Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
The characterizations in The Tempest resemble the archetypes of the
collective unconscious and appear to gather their momentum from
Shakespeare's understanding of the individuation process. In depicting
the unfolding dynamics of psychic change, the playwright anticipates
Jung's theory of individuation by showing the compensatory influence
these numinous figures have on the characters' conscious orientations
as they move from separation to subsequent union. The characters'
agitated and irrational responses to the archetypal manifestations
are a reflection of the psychic division characteristic of the individuating
mind. Harmony and reason are achieved as the characters
heal their division by integrating the conscious contents of their
projections. This enlarging of the personality and broadening of
collective relationships transform The Tempest into a variation on the
quest for individuation offering a psychic stage for the Jungian notions
of process and renewal.
collective unconscious and appear to gather their momentum from
Shakespeare's understanding of the individuation process. In depicting
the unfolding dynamics of psychic change, the playwright anticipates
Jung's theory of individuation by showing the compensatory influence
these numinous figures have on the characters' conscious orientations
as they move from separation to subsequent union. The characters'
agitated and irrational responses to the archetypal manifestations
are a reflection of the psychic division characteristic of the individuating
mind. Harmony and reason are achieved as the characters
heal their division by integrating the conscious contents of their
projections. This enlarging of the personality and broadening of
collective relationships transform The Tempest into a variation on the
quest for individuation offering a psychic stage for the Jungian notions
of process and renewal.
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