Archetypes in Music

      The other day I began to realize how prevalent archetypes and elements of the hero’s journey are in nearly every aspect of life, including most of the music to which we listen.   When contemplating what to write this blog on, I realized that the very songs I was listening to are filled with archetypes and elements of the hero’s journey.  

      The two songs I have selected to analyze are both well known and had reached the top of the music industry charts about forty five years apart.  The first is Bad Romance by Lady Gaga and the second Yesterday by The Beatles.  The two songs are contrary although they both deal with the same and most powerful topic of love.  Bad Romance is very upbeat, fast and demanding for a lover, while Yesterday is much slower with a soft almost melancholy melody.  The singer Paul McCartney is reminiscing over a lost lover.   

     The melodies and lyrics to the two songs can be found at the following websites:

Bad Romance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVnSV6jvraE&feature=fvst

Yesterday:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNnaxGFO18o

Bad Romance-  

      The topic of the song is that Lady Gaga is in search for the perfect man to love.  She is willing to sacrifice anything, including her life, in order to be loved profusely by a certain man who is portrayed as devil like.  Lady Gaga is embarking on an archetypal journey throughout the song as she is on a frantic search for the perfect lover, who in her eyes will ensure a “bad romance”.  The song Bad Romance does not encompass the stages of a hero’s journey; however, it does include some characteristics of the hero’s journey.  Lady Gaga is slightly monstrous in regards to her mad desire for love throughout the song and yearns for a perfect lover to restore her happiness.  The man she is infatuated with is also monstrous, although she views him as perfect.  Subsequently, on her journey to find love she encounters a monstrous man.  As Lady Gaga pines for love her loyal band companions assist her by playing a very upbeat pop tune.  The entire song is a stirring speech towards the man she loves.  In the speech she communicates her incredible love to him and just how desperate she is to be with him in a “bad romance”.    The man Lady Gaga is insanely in love with is a male tempter, as he is characterized by sensational handsomeness.  He has driven Lady Gaga into madness which has resulted in her becoming overwhelmed with desperation.  Throughout the song the male tempter is slowly leading Gaga to her down fall and he can be interpreted as a devil figure that controls Lady Gaga’s soul.   As the song ends Lady Gaga begins to realize that she is only fantasizing and will never have her much wanted “bad romance”.  

Yesterday –

      The topic of the song is simple: that we must cherish want we have in the present as happiness is not ever lasting.  The singer Paul McCartney is reminiscing about how fortunate he was yesterday and how he now “longs for yesterday” and its happiness.  Paul McCartney is embarking on an archetypal journey as he yearns for yesterday.  He on a quest to restore the love and joy he previously had, this is demonstrated through the lyrics and melancholy tune.  Unlike Bad Romance, Yesterday does incorporate a stage of the hero’s journey.  The initiation of the song occurs when his love is lost for a reason unbeknownst to him.  Paul McCartney enters a new world, a world filled with pining for love and regret.  The characteristics of the Hero’s Journey in Yesterday are abundant.  The singer yearns for a beautiful woman who made him happy, in the song it is either his deceased mother or a girlfriend who he is no longer with.  Paul McCartney is struggling to regain joy and climb out from the depths of misery his band of companions accompany him by playing a melancholy tune.  As the song ends Paul McCartney announces that he needs a “place to hide away for I believe in yesterday” he comes to a decision that he will remain solitary in his misery and continues to reminisce about the pleasures of yesterday.  

Interestingly the melody of the song “Yesterday” came to Paul McCartney in a dream.   As he didn’t have lyrics, just the melancholy feeling to the song, he wrote the lyrics using a story that we all know, one of lost love, filled with heroic archetypes.  Although Lady Gaga’s song deals with the same topic she composed a strange, twisted and insane love story.  Typical for her, she made deliberate efforts to be different.  She did not follow the hero’s journey but did manage to incorporate heroic archetypes.  Yesterday and Bad Romance are just two songs I happened to hear today.  Subsequently, upon closer listening to other songs I was surprised to learn how prevalent archetypes and elements of the Hero’s Journey are in our everyday music.  

Have you discovered any archetypes in aspects of life that surprised you?

Is Mythology influencing economics?

      In my travels to Greece, Turkey and Italy I learned a small amount on the topic of mythology.  These past months in English class I have begun to realize how prevalent Greek mythology is in our modern day society. The gods and goddesses, thousands of years old, influence our everyday life and decisions. Despite their temples being weathered and falling into decay, how is it that their legacies live on?  Why do their names still bear connotation to powerful images?
      Many products, methods of transport and sports teams have names with origins in Greek mythology. The names of the gods and goddesses still hold power. Through time later cultures have learned to cherish Greek mythology.  The myths are widely known, subsequently we can associate a certain name with a negative or positive connotation.  

