ARCHETYPAL FIGURES IN MODERN AMERICAN DRAMA

Abstract

Abstract Archetypal criticism assumes that human beings all over the world have basic experiences in common and have developed similar stories and symbols to express these experiences. The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung was the first to use the term archetype to denote plots, characters, and symbols that are recurrent in literature' Among archetypal characters that recur in literature in general and drama in particular are the wanderer and the fallen woman. This study investigates these two figures in modem American drama and finds out the factors that help such figures recur in it. The study consists ofthree chapters and a conclusion: The first chapter is the Introduction which is divided into four sections; the first section explains the concept of archetype according to Jung and some literary critics, the second section deals with the character of the wanderer and tries to trace his figure historically, the third section conveys the archetype of the fallen woman ( prostitute) in different stages , and the fourth section deals with twentieth century American society. In section four, the study also conveys the myth behind the foundation of U'S'A and the circumstances that led to the appearance ofsuch characters' The second chapter deals with the character of the wanderer in four plays;TheEmperorJonesandMarcoMillionsbyEugeneO'Neilland Orpheus Descending and The Night of the lguana by Tennessee williams. This chapter also reveals the common features these characters share. It also shows the parallels between these wanderers and the playwrights themselves. VI vll The third chapter deals with the fallen woman archetype in four plays; Anna Christie and Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill and A Streetcar Named Desire and Summer And Smoke by Tennessee Williams. This chapter investigates the common factors that lead the heroines in the plays into prostitution. It shows the ending of such figures at the hands of representatives of conventional morality. The study also looks for any variation to the archetype and gives the affinities and differences between these archetypes. The conclusion sums up the findings of the study; the similarities and differences between these archetypes and the playwrights' treatment in addition to the close relationship between these archetype and the negative aspect of the American dream.