A Jungian Archetypal Analysis On Christy Mahon In The Playboy Of The Western World

John Millington Synge(1871-1909)was one of the greatest playwrights during Irish Renaissance.There were six representative plays in his short life,among which The Playboy of the Western World(1907)was his most controversial and successful comedy.It centers on the protagonist Christy Mahon who is transformed from a boastful villain to a self-conscious hero.Due to its surprising plot and its distinguished characteristics,many critics at home and abroad analyzed this play from the perspective of dramatic skills,dramatic language and the Irishness in the play,but few scholars paid attention to the characters' psychological changes in the play.Therefore,this thesis believes that it is necessary to enrich and expand the research in this regard,aiming to facilitate readers better understand the psychological changes of the protagonist.This thesis aims at analyzing Christy Mahon's individualized growth process from four images such as Anima,Shadow,Persona,and Transformation,which have significant impact on human personality in Jungian archetypal theory.The main body of this thesis focuses on Chapter Two,Chapter Three and Chapter Four.Chapter Two expounds how Anima freed Christy Mahon from the infatuation of Mother Complex,and how he learned the true meaning of love from Pegeen Mike.Chapter Three applies the archetypal images of Shadow and Persona to analyze Christie Mahon's motive of patricide and the truth of constantly making up lies.Chapter Four interprets the essential reason why Christy Mahon left County Mayo and went to the Western world by applying the archetype of Transformation.The “Western World” refers not only to the specific west of Ireland,but also to the individual spiritual world of self-redemption.The revival of Irish culture is inseparable from every Irish man or woman with a clear self-awareness.