These are just a few of the many companies, products, transportation methods and sports teams with names derived from Greek mythology.

AEGIS - Aegis served as Zeus and Athena’s everlasting strong protective shield. Subsequently, when a Security and Risk Management company was born it was named Aegis. With such a bold and strong name consumers would be sure to instill their trust in the security organization. Aegis currently protects numerous governments worldwide as well as many important corporations.

AJAX – Ajax was once a great warrior in the battle of Troy, he dominated over the opposition and lead Greece to victory.  A common house hold cleaner, Ajax, has been named after this mythological hero. The name bears a positive connotation as consumers will associate the cleaner to be victorious and destroy the germs and bacteria plaguing our homes. Furthermore Ajax is a professional soccer team based in Amsterdam; opposition associates the name with skilled players who will dominate.

MARS – Mars is the roman name for Ares, the Greek god of war.  Ares was strong and never short of energy.  Mars candy bars, or energy bars, have been named for the mythological god of war.  The name of the product bears a positive connotation as Ares or Mars was a heroic god, this prompts consumers to purchase the product as it will make them feel god like.  

 MIDAS – In Greek mythology King Midas obtained a golden touch and subsequently gained great wealth. Surely we have all heard of the slogan “Just the Midas touch” belonging to the car repair company Midas. The name Midas encourages consumers to use Midas car repair.  Regardless of what is wrong with the car the Midas workers have a “golden touch” and will be able to fix it.

NIKE – Nike was the Greek winged goddess of victory.  A common brand of sports clothing, that we most likely all own, is named Nike.  By naming the company Nike consumers are prompted to purchase the product as it is associated with victory.

PANDORA -   In Greek mythology Pandora was the first woman Zeus created.  Zeus gave Pandora a box filled with mystery with the order to never open it. When she opened the box all evil was released into the world, although the counterpart, hope remained present.  The jewelry company Pandora has chosen this namesake as it suggests great beauty and an idea of temptation.

PHOENIX -   In numerous cultures, including Greek mythology, the Phoenix bird lives to a ripe old age and is reborn.  By naming a company, sports team or space ship phoenix it suggests that they have been reborn.  The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team in Arizona, they have changed the team numerous times, suggesting a rebirth, hence the name Phoenix. NASA has named its Mars Lander Phoenix, as the current Lander was created after the deaths or failures of many other Lander projects.  The new Mars Lander, Phoenix was re born.  A little closer to home, in Sherwood Park a club soccer team named Phoenix F.C. exists. The previous Sherwood Park soccer club, the Rangers, ceased to exist and from its remains a new club, Phoenix F.C, was created.     

VENUS - Venus is the roman name for the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Numerous beauty products are named Venus, such as Venus razors, face wash, make up and many others. The name Venus bears a positive connotation to beauty which every woman years to have.   

Me and the goddess Nike at Ephesus, Turkey

The names of the mythological gods and goddesses affect our decisions as consumers: which sounds better buying a house cleaner named “Sally” (an average person) or a cleaner named “Ajax” (a strong victorious hero)?

What are some companies you know that have names derived from Greek mythology? What do those names mean?  After thousands of years why do the Greek gods still influence us?  

Sleeping Beauty- How has the story changed you?

As a young girl the tale of Sleeping Beauty was my favorite story.  I re-enacted scenes countless times, dressed as a princess, dreamed for prince charming to awake me and even contemplated changing my name to Aurora.  When reminiscing I realized that the story of Sleeping Beauty is in fact rich with archetypes and elements of a heroic journey.

To summarize the tale of Sleeping Beauty:

The King and his wife gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Princess Aurora, to celebrate her birth they hosted a grand party where Maleficent the evil sorceress was not invited. The three Good Fairies, Flora, and Fauna bestowed the gifts of beauty and song. However, before Merryweather could bestow her gift, Maleficent arrived and cast a spell, promising that when Aurora turns 16, she would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and die. Merryweather used her 'gift' to possibly reduce the power off Maleficent's spell. Through Merryweathers ‘gift,' Aurora will not die, but only lay in sleep, until kissed by her true love.

In order to hide Princess Aurora from Maleficent, the three fairies assumed fake identities as peasant women; the fairies hide their magic and change their appearances, appearing as peasant women. The three persuaded the King and Queen that they would hide Aurora until she turned 16 they took her to an abandoned woodcutter's cottage.

