Shakespeare and Archetypes Analysis

LIT1100 Introduction to Literature University of Northwestern – St. Paul

Archetypes for Twelfth Night

What is an Archetype? 1. Instinctive patterns in the collective unconscious of humankind. Figures or patterns that recur in works of art

from generation to generation. 2. Archetypes can come in the form of stories, characters and symbols. 3. These symbols must be shared by different cultures to be archetypes. They must be universal.

How is an archetype different than a symbol? A symbol is an object that stands for something else. This can be a letter, a character or a sign such as the American flag, a police badge or the Greek letter delta. While these specific symbols have meaning, their meaning is specific to a culture or a context. For example, the American flag will only have symbolic meaning in the time period that America exists. Another example is in Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark.” In that story, the birthmark is symbolic of man’s sin or corrupt nature. However, in real life or in another story or in another culture, a birthmark doesn’t contain that same symbolism. Thus, the birthmark is a symbol because its meaning is context-specific and not an archetype, which would have to be universally recognized as a symbol of man’s sin.

The Archetypal Comedy Plot Comedy is a relative term; every culture’s definition of what is funny varies a little. However, three elements of comedy are found in almost all culture’s comedic storylines:

1. The comedy revolves around a normal or common people 2. The comedy includes some form of mistaken identity 3. In a comedy, everyone gets married in the end (or everything ends happily)

Archetypal Characters Some character types are considered archetypes because all cultures have the same basic character. There are four recognized character archetypes for men and four archetypes for women. The following characteristics define each character archetype, however, a character doesn’t have to display all characteristics to fall into that category; all examples are taken from popular Disney movies:

MALE CHARACTERS FEMALE CHARACTERS

Hero: young, handsome, muscular, courageous, strong (sometimes super-strength), rebel or maverick Ex: Hercules, Aladdin, Peter Pan

Maiden/virgin: Young, beautiful, often helpless, innocent, is usually saved by the hero Ex.: Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty

Wise Man: Older than hero, intelligent, spiritual and moral, sometimes has special powers Ex: Merlin, Genie, Gill (Finding Nemo)

Mother: Birth, life, fertility, warmth, protection and nourishment Ex: Grandmother Willow

Fool: Usually a physical defect, overweight, usually a sidekick, humorous and bumbling, occasionally speaks the truth no one else will Ex: Sebastian the crab, Dory, Terk (Tarzan)

Crone/witch: Old or ugly, mysterious, intelligent, plotting or conniving (not necessarily magical) Ex: Cruella de Ville, Wicked Stepmother

Devil: Usually offers a trade or exchange, manipulative and deceptive, often physically attractive and well-dressed Ex: Hades, Scar

Temptress: Older than maiden, younger than mother, beautiful, usually dark-haired, sexual, deceptive and underhanded Ex: Queen Grimhilde (Snow White), Ursula