. Not only does she try to protect Othellos reputation by blaming herself, Desdemona tells Emilia to remind Othello about her showing that she stills respects Othello. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/an-archetype-criticism-of-othello-a-play-by-william-shakespeare-yJF4zltX Be sure to capitalize proper nouns (e.g. Hillman invokes Henri Corbin (1903-78), French scholar, philosopher, and mystic known for his work on Islam, as the second father of archetypal psychology. 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. Feminist archetypal theory, proceeding inductively, restored Jungs original emphasis on the fluid, dynamic nature of the archetype, drawing on earlier feminist theory as well as the work of Jungian Erich Neumann to reject absolutist, ahistorical, essentialist, and transcendentalist misinterpretations. 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. Alfiero, like Iago, similarly arouses the Moors suspicions by stealing Disdemonas handkerchief and planting it in Cassios bed-room. The major work of Frye's to deal with archetypes is Anatomy of Criticism but his essay The Archetypes of Literature is a precursor to the book. Despite naively playing into Iago's hands earlier by giving him the handkerchief, Emilia shows her earnest loyalty to Desdemona. 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 . 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. 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. Furthermore, they must also have a fatal flaw, that eventually leads to their downfall. He turns to Iago, who has been brought before him to know the reason for his actions. 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 . The three women are Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. 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. Herbert Read, Michael Fordham, and Gerhard Adler, 20 vois., 1953-79), Letters (trans. What is a tragic hero and why is Othello considered one? As hells from heaven. . Othello Zootopia Act 1 The wall Othello is referring to are the Walls of Nicosia which surround the capital city Nicosia in Cyprus. The term "archetype" can be traced to Plato (arche, "original"; typos, "form"), but the concept gained currency in twentieth-century literary theory and criticism through the work . Othello is a tragedy plan written by William Shakespeare. Eliot, Samuel Taylor) characterize themselves as realists, pragmatic, practical, eschewing the supporters of the so-called weaker Othello, who conversely tend to describe themselves as somehow morally elevated, more empathetic. He interprets literature in the light of various rituals and myths. Instead, they blame him for his own ultimate ruin. Learn what works (and what doesn't) from the reader's perspective. In spite of his elevated status, he is nevertheless easy prey to insecurities because of his age, his life as a soldier, and his race. He has already judged and condemned her, but he is still hunting evidence, seeking to justify to himself the stand he has already taken. 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. For the fair devil. QAFQAZ UNIVERSITY SPRING, 2013. Thus Jungian theory provided no clear avenue of access for those outside of psychology, and orthodox Jungians were left with little in the way of models for the psychological analysis of literature. 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. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994. Tis done at your request; but let her live. 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Iago: My friend is dead. Other forms previously labeled Jungian are here subsumed under the term archetypal because whatever their immediate specific focus, these forms operate on a set of assumptions derived from Jung and accept the depth-psychological structure posited by Jung. Archetypal criticism, then, construed as that derived from Jungs theory and practice of archetypal (analytical) psychology, is a fledgling and much misconstrued field of inquiry with significant but still unrealized potential for the study of literature and of aesthetics in general. Here are some ways our essay examples library can help you with your assignment: Read our Academic Honor Code for more information on how to use (and how not to use) our library. Othello, being a hero, enjoys a good reputation and has notable qualities. "Othello is like a hero of the ancient world in that he is not a man like us, but a man recognized as extraordinary". According to Aristotle, a tragic protagonist is a nobleman or person from high status, who contributes to his own demise and illustrates a flaw or weakness in judgment. world's dumbest cast salaries, what is brent draper from masterchef doing now,