           As Aurora's 16th birthday approached, the people of the Kingdom rejoiced.  Princess Aurora had grown into a beautiful young woman and been betrothed to Prince Philip.  Prince Phillip met Aurora in the forest by happenstance, they danced and immediately fall in love.  Although neither Aurora nor Phillip knows that they are set to marry. Maleficent finds Aurora’s whereabouts via her raven Diablo. The fairies and Aurora head to the castle where Aurora is to be reunited with her family. Unfortunately Maleficent opens a secret passage in the castle room, and Aurora, under a trance, follows a floating green orb through the passageway. When the three fairies enter the room, they find Aurora following the green light. Aurora pricked her finger on an enchanted spinning wheel, and dropped to the floor in a deep sleep, only Prince Philip has the power to awaken her.

         Outside in the castle courtyard, the kingdom prepares to welcome the Princess home. However, in a tower room, the three fairies placed the sleeping Aurora on a bed.  Flora put the entire Kingdom to sleep to spare them from disappointment.  Hoping to find Prince Philip to awaken Aurora, the fairies set off through the forest, only to find that Maleficent has captured Philip.  Then Flora, Fauna and Merryweather sneak into Maleficent’s castle where they find Philip imprisoned.  The fairies rescue Philip and arm him with the 'Shield of Virtue,' and the 'Sword of Truth.'  With his new weapons, and the fairies' help, Phillip rides toward King Stephen's castle.

         Maleficent attempts to murder Prince Phillip with lightning bolts, but the 'Shield of Virtue' deflects them. Before he can reach the castle, her magic creates a forest of thorns that surrounds the structure. Phillip survives and cuts his way through a wall of thorns with the 'Sword of Truth.'  Maleficent transforms herself into a dragon which Philip slays.

          With evil vanquished, Phillip rushes to Aurora's bedside and with his kiss awakens her and the entire kingdom.  The two then share a dance as their parents and the three fairies watch them marry and live happily ever after.

The classic tale of Sleeping Beauty encompasses numerous archetypes and elements of the hero’s journey.

Prince Phillip is the prince charming (or lover) hero in the tale of Sleeping Beauty.  He endures the evil Maleficent’s challenges with the motivation to reach his true love and the damsel in distress, Princess Aurora.

The archetypal journey the hero of Sleeping Beauty, Prince Philip, embarks on is a search for love.  In order to live happily ever after with his true love Princess Aurora, he must first save her from the deep sleep.

Stages of the hero’s journey

Departure   

Prince Phillip is called to adventure when he learns of the spell that has been cast on Princess Aurora.  He eagerly accepts the adventure as Phillip is determined to save Princess Aurora from the deep sleep.      

Initiation

The naïve Prince Philip crosses a bridge in to a new mature world when he falls in love with Aurora.  His over whelming love for Aurora leads him into danger.  

Road of Trials/ Innermost Cave

The antagonist, Maleficent tests Prince Philip’s strength and determination.  Maleficent does this by hurling dangerous lightning bolts at him, which the ‘Shield of Virtue’ (given supernatural powers by the good fairies) the shield deflects the powerful strikes of evil.  When Philip survives the wrath of lightning Maleficent uses her wicked powers to conjure up a wall of thorns.  But alas the ‘Sword of Truth’ slices through the dangerous thorns.  Finally Maleficent transforms herself into a menacing dragon which Philip defeats with aid from the sword of virtue.  At the end of the battle Philip triumphs and Maleficent is killed.  Philip demonstrated his maturity and strength, thus adding to his redeeming qualities as prince charming.       

Return and Reintegration with Society   

With evil vanquished as Maleficent is slain, the Kingdom receives the ideal fairy tale future of living happily ever after…  

Heroic Characteristics of Prince Philips Journey

-Prince Philip is incredibly naïve as he has never experienced the harsh reality of life.  His naivety lessens as he fights against the evil and monstrous Maleficent.  As Philip is sacrificing his life he yearns to be with his true love Aurora.  Subsequently her astonishing beauty inspires Philip to put forth all effort in his fight against Maleficent.  Prince Philip is battling against evil to awaken Aurora and an entire kingdom.  With the help from the three fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, Philip is able to defeat evil.

Situational Archetypes

-The battle between good and evil is a dominate component of the fairy tale.  The protagonist and hero, Philip battles against Maleficent with aims to vanquish all evil.  The task that had been bestowed upon Prince Philip was nearly impossible, subsequently he received help from three good fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather.  They presented Philip with the magical ‘Sword of Truth’ and ‘Shield of Virtue’. The weapons were blessed to never break and assist Philip to slay the uttermost evil.  

