Archetypal Characters and Symbols in The Phantom of the Opera
The story of The Phantom of the Opera appeals to many types of personalities and people of all ages because of its archetypal characters and patterns. Carl Jung theorized that we are born with innate tendencies to perceive things a certain way: "a kind of readiness to reproduce over and over again the same or similar mythical ideas . . ."1. These repeated ideas are archetypes. The basic legend of The Phantom takes place in 19th century Paris, and is that of a young and talented, but untrained singer named Christine. Erik, the Phantom, is a disfigured genius of many fields, including music, architecture, magic, and science. His fatal flaw stems from his strong dislike and mistrust of the rest of the human race, which has been very unkind to him throughout his life. He encounters Christine in the Paris Opera House, becomes infatuated with her, and initially claims to be her otherworldly musical tutor. Conflict occurs when Christine is torn between Erik's dark and passionate world, and her innocent love for the well-bred Raoul. These fundamentals of the story of The Phantom are kept in tact among the versions, while changes are made to target the adaptation to a certain audience. Another common attraction is to the personality of Erik, a character often repeated in literature. Erik's relationship with Christine also encompasses many archetypal patterns, and the love triangle among Christine, Erik and Raoul is a recurring human behaviour2. In addition, there are several object-oriented archetypes throughout the story. Repetition of patterns and characters in The Phantom of the Opera creates a universal appeal for the tale.
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...anges to target the legend to different types of people, but the archetypes always remain.
1 Carl Jung, Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, 7
2 Anthony Pena, Unus Mundus: Archetypes and Dreams
3 Kate McMullan, The Phantom of the Opera, 5
4 Amazon.com sales rank as of May 2000
5 Charlotte Vale Allen, Night Magic, 203
6 Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera, 334
7 Charles Horton Cooley, Human Nature and the Social Order, 155
8 Charles Darwin, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
9 Joseph Henderson, "Ancient Myths and Modern Man," Man and His Symbols, Carl Jung, ed., 152
10 Anthony Pena, Unus Mundus: Archetypes and Dreams
11 Angela Mattos, The Labyrinth
12 InDreaMensions, Archetypes Glossary
13 Ibid
14 Ibid
15 John L. Flynn, Phantoms of the Opera: The Man Behind the Mask
waste and they do so by dumping it in the river, then I may be liable.)
Jung, C. G., and Marie-Luise Von Franz. Man and His Symbols. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1964.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play. Macbeth’s rise to the throne was brought about by the same external forces that ensure his downfall.
Carl Gustav Jung, “The Principle Archetypes” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David H. Richter (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1989), 666.
These theoretical concepts developed by Dr. Jung are what caused the hypothesis and negativity of my original consideration of him to be replaced by a deep respect and, in fact, an almost gleeful fascination with his work. I am discovering that quite a few people find that Jung has a great deal to say to them. This tends to include writers, artists, musicians, film makers, theologians, clergy of all denominations, students of mythology, and of course, and many psychologists
Macbeth’s capacity for suffering also leads him to be a tragic hero. Before the murder of Duncan, Macbeth has a personal moment of truth and thinks about what he is going to do. He imagines the dagger in his hand and thinks about the nightmares he will be invaded with. Macbeth is so obsessed with murder; he begins seeing things, and must be quiet and not wake anyone, for he would give himself away.
Hoeller, Stephan A. "The Gnostic Jung." The Gnostic Jung. Wheaton: Theosophical publising House, 1982. 11. Paperback.
Webb, Wilse. History Of Psychology. Theoretical & Philosophical Psychology 9.1 (1989): 44-45. PsycARTICLES. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Macbeth is captured by his wild ambition at the opening of the play when he and Banqou meet the three witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he is the Thane of Cawdor, and later will be king. They tell Banquo that his sons will be kings. Instantly Macbeth started to fantasize how he is going to be king. He understood that in order for him to become king he has to kill Duncan. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”(Act 1 Sc. 3, p.23). He was pondering about the assassination until the moment that he could no longer control his emotions. “To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on the other-“(Act 1 Sc. 7, p.41). Because of his “vaulting ambition” he killed Duncan.
Rabstejnek, C. V. (2011). History and Evolution of the Unconscious before and after Sigmund Freud. Psychology, 22 (4), 524-543.
Jung, Carl G. The Essential Jung. Introduced and Edited by Anthony Storr. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1983.
Jung, Carl G. Psychological Types. Princeton N. J.: Princeton University Press, 1971. 3, 333. Print.
Firstly, we shall consider Lady Macbeth and Macbeth as they are the two who planned and performed the murder. Although after the witches told Macbeth that he was to be king and he was burning in desire to be so he, on first instance, decided that if fate had determined that he was to be the sovereign of Scotland he shouldn’t try to be reach the throne by his own actions, that it would come eventually: “If Chance will have me king, why, Chance / may crown me, / Without my stir”. However, it was Lady Macbeth who convinced him to slay the king so that he could usurp the throne: “Hie thee hither, / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear”. So we can say that Lady Macbeth has more responsibility on Duncan’s murder than Macbeth himself as she used her position as a wife and a woman to induce his husband to the sin. She knew the “adoration” Macbeth had for her (“My dearest love” referring to Lady Macbeth) and used her status of woman to judge Macbeth a coward if he didn’t kill Duncan. Even though Macbeth holds some blame for not...
Macbeth is a brave general who fights for his country Scotland, defeating the King of Norway. He is loyal to his king Duncan, but Macbeth has ambition to take over the kingdom for himself. He has lots of doubts of if he is doing the right thing, but still murders Duncan and then Banquo who is another general who fought with Macbeth. These murders and guilt about his treason are leading Macbeth to become insane. This essay shows that although Macbeth’s strong desire for power is influenced by the three witches in the play and also the planning and ambition of his wife Lady Macbeth, in the end he is responsible for his self-destruction.
Lloyd Webber’s widely regarded masterpiece Phantom Of The Opera uses key motifs and themes throughout the musical to establish its characters and scenes in an effective manner. Throughout the production the motifs, themes and songs all develop to reflect the changes their respective characters undergo. This is particularly evident when analysing The Phantom, his motifs and songs, and how they develop throughout the story.