The direction of Othello criticism will also be affected as literary criticism's longstanding commitment to cultural historicism comes under pressure from those who argue that explorations of context often come at the expense of literature's formal properties and affective registers, and as developments in the digital humanities enable fresh These patterns include persistent images, figures, and story patterns shared by people across diverse cultures. 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. Iagos motivation is anything but explainable in conventional terms. 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. Othello is a man of high rank in Venice. He is a character of high stature that is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. The traits of the tragic hero lead the audience to feel compassion for the helpless victim. Aristotles theory is not the final word on tragedy, however it can support in pinpointing the pivotal traits in. The approaches of semiologists, structuralists and deconstructivists . O, farewell! (5. 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). Othello is the most painfully exciting and the most terrible. Archetypal Criticism Archetypal theory and criticism, although often used synonymously with Myth theory and crticism, has a distinct history and process. 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. Othello, though, decides to kill her. He is an individual of high stature who is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. OTHELLO: Iago critics. 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. 364-367). If we carefully examine the third scene in the third act, we can see how Othello fits into Aristotle's definition of tragic hero. Bibliography I am hitherto your daughter. They also attest to his self-confessed lack of interest in literature: I feel not naturally drawn to what one calls literature, but I am strangely attracted by genuine fiction, i.e., fantastical invention (Letters 1:509). (V.2.316, 323) It is beyond a doubt Othello's fault that all of this wreckage befalls him, and his still has not had a moment of recognition of his failures at reasoning and understanding. Tis done at your request; but let her live. 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 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. Mythological literary critics look for archetypes, characters and/or symbols with traits that are seen throughout literature regardless of time or place. : Feminist: Ex. Othello, likewise, has tradud the state and has changed from noble and valiant Othello to a beast, with the passion that ennobled him shown as corrosive and demeaning. must concern itself with the archetypal, the universal, with that which is necessarily larger, more extreme than in life. 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. BASIC PREMISES OF ARCHETYPAL THEORY: 1. 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. 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. Speak of me as I am. Archetypal criticism ensures the efforts of all these concerned faculties to analyse of a text hence archetypal criticism is of immense significance. 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. Othello is a complex play that deals with issues such as jealousy, gender, and race. Uncover new sources by reviewing other students' references and bibliographies, Inspire new perspectives and arguments (or counterarguments) to address in your own essay. In addition, Othello is far from being a perfect character - another quality that meets Aristotle's requirements. James Hillman, Archetypal Psychology: A Brief Account (1983), Re-Visioning Psychology (1975); C. G. Jung, Collected Works (ed. 2. In Shakespeare's Othello, Iago is one of the most compelling villains in English literature. 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 . To you I am bound for life and education; while we are reading any of [Shakespeare's] great criminal characters - we think not so much of the crimes which they commit, as of the ambition, the aspiring spirit, the intellectual activity which prompts them to . A tragic hero is a hero nonetheless, but it all comes down to how they hold themselves together in the face of. . However, for Othello this is not the case. 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). His demise was of his own doing. Earnest Cassirer, a social anthropologist was an important influence on myth criticism. Archetypal Literary Criticism. 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. he asks, which gives pause to a theory of pure nobility. The patterns are the major intrinsic aspects of a work. 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 the fair devil. The Moor is eventually captured, tortured, and slain by Disdemonas relatives, while the ensign dies during torture for another crime. / Man but a rush against Othello's breast / And he retires." Othello sends Emilia outside to guard the door. 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. Othello is a train wreck that the audience horrifyingly witnesses, helpless to prevent or look away. 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. Even when Desdemona was found after Othello strangles her, she still believed that her death was not the fault of Othello. Because of that, it has generated a lot of literary criticism in the 400 years since it was written and first . Ignoring her appeals for mercy and avowals of innocence, Othello smothers her moments before Emilia arrives with the proof of Desdemonas innocence and Iagos villainy. An archetype is universal; it is generated by man's psyche regardless of time of place. . The play is set in Venice and Cyprus where a Moor, Othello, General of the Venetian army gets secretly married to a Venetian noblemans daughter, Desdemona. Let him command, And to obey shall be in me remorse, Kibin, 2023, www.kibin.com/essay-examples/an-archetype-criticism-of-othello-a-play-by-william-shakespeare-yJF4zltX. Check out our Privacy and Content Sharing policies for more information.). Thus criticism evolving from his work is more accurately named archetypal and is quite distinct from myth criticism. However, the Moor and Alfiero join forces to kill Disdemona, beating her to death with a stocking filled with sand before pulling down the ceiling on her dead body to conceal the crime as an accident. Abstract. "Now will I question assio of ianca, As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad; . Seeing her dying, Emilia asks who would do this. 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, 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. 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. After confronting Desdemona of her crimes he decides to carry out his overall plan to end his trues loves life. I know not ift be true; But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety (2.1. His final speech mixes together the acknowledgment of what he was and what he has become, who he is and how he would like to be remembered: I have done the state some service, and they knowt. And smote himthus. reflects the archetypal villain" (Sen, ). The first systematic application of Jungs ideas to literature was made in 1934 by Maud Bodkin in Archetypal Patterns in Poetry: An attempt is here made to bring psychological analysis and reflection to bear upon the imaginative experience communicated by great poetry, and to examine those forms or patterns in which the universal forces of our nature there find objectification (vii). This juxtaposition between Othello's transparency and Iago's duality identifies him as a sympathetic character despite his actions. 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. As in a typical Shakespearean comedy, love, tested, triumphs over all opposition. Essays and criticism on William Shakespeare's Othello - Criticism . Commend me to my kind lord. Moreover, Shakespeare, by deliberately clouding the issue of Iagos motive, finds ever more sinister threats in such a characters apparently bottomless and unmerited hatred and capacity for evil. That such a man should fall so far and so fast gives the play an almost unbearable momentum. And let the labouring barque climb hills of seas 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. As Iago asserts to Roderigo, Virtue? However, Othello's words give a deeper insight into how he still misunderstands the situation. 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. Iago leads Othello to suspect that love and devotion are shams disguising the basest of animalistic instincts. While adding to the tone of the story it also adds to the characters overall personality from the reader's perspective. But Jos van Meurss critically annotated 1988 bibliography, Jungian Literary Criticism, 1920-1980, effectively challenges this claim. Frye's work helped displace New Criticism as the major mode of analyzing literary texts . The archetypal characteris a simple character template recognizable to all readers. Jung was also more preoccupied with dreams and fantasies, because he saw them as exclusively (purely) products of the unconscious, in contrast to literature, which he oddly believed, citing Joyces Ulysses as an example, was created in the full light of consciousness (15:123). 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. In this essay let us examine the various themes and determine which are dominant and which subordinate. 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.. Evil is displayed before him, not indeed with the profusion found in King Lear, but forming, as it were, the soul of a single character, and united with an intellectual superiority so great that he watches its advance fascinated and appalled. Literary Critics on Othello. 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. This burgeoning theoretical movement and the generally unsatisfying nature of so much early Jungian literary criticism are both linked to the problematic nature of Jungs own writing on literature, which comprises a handful of essays: The Type Problem in Poetry, On the Relation of Analytical Psychology to Poetry, Psychology and Literature, Ulysses: A Monologue, and Is There a Freudian Type of Poetry? These essays reveal Jungs lack of awareness as a reader despite his sense that they may show how ideas that play a considerable role in my work can be applied to literary material (Collected 15:109^.

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