Meaning of Names

Individual’s names bear great significant to their identity.  For example, in a fairy tale a character with a menacing name is portrayed as an evil character who immediately demonstrates negative qualities.  A character with a kind and gentle name or a bold and confident name will live up to their name.  In the tale of sleeping beauty this is evident.

Maleficent:  Producing of evil or wickedness.  Maleficent created misery and toil, with her wicked powers.

Diablo (Maleficent’s raven): Diablo is the name of the devil.  The raven is filled with evil and is, subsequently, devil like.

Aurora:  Sunrise or dawn.  Aurora’s awakening leads to a new dawn of a kingdom.  Furthermore dawn and sunrise have positive connotations’, and foreshadow that Aurora will instigate a positive change.

Phillip:  Warrior and lover of horses. Phillip is a strong and determined warrior to fight against the evil of Maleficent.  The horse, Samson, is a dear companion to Philip.

Flora:  Flowering.  Flora, the good fairy cloaked in red, is bursting with magic.  The name Flora bares a positive connotation to fertility and wealth.

Fauna:  Goddess of fertility.  Fauna, a good fairy cloaked in green bears good judgment and has the power to produce positive magic.  The name Fauna bares a positive connotation to prosperity and justice.

Merryweather:  Sunny, happy and filled with good intentions.  Merryweather, the third good fairy dons a blue cloak, she is filled with optimism and joy.  The name Merryweather bares a positive connotation to a bright future.

   

It is fascinating to see the abundance of archetypes and plot of a hero’s journey in simple fairy tales.  Sleeping Beauty has been my favorite tale for as long as I can remember, although I never saw many of the archetypes through my naivety.  For years I lived with the archetypes floating in my dreams.  I had planned a future life for myself where I would be a princess and awoken by prince charming daily. I dreamed that like Princess Aurora I would wear intricate dresses, I dreamed that my home would be a castle and no evil would be present in the world.  The tale of Sleeping Beauty resulted in me setting impossible standards for my life. I was devastated when I realized I was living a fantasy.  At least I realized this when I was young…    

Do you think young children understand these archetypes?  In what way do fairy tales influence an individual’s identity?

Due Date - An Archetype Filled Journey

Due Date

Are archetypes present in every movie?

                Over the weekend my brother and I watched the movie “Due Date”  for shear enjoyment.  I fully admit that the movie “Due Date” is neither appropriate nor educational.  I realized that despite its bad qualities it encompasses numerous symbolic archetypes.  The enjoyment that came from the film was derived from the simplicity of the archetypes, along with humorous events.

To summarize the movie:

A very sophisticated architect, Peter, is attempting to arrive in Los Angeles for the birth of his child. While enroute Peter encounters a naïve man, Ethan Tremblay (or Chase) who is an aspiring actor holding beliefs contrary to his own.   Due to Ethan’s idiocy Peter is placed on a no-fly list, furthermore he is separated from all his possessions, including his money and identification.  As Peter has no means of travel he is compelled to catch a ride with the penniless, drug addicted and insane Ethan to travel across the U.S.A.  On their journey the pair encounters numerous road blocks including:  a serious car accident, Ethan accidentally shooting Peter, and fleeing from Mexican police.  Furthermore Ethan instills doubt in Peter that his expecting wife has been unfaithful.  Throughout the journey the two opposite men are forced to spend time together and to overcome various obstacles.  When they finally reach their destination on time the pair has become unlikely friends. 

Although “Due Date” is a crude comedy it includes symbolic archetypes as well as object archetypes.

Symbolic Archetypes

·         Light vs. Darkness

- All evil or negative events occur under the cover of darkness.

Ethan’s heavy use of marijuana while driving in a sealed car results in Peter becoming drugged. Under the influence of drugs Peter hallucinates.  In the hallucination Peter sees Ethan as a dark frightening wolf or bear like creature.  This is symbolic of Ethan’s ignorant, idiotic and evil qualities.

·         Water vs. Desert

-          Ethan and Peter are attempting to drive across the U.S.A. from Atlanta to Los Angeles.  The pair encounters deserts, bodies of water and rainstorms on their journey.

