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Archetypes In The Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, And Antigone

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The archetype (in Jungian psychology) is a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors, and is supposed to be present in the collective unconscious; basically this means that human beings have subconsciously passed down human stereotypes from generation to generation. This can be used to explain the striking resemblance between many stories all through time; it can be based on plot, characters, or even passing symbols. The resemblance between characters can be seen in the three Greek plays The Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, and Antigone, which share the archetypal characteristics of a hero, sage, and villain.
The hero: In the plays The Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, and Antigone the heroes face torturous journeys that put their will power to the test. In The Odyssey, the hero is Odysseus, king of Ithaca. He is a hero because he “saves” his beloved wife from the suitors that yearn for her (the wife, Penelope’s) hand as well as Odysseus’ thrown; he does this through a battle that ends …show more content…

The Odyssey would not have existed without the rage that Poseidon spew at Odysseus, and once Odysseus returned home, there would have been no conflict to glorify the reunion of the Ithacan royal family without the long over-due defeat of the dreaded suitors. In Oedipus Rex, there wouldn’t have been a plot if Oedipus hadn’t, though unknowingly, committed both patricide and incest. “Alas, alas. It’s all come out so clearly. Light, let me see the last of you now, surrounded by those I ought to avoid—born from them, living with them, killing them.” His guilt will lead to his self-declared exile, leaving the reader to wonder if he was really a hero, or a villain. In Antigone, the villain is much clearer. Creon, the new king, is filled with anger, and declares that his niece, Antigone, should “Go join them, then; if you must have your love, find it in hell!” therefore sentencing her to

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