Individuation in Media
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Authors
Glines, Cynthia
Issue Date
2002
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The object of this study is to conduct a Jungian interpretation of Euripides' dramatic play Medea and Medea's role in the story of Jason and the Argonauts in terms of Jung's concept of individuation. The resulting discourse will seek to support the role myth plays in understanding the human psyche and provide an understanding of the relevance of myth to psychology. This study offers an interpretation of Medea using the Jungian concept of individuation. The discussion addresses the historical context of Medea as a woman and a foreigner in her relationship to the world of Euripides. This study contends that Medea is the female counterpart of the Greek prototypically male Hero and shows that Greek society marginalized women to such an extent that there was no means by which a woman could individuate without the process becoming deviant. This theory is supported by showing that alchemy, which Jung saw as a metaphor for the individuation process, is embedded in the play.