Film & Television

Apr23

Film & Television is one of the first forms of media I think of when attempting to find the Good Mother archetype. Many of us watch television everyday and are eager to see the new movies that premiere each weekend. The hit show Glee and the Madea Goes to Jail have characters that fit the description of the Good Mother. The list below follows the Good Mother from classic sitcoms to current films. What other movies and television shows showcase the Good Mother archetype?

Literature

Apr23

The Good Mother makes an appearance in literature. From classical texts to modern or more popular texts, the mother-figure appears on the pages of our favorite books. These mothers go through great leaps to protect their children. Some sacrifice their lives to defend their children while others sacrifice their images. It is a thrill to read what lengths the mothers take to assure their offsprings are safe and successful.

Webliography

Apr23

Theater

Apr23

As an English and Theater double major, it was imperative that I searched for representatives of the Good Mother in the theater realm.  Theater is an imitation of life, which means that the Good Mother is present in real life. The following examples provide a nice range of time from Shakespeare to Lynn Nottage. Whether attempting to find a suitable husband for her child or supplying her children with financial support, the Good Mother has a strong presence in plays. Caring, supportive, protective, and loving, it is not very difficult to recognize the Good Mothers in plays from the past or present.

Music

Apr22

The Good Mother archetype can even be found in music. Many artists of different genres often dedicate songs to their mothers. From rap to pop to rhythm and blues, musicians have written lyrics that categorize the women in their personal lives as the Good Mother. The lines in the music describe their mothers as caring, supportive figures, who have sacrifice much to assure that their children succeed. The following list of songs only skims the surface of the hundreds of songs that show appreciation for the Good Mother.

Living for Prosperity or Honor in The Mahabharata and The Iliad

Apr22

In the epics, The Mahabharata and The Iliad, the warriors were ranked highly in society and received much respect.  A warrior needed to be more than just a fighter or soldier.  Many factors contributed to what makes a great warrior, such as courage, strength, power, goodness, and connection with the gods.  The warriors’ successes and victories led to much praise and honor from the citizens of their communities.  In fact, warriors received so much glory from the general public that warriors were often selected as kings to rule over the land.  Although both epics included outstanding warriors and kings who endured strenuous journeys, the warriors in The Mahabharata worried less about the adoration and esteem that stemmed from their role as warriors than those in The Iliad.

The warriors fought over power, but the warriors in The Mahabharata, particularly the Pandavas, accepted their loss of power without too much complaint or grievance unlike the warriors in The Iliad.  Over a game of dice, the Pandavas loss their kingship, which means the amount of adoration and praise they received would decrease.  Although the Pandavas still had quite a following after their defeat, they eventually were left in exile alone.  The brothers grieved, but Saunaka, one of the wise men, helped them understand the notion of ridding of materialistic desires, such as admiration from others.  “He expounded a philosophy of acceptance and resignation, of getting beyond appearances to the core of reality, where one could understand the ephemeral nature of wealth, youth, beauty, and possessions” (72).  They accepted their losses and turned their attention to kinship and family.  On the other hand, in The Iliad, the Greek warriors quickly fought to regain their power after losing one of their most prized possessions, Helen.  Paris, a Trojan warrior, stole Helen from Menelaus, a Greek warrior, because she was the most beautiful woman in the land.  By stealing Helen, he attained power and praise, which revealed his value of materialism.  However, Paris was not the only solder to value materialism greatly, because the Greeks immediately engaged in war to whisk Helen back to the Greek side.  If Helen would return to the Greeks, the Achaeans would repossess and reclaim their ownership of her.  In Book I, Akhilleus spoke of their value of materialism.  “I had no quarrel with Troy…No, no we joined for you, you insolent boor, to please you, fighting for your brother’s sake and yours, to get revenge upon the Trojans.  You overlook this…and now in the end you threaten to take my girl, a prize I sweated for, and soldiers gave me” (11).  He described the girl as a “prize,” as opposed to a lover or woman.  Their standards for acclaim and awards, through worldly possessions, did not waver throughout the epic, which ultimately caused a rift in their relationships.

