The Greek Mythological Archetype in Othello

徐驄

Abstract： Shakespeare as a pioneer in the English Renaissance has been profoundly influenced by the ancient Greek culture. Many characters in his works take the archetype from the Greek mythology. Othello， one of his four classical tragedies， can be analyzed by Greek mythological archetypes. There are two mythological archetypes for Desdemona in this play. One of them is Medea and the other is Penelope. This paper aims to make a mythological archetypal analysis on the image of Desdemona as an undetected humanistic soldier.

Key Words： Greek mythological archetype； Desdemona； Medea； Penelope

Greek mythology is the origin of literature. Shakespeare， the worlds greatest dramatist and poets， well uses such precious resources in his great tragedy—Othello. In this tragedy he portrays an angel-like female image， Desdemona. Critics argue that Desdemona has incompatible features like being rebel-submissive， witty-na?ve， eloquent-silent， which bear similarity with the characters in Greek mythology. Her courage for love and rebellion against the patriarchy resemble the spirit of Medea. Her loyalty to husband and submission to marriage bear a likeness to that of Penelope.

However， Shakespeares works are always beyond the exact imitation of the myth. In most cases the good and evil in Greek myths can be easily identified， but the characters created by Shakespeare are more complex and plump. The development and improvement about the myths are the key factors to make Desdemona alive in Othello. Desdemona acts as a victim and a revolutionist at the same time. She can be regarded as a female humanistic soldier who has courage to break the yoke of feudalism and patriarchy.

A. Mythological Archetype of Desdemona——Medea

In the Greek myth， Medea is the daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis. She falls in love with Jason young prince from Iolcus. She secretly helps him to fulfill many difficult tasks for retrieving the Golden Fleece. As depicted in the book： “Jason must yoke two fire-breathing brazen-footed bulls， creations of Hephaestus； plough the Field of Ares and then sow it with the serpents teeth given by Athene” （He 60）. For getting her help， Jason has promised to take her away and marry her. On their way to escape Medea even manages to distract her father by killing her brother. Eventually she elopes with Jason to Greek where is far away from her homeland.

There are some similar characteristics between Medea and Desdemona： rebellious， courageous and intelligent. Desdemonas first presence is to confess her feelings for a black man； she impresses the audience with her courage. She is brave and intelligent——who has the guts to against her father and confesses in public. When Brabantio brings Othello to the duke of Venice for judgment， Desdemona explains everything and keeps Othellos dignity in a proper way. After knowing her husband is going to command a war， Desdemona implores the duke and persuades Othello to allow her company. She says： “That I did love the Moor to live with him/My downright violence and storm of fortunes/May trumpet to the world： my hearts subdued” （Act I Scene III）. Her courage out of deep love and affection is presented again. This action makes her more like Medea who elopes with Jason and the Argonauts， leaving behind her parents and her homeland. They all have a rebellious spirits against the patriarchalsocietyand the passion to pursue love. Although the ending for her is a tragedy， her efforts on fighting for womens rights cannot be ignored.

B.Mythological Archetype of Desdemona——Penelope

As related in Homers Odyssey， the longest homecoming is that of Odysseus. Among all the adventures of him， the love story between Odysseus and Penelope cannot be ignored. Penelope， Odysseuss faithful wife， waits for almost twenty years for his return. After Odysseus goes to the battlefield， she alone takes on the heavy burden to maintain the family and the domestic peace. She is besieged with suitors after many years for Odysseus is presumed dead. These arrogant young lords occupy the palace and compete to marry Penelope for taking over the kingdom. However， Penelope is loyal to Odysseus and tries her best to hold them off for many years. She promises to marry one of them when she finishes weaving a funeral shroud for her father-in-law. In fact， she weaves at daytime and unravels at night. The suitors have finally discovered the trick and force her making a decision. Meanwhile， her husband already returns and investigates secretly. To conceal the information and test the loyalty of Penelope， Odysseus makes up some lies to cover his identity at first. When everything is arranged well， Odysseus kills all the suitors and the traitors with the help of Athene. The cruel scene has not been seen by Penelope because she is hypnotized by the goddess Athene. At last， Odysseus reunites with Penelope， and they live a happy life ever since.

It seems that the romantic myth is nothing like the tragedy Othello. However， the womens characteristics in the two works have something in common. Desdemona is as loyal and pure as Penelope. In the play， Desdemona always wants to be helpful to Othello so she intercedes for Cassio. Only this kind gesture is misunderstood by her husband. Like Penelope who is loyal for marriage and affectionate for husband， Desdemona loves and worships her husband from the first sight to the last breathe. She tries to understand all the bad tempers of her husband， and even if facing Othellos scold and insult she still expresses her feeling like： “Or that I do not yet， and ever did. /And ever will—though he do shake me off/To beggarly divorcement--love him dearly， /Comfort forswear me！ Unkindness may do much” （Act IV Scene II）. The deep love and affection are beyond doubt.

However， love makes a woman blind. In the myth， when Odysseus and Penelope first meet after twenty years， Penelope hasnt recognized him while Odysseuss old nanny knows the truth and she doesnt witness the cruel scene when Odysseus kills the suitors. Desdemona cannot see Othellos rage and suspicion so a Penelope never sees through the lies. She is blind to her husbands cruelty and violence which finally cause her death. At the beginning， Othello confesses that he knows little about this great world except the charge triumphantly into the enemy ranks. However， Desdemona doesnt see his violence but only generosity and masculinity. She trusts her husband deeply and obedient to him mostly. Critics take her as a victim of the patriarchy and a sacrifice of the age. However， she is more than a victim or sacrifice. Silently and tragically， she fights for her rights in a patriarchic society. Her courage and intelligence make the audiences impressed； and her innocence， obedience and femininityarouse the audiences meditation and add more theatricality at the end of the play.

C. Surpassing the Greek Mythology

It can be seen that no matter in ancient Greek myth or the play， women keep struggling and fighting for their happiness and their identity. It is claimed： “Literary works based on Greek mythology have not only added meaning and connotation to the profound English literature， but also enriched the repository of English literary works” （Zhang 89）. Unlike ancient Greek myth， later works based on it take the temporal social backgrounds into consideration. Therefore， the characters in them not only have the same traits with the mythological figures， but also have more sensitive feelings or paradoxical personality. It is said that： “the ancient Greek myth is a euphemistic expression of free will， self consciousness and the libido” （Zhao 241）. By recreating the Greek myths writers can propagandize the humanistic spirit， the confidence about mortal power and the praise on innovation. Based on the mythological archetype， Shakespeare adds more conflicts and struggles on characters personality. As a humanistic soldier， Desdemona fights for herself with her morality—innocence， kindness and femininity. The death of the male characters may be regarded as the shaking of the patriarchal society. She uses her morality and virtues as a powerful weapon to arouse peoples meditation. The character comes from the myth， but surpasses the mythical archetype.

D. Conclusion

Archetype in works like an undercurrent， secretly promotes narration toward the mysterious objects. The most original and most simple mode can be revealed by stripping the package of the era and through the scene performing on the stage. Desdemona is created in both mythical and realistic context： she comes out from the mythical curtain and acts on the real life stage. The myth is the skeleton， the reality is the flesh and blood， as we strip off the cover of reality， the body of the old myth is revealed. The ancient Greek mythological elements permeate in the tragedy of Shakespeare. By both the explicit nature and implicit nature of archetype， readers can get the enlightenment of reality， and at the same time restore the character into the world of myth.

References

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