Essay on Examples of the Shadow Archetype in Famous...

Anger, selfishness, violent tendencies, the quest for uncontrollable power, and sexual desires are all undesirable traits which are frowned upon by society, and are concealed to avoid scrutiny. These traits can be referred to as ones shadow. The shadow is the repressed unconscious side of a personality (The Shadow Archetype). The shadow is considered to be a dark force because it consists of all the negative emotions and behaviors of an individual that they choose to hide in order to avoid society’s pressing judgment. In literature, the shadow can carry negative or evil qualities, as seen in many texts that revolve around a character’s struggle with some form of a shadow. The shadow, whether a physical being or a darkness within, grows in†¦show more content†¦In A Wizard of Earthsea, Ged’s first meeting with his shadow was a terrifying experience, especially as a child. Ged’s shadow is released as a result of performing an evil spell that puts his flawed traits into a physical form. The evil trait that was released as his shadow was Ged’s disobedience, because he went against his master, Ogion, and performed a spell. Ged’s shadow is first seen in a dark, demonic form. Their first real confrontation was described by one of Ged’s friends witnessing their encounter: ‘†So only he saw the lump of shadow that clung the Ged, tearing at his flesh. It was like a black beast, the size of a young child, †¦ and it had no head or face, only the four taloned paws with which it gripped and tore’†(Le Guin, 67). The shadow that Ged released tried to kill the light in Ged, but was stopped before it could. For the rest of his adult life, the shadow lurked in the background, constantly being a burden. In order for him to shake this daemon off of his back, he had to face his fear and confront it. What Beowulf did in the epic, Beowulf, was confront his evil daemon head on. The monster that Beowulf confronted was called Grendel. Grendel is a monster that lashes out on the Danes, but then is eventually stopped by Beowulf. Grendel’s name means â€Å"grinder† and â€Å"storm†, and Grendel lives up to his name as he invades the Mead Hall and attacks the innocent (Meeting the Shadow in Beowulf). Grendel is a symbol ofShow MoreRelatedArchetypal Literary Criticism Essay1614 Words   |  7 PagesLiterary Criticism, there is an idea that believes that Archetypes make up literature’s meaning. The concept of Archetypes in literature has been the subject of extensive examination in Literary Criticism. â€Å"Criticism can be broken down into two broad categories: evaluative and interpretive† (Gardner 1287). The criticism is based on Literary Theory, which is composed of ideas that help interpret, and analyze literature. 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