The Greeks valued clanship less than the Pandavas, because the Greeks enjoyed the amount of respect they could receive from braving the dangers of war more than the honor they could receive from their fellow soldiers.  Akhilles and Agamemnon obtained approbation after stealing Khryseis from the priest Khryses in order to seek revenge on the Trojans for the capture of Helen.  But when Agamemnon decided to return Khryseis to her home, Akhilles disagreed and retreated from the war.  He believed he would lose honor by returning the princess to her rightful home, and he sacrificed not only his relationship with Agamemnon, but also his relationship with the other Achaeans.  In response to Akhilles departure from war, Agamemnon stated, “Desert, if that’s’ the way the wind blows.  Will I beg you to stay on my account?  I will not.  Others will honor me, and Zeus who views the wide world most of all” (11).   This quote showed that honor stood at the forefront of their motives.  In The Mahabharata, there was a split in the family between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.  Although the Kauravas and Pandavas were cousins, there was a power struggle.  However, The Pandavas did not allow their lust for acclamation to override their value of kinship.  They possessed the ability to differentiate the difference between worldly and unworldly items.  For example, Arjuna initially resisted fighting against the Kauravas in the war.  “I cannot go on with this war.  My grasp on Gandiva slips, my mind wanders; how can I slaughter my kith and kin?  I do not want the kingdom; I do not want anything.  Leave me alone.  Let me go away…How can I direct my arrow at Bhishma or Drona, whom I ought to worship?  I do not know of any kingdom is worth winning after so much bloodshed.  What is that gain worth (147).” Arjuna could not bear to kill those he was related to.  He wanted to rather remove himself from the war than to murder his own kind.  With the above quote, Arjuna placed pride and praise to the side to honor his love for his family.  Although Arjuna proceeded with the war after the gods’ explanation of karma, he still took a moment to express his devotion and adoration for a section of his family that disliked him with no desires for revenge.

The warriors in The Iliad sought revenge anytime their power was challenged to regain control, but the warriors in The Mahabharata allowed karma to take place without much interference.  When Hektor murdered Akhilles’ friend, Patroklos, Akhilles pursued brutal revenge immediately.  Patroklos was one of the only warriors who aided and supported Akhilles in his decision to retreat from the war, so when Akhilles reached Hektor, he mutilated his body.  Although the murder of Hektor brought Akhilles back to the war, his act was done in selfish revenge.  In The Mahabharata, when Dhrtarashtra attempted to murder the Pandavas in the House of Joy, the brothers did not seek revenge.  They simply heeded to the warning about the upcoming house burning and fled.  The gods explained to the Pandavas, “These men who stand before you are already slain through their own karma, you will be only an instrument of their destruction” (148).  Instead of seeking revenge, they sought the advice of the gods and prospered.

The warriors in The Iliad valued short lives as opposed to long lives, unlike those in The Mahabharata, because it granted them honor.  If one achieved a long life, it was assumed that one had not faced or encountered great danger.  Without encountering great danger, there was no proof or record of a person’s power, importance, or triumph.  When a person lived a short life, it was usually because they were killed during a war or journey.  The warriors of The Iliad would much rather live short lives to prove their great strength and courage during battle, because it brought about honor and admiration.  Warriors who did not die in battle were not celebrated but classified as wise men or sometimes looked down upon because he chose to live a safe, quiet life far from harms way.  The theme of long lives versus short lives appeared with the death of Hektor.  Hektor entered a battle with Achilles knowing that Achilles was furious with him for killing his beloved friend Patroklos.  Hektor lost that battle, but he believed that it was better to die and live a short life as a warrior than to live long.  Before Hektor died, stated, “…but now the appointed time’s upon me.  Still, I would not die without delivering a stroke, or die ingloriously, but in some action memorable to men in days to come” (519).  In Hektor’s last words, he yearned to be honored and remembered.  The warriors in The Mahabharata seemed to be able to achieve both long lives and honor.  They were able to defeat the Kauravas in battle and lived pretty lengthy life.  It is not until thirty-six years after the war with the Kauravas that the Pandava brothers climb towards heaven.  They were able to prove their status as great and powerful warriors and they also lived longer.  It is clear that surviving a war proved that one had enough strength to overcome any battle or encounter.

In the epics, The Mahabharata and The Iliad, the qualities and characteristics of a great warrior were defined in the text.  In addition to being a fighter or soldier, warriors also needed to posses the traits of courage, strength, power, goodness, and connection with the gods.  Although The Mahabharata and The Iliad have much in common, the warriors in the epics value praise and honor differently.  While the warriors of The Mahabharata cared less about acclaim, the warriors of The Iliad yearned for approval.  By taking a closer look at both epics, it is clear that the warriors of The Mahabharata were humble, selfless beings.  They cared not about impressing others or receiving rewards for their accomplishments, but cared more about unity, family, and prosperity.  On the other hand, the warriors of The Iliad were more selfish and boastful and relied on their accomplishment to provide them with affluence.  After examining the text, The Pandava brothers retained more estimable qualities that citizens of the present times would admire.

