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Shakespeare's sonnet 144 I don't know whether it's a good idea to write this entry here or not, but I felt like doing so! It's a very informal note upon Shakespeare's sonnet 144 from Jung's psychological point of view (anima and animus). If you're a fan of either Shakespeare or Jung and find my entry sheer rubbish, please don't get mad at me! Because I've just recently read a few Shakespeare's sonnets!! No technical information!!! Thank you! Shakespeare's sonnet number 144 has been interpreted in terms of its historical context, phycology, etc. to date. However, in this paper I will discuss the poem based upon two important archetypes in Jung's analytical school of psychology: anima and animus. Anima is the female part in men and animus is the male part in women. These archetypes are formed in everybody's character by the influence of the parents and are subject to change due to the social or personal circumstances. In addition, the unity of these archetypes results in a kind of human completion. Sonnet 144 is one of Shakespeare's rare sonnets referred to two characters: a male and a female. In the very first line, the poet mentions that he has two loves tempting him all the time. He refers to the male one as the 'better angle' and a 'really fair man', while the female is the 'worse spirit' and 'female evil' tempting his better side to hell. It could be implied she draws him towards sexuality. Hence, the fair man can be identified as the poet's conscious self, whereas the female evil can be the female inner personality of poet i.e. anima. In the second quatrain, the poet again emphasises the fact that the female challenges "his purity with her foul pride", which again could indicate her sexuality or seduction. Accordingly, a conflict between the conscious and unconscious inner part of the speaker is tangible throughout the poem. In the third quatrain, he confesses three facts. Firstly, he suspects his male personality will turn to a cruel and unpleasant person by the dark lady (his anima). He guesses that his anima will be the hell for his young man but he is not quite certain about his assertion. Secondly, the fair man and the dark lady are both part of him. Thirdly, he will live in doubt until his bad side destroys his good side. Therefore, the sonnet closes in suspense and tension. The conflict is undone and the conclusion is uncertain.
Nov 1, 2014 9:44 AM
Corrections · 2
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I won't comment on the Jungian interpretation, but I wanted to point out that you made the very common mistake of confusing 'angle' with 'angel'. Angle is pronounced [ang-guh l], and is equivalent (I think) to the Persian زاويه        

 

Nerdy trivia:

 

Shakespeare used 'better angels' in Othello too, and this expression became famous in English when our president Abraham Lincoln used it in his first inaugural speech to address the Civil War:

 

"I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature"

 

This is one of the most famous lines in the history of American political speeches. It has entered common English usage to mean the better part of human nature, the part that tries to do the good and moral thing. In fact, it was the title of a best-selling book last year about violence and discrimination, The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker.

 

 

November 1, 2014
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