When driving across the desert, all hope is seemingly lost and Peter fears he will not arrive in Los Angeles for the birth of his child.  Furthermore the desert is symbolic of brutal honesty, as it is difficult place for human survival.   At the Grand Canyon in an area bare of vegetation, Peter confesses to Ethan that he attempted to abandon him.  When Ethan reluctantly reveals that he has Peter’s wallet in his possession Peter looses sanity and physically attacks Ethan.

On their journey Ethan and Peter are forced to spend the night at a rest stop in a rain storm.  Ethan and Peter begin to understand each other and the strong hate between them lessens.  The strength of the rain increases as the two men begin to cooperate but the harmony is very short lived due to Ethan’s obscene actions.   

·         Heaven vs. Hell

Ethan and Peter initially met when Ethan’s friend nearly killed Peter with his car.  Upon the near death experience Ethan announced:

 “My father always had a saying, when a day starts like this. It’s all uphill from here”  

Peter: “Uphill? No, it’s all downhill from here”

Ethan: “But nobody wants to be down, everybody wants to be up. It’s all uphill from here. “

Peter: “But it’s easier to go downhill. So your dad had no idea what… he was talking about”

The seemingly idiotic uphill, downhill argument immediately revealed the personalities of Ethan and Peter.  Ethan is portrayed as naïve childish and overly friendly while Peter is a concealed, easily aggravated and intelligent person.   The uphill and downhill components of the argument can be symbolic of heaven and hell.  As “But nobody wants to be down (in a hellish mood), everybody wants to be up (feeling godly) ...”

·         Haven vs. Wilderness

After Ethan and Peter were in a nearly fatal car accident where Peter suffered a broken arm, Peter’s friend Darryl brought the pair to his home.  Darryl’s house acted similar to a haven as it is a sane and clean place contrary to the places Peter and Ethan had experienced.  Darryl’s haven sheltered Ethan and Peter for a short time. The visit ended abruptly when they accidentally drank the ashes of Ethan’s deceased father and Ethan accused Darryl of having an affair with Peter’s wife.

COULOR ARCHTYPES   

·         Black- Both Ethan’s and Peter’s sun glasses were completely black.  This is symbolic of how mysterious and unknown the main characters are to the viewers.  The black sky represents mystery and the unknown.  When under the influence of drugs Peter sees black with small flecks of white light in his hallucinations.  This represents possible death and the evilness of drugs.

·         Red – When Ethan accidentally shoots Peter a large amount of red blood is shed.  Blood is representative of physical life and spirituality.  Peter’s life and spiritual being weakens with the loss of blood.  Ethan clearly has a type of disorder which causes him to act in a very childish manner.  Ethan’s disorder is represented by the color red.  The red sun rises and sunset represents the birth of new thoughts and the passing of time.  Red also represents the excitement and suspense of the journey.  The red coffee can that was holding ashes of Ethan’s father was symbolically red because it was sentimental to Ethan.  

·         Green - Ethan is green with envy when he realizes Peter has a close friend (Darryl) who is willing to do him a favor.  Furthermore Ethan is envious of Peter’s wife, as she is attractive and kind.  The rolling green fields are symbolic of the hope that both Ethan and Peter will be home quickly and safely.

·         White – Peter’s drug induced hallucinations were mainly black with streaks of white light. The white light among the black is symbolic of hope and mortality. Darryl’s white high end SUV and the white border police car symbolize mortality, as does the shirt that Peter is wearing throughout the film.  

·         Orange – The Grand Canyon is composed of orange rocks that symbolize pride and egotistical beliefs.  The incredibly egocentric Peter beats up Ethan due to Peter’s immense build up of stress and frustration and the belief that everything revolves around him.  Ethan’s desire to make his father proud is portrayed at the Grand Canyon against a vivid background of orange.  

·         Blue- A clear blue sky is representative of a clear and obstacle free journey. The bright blue sky juxtaposes against the reality of Ethan’s and Peter’s journey.

Object Archetypes

·          Shadows- Shadows are constantly present in “Due Date” they first appear when Ethan appears in the movie.  The shadows symbolize Ethan’s negative presence and foretell that he will only cause bad events.

·         Bridge- Ethan carelessly fell asleep while behind the wheel which lead to both Ethan and Peter driving off a bridge.  Peter suffered a broken arm and Ethan walked away unscathed from the near fatal accident.  Bridges are symbolic of changes or transformations. The change subsequent to the accident was that Peter detested Ethan even more.

·         Right hand- Peter is a very sanctimonious man who is naturally right handed.  When he has a car accident his right arm is broken and is forced to become left handed.  The change renders him slightly move devious.  

Are archetypes present in every story? 

In what way are symbolic and object archetypes significant in our own lives?