Female Sexuality in The Epic of Gilgamesh

Apr22

The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the journey of Gilgamesh as he works to obtain immortality.  Although Gilgamesh never achieves immortality, the women of the text play a vital role in the successes he attains during his journey.  Through their sexuality, women, like the citizens of Uruk, Shamhat, and Ishtar unwillingly or willingly employ their sexuality to further advance Gilgamesh and his sidekick Enkidu in their epic journey.  While western society views sexuality as demeaning and oppressive, sexuality represents a sense of civilization and cultivation in the land of Uruk.  Therefore, the use of sexuality, in The Epic of Gilgamesh, creates a particular meaning and value that allows sexuality to provide the main characters with the wisdom and balance needed to endure the epic journey.

Because of his sexual abuse to the women of Uruk, Gilgamesh was taught to control and maintain his sexual desires, which ultimately helped shape into a more respected and admirable king.  The epic opens with Gilgamesh sleeping with all of the women of Uruk before mothers and fathers released daughters from their care and before husbands enjoyed a touch from their wives.  Unlike the women with distinguished titles and particular roles, the female citizens did not flaunt their sexuality.  However, Gilgamesh’s greedy and unrepentant actions left women impure before their time.   The text stated, “Gilgamesh would leave no girl to her [mother]!/ The warrior’s daughter, the young man’s spouse,/ Goddess kept hearing their plaints” (5).  The aforementioned quote is repeated, which emphasizes the purity of the women in the safekeeping of their parents or new husband.  When the author writes, “Goddess kept hearing their plaints,” it shows that the women and men felt disrespected and disregarded by the “uncannily perfect” Gilgamesh (4).  By sleeping with women that did not belong to him, he caused chaos and confusion in the land of Uruk.  Consequently, citizens exposed Gilgamesh’s foul behavior to the Goddess Anu.  Gilgamesh needed to be tamed and understand the value of sexuality, so he would no longer take advantage of it.  Little did Gilgamesh know his new appreciation for sexuality aided him in beginning an epic journey that deemed him a true warrior.  With a shift in focus, Gilgamesh sought to conquer. He wanted to battle and challenge others to secure his superior reign and prove his worthiness as a king.  His shift in attention was caused by his renewed grasp of the purpose of women’s sexuality, to create balance.

Gilgamesh’s extreme behavior exhibited during the beginning of the epic displayed abuse of his kingly powers, therefore calling for balance.  To do so, Goddess Anu created a cultivated Enkidu by calling on the assistance of Shamhat the harlot.  Because Enkidu grew up in the forest among beast, his appearance and behavior needed refinement, thus the need for Shamhat.  Her role was to humanize Enkidu in order to help him achieve a life outside of the forest in which he thrived.  Shamhat’s sexuality represented sophistication, civilization, and the normalization of the culture of the people of Uruk.  Goddess Anu commanded, “Go, hunter, take with you Shamhat the harlot,/ When the wild beasts draw near the water hole,/ Let her strip off her clothing, laying bare her charms. When he sees her, he will approach her,/ His beasts that grew up with him on the steppe will deny/ him” (8).  The hunter needed the accompaniment of Shamhat the harlot in order to create the balance needed to help tame Gilgamesh.  The hunter could not achieve such a task on his own.  “Charms” representing Shamhat’s sexuality evokes a pleasant connotation meaning a delightful or attractive characteristic, proving that the citizens of Uruk did not view sexuality as demeaning.  The fact that the beasts would deny him after his encounter with the harlot proves that his new life would no longer be suitable for the forest and that sexuality was not required to thrive in such an environment.  According to John A. Bailey’s article titled in Initiation and Primal Women in Gilgamesh and Genesis 2-3, “he has acquired wisdom and a quality of divity through sexual experience. We see here a reflection of the high value placed o sexuality in Mesopotamia, where fertility religion asserted that the earth, and sexuality, were the sphere of power of the gods” (139).  Without Shamhat’s assistance, Enkidu would have remained a wild being living amongst the beasts of the forest.  The harlot’s sexuality introduced him to a different way of living that benefited both the citizens of Uruk and Gilgamesh, furthering his advancement in the epic journey.

