Anima/Animus and Wise Old Man in Six Characters in Search of an Author

Abstract

The word ‘archetype’ is derived from the Greek words arche meaning ‘first’ and type meaning ‘imprint’ or ‘pattern’. Actually, the archetypes are like deposits of experiences that have been frequently repeated in the history of human beings. They are present in all humans from birth. They can be represented in dreams, fantasies, or as a story, as a pattern or image such as mandala, or as an archetypal or mythical character. Jung believes that the archetypes are not memories of past experiences but are forms without content that represent a certain kind of perception and action. They offer a kind of preparation to produce similar mythical ideas again and again. Jung discovers that, since we have different cultures with different people, we have different kinds of archetypes – some known, many others yet to be discovered. In this regards, in the followings the archetypes Anima/Animus and Wise Old Man are discussed in Six Characters in Search of an Author to show how the question of reality, illusion and the oxymoron illusive reality as a major theme haunts Pirandello`s play. Keywords: Jung, Anima, Animus, Wise Old Man, Pirandello