Because Enkidu was used to balance Gilgamesh’ extreme and radical behaviors, Gilgamesh now knew how to approach women and even reject women’s sexuality.  When Ishtar approaches Gilgamesh and proposes marriage, Gilgamesh denies her of her request.  Remembering her past relationships, Gilgamesh makes an assessment of Ishtar that demonstrates his revived knowledge about the role of women’s sexuality.  In response to Ishtar’s wish, Gilgamesh replies, “[What would I get] if I marry you?/ [You are a brazier that goes out] when it freezes,/ A flimsy door that keeps out neither wind nor draught,/ A palace [that crushes]” (47).  When he asks “what would I get if I marry you,” Gilgamesh realizes that her sexuality will not civilize him.  He has already been civilized; he has already been balanced out.  All of his metaphors in reference to her reputation as a temporary lover reveal Gilgamesh’s growth from the beginning of the text to the middle of the text.  By describing her love as “a place that crushes” he recognizes that meaningless sex does not fulfill the purpose of sexuality, but instead causes detriment to both lovers engaged, thereby misusing sexuality.  Additionally, his rejection of Ishtar’s sexuality helped him advance in another part of his journey, because he defeated the bull of heaven that Ishtar challenged him with after his denunciation of her.  Fumi Karahashi quotes W. Burkert in Love Rejected: Some Notes on the Mesopotamian “Epic of Gilgamesh” and the Greek Myth of “Hippolytus,” stating, “Gilgamesh’s rejection of Ishtar corresponds to the hunter’s taboo: It is sexual restraint that ensures a successful hint.  Hence the denial of love caused the bull to appear” (100).  Without rejecting Ishtar, the opportunity to battle the bull of heaven and win, could not have occurred.  Now Gilgamesh is strengthen as a king and warrior and has added a new achievement to his already growing list of accomplishments.

The Epic of Gilgamesh apprises readers of Gilgamesh’s efforts to gain immortality.  While he fails in reaching his goals, the women reach their goals through their sexuality.  The women find success by carrying out their sexuality to strengthen the major characters.  The female citizens of Uruk, Shamhat the harlot, and Ishtar promote balance and provide wisdom that contributes to the great strides Gilgamesh and Enkidu make on their journey.  Each of the women use their sexuality in different ways and some uses are more accepted than others.  Even still, sexuality moves the figures in the culture of Mesopotamia to growth and progression.  In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the women violate the socially accepted standards of what it takes to be a woman according to western society.  Not only do the female figures not remain stagnant in the roles of motherhood, wifehood, and ladyhood, but they also honor and praise their sexuality.  Perhaps other cultures across the globe should take a second look at sexuality to identify the benefits and superiority of sexuality that are sometimes hidden behind the ridicule often seen in the open practice of sexuality.

Amanda from The Glass Menagerie

Apr22

Tennessee Williams’ 1944 play The Glass Menagerie centers around a mother, Amanda, attempting to raise her children in the tough financial times and the absence of their father. While Amanda tries to find her crippled  daughter, Laura, a man to marry, she also makes an effort to encourage her son, Tom, to stay home more often. Amanda is a bit overbearing and overprotective, but she means no harm and works hard to assure that her children live a comfortable life. She abandons her needs and dedicates her time sacrificing for her children. While her efforts do not always work out in her or her children’s favor, she does not give up on providing a happy home for her children. She represents the Good Mother, because she sacrifices and supports constantly.

Mrs. Dickinson from Intimate Apparel

Apr22

Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel premiered in 2003 but the play is set in 1905. Intimate Apparel centers around the main character Esther,  a seamstress who sparks up a relationship with a man named George. Although Esther moved away from her parents at the age of sixteen, a mother figure is still around, Mrs. Dickinson. Mrs. Dickinson provides shelter and food for Esther as her landlord. She also lends Esther advice on her designs and the mystery man Esther has been exchanging letters with. When Esther leaves Mrs. Dickinson home to start a life with George, Mrs. Dickinson still communicates and cares for Esther. After marriage fails, Mrs. Dickinson welcomes Esther back into her home gladly and with open arms. Mrs. Dickinson’s consistency deems her as a Good Mother. While not Esther’s birth mother, she still nurtures and helps Esther. Her ability to accept Esther back into her home reveals her tenacity and determination to provide a dependable and comfortable life for Esther.

King Lear from Shakespeare’s King Lear

Apr22

In Shakespeare’s King Lear, King Lear shows characteristics of the Good Mother. The Good Mother is not always represented by a female character. King Lear provides his three daughters with everything they need. His daughters have food, shelter, and riches. He has worked to guarantee that his children do not suffer. His kindness, lovingness, gentleness, and supportiveness, unfortunately work against him. When he falls ill, he unfortunately grants the wrong daughters with his fortune.  It is not until he realizes that he has been taken advantage of that he gives the most noble daughter his fortune.