Individuation and the power of evil upon the development of the personality in selected works by C. G. Jung, Arthur Miller, and William Shakespeare

In this paper I examine two primary plays: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare and After the Fall by Arthur Miller. The approach I use is that of Jungian Analytical Psychology. In particular, by focusing on certain components of Jung's theories of individuation, the development of personality, and the power of evil I provide evidence that the two main characters Hamlet and Quentin, respectively, come to a place of moral differentiation. In chapter one I provide vital information about Jungian Analytical Psychology, which is necessary in understanding Jung's theories of individuation as I apply them to the complex psychological dramaturgy of Shakespeare and Miller. In chapters two and three I evaluate Hamlet and Quentin's personality development by focusing the discussion on archetypal behavior, personal and collective, as this activity relates to the evil and/or potential evil both inside and outside of them. The discussion concludes that Hamlet and Quentin reach a place of self-realization, both in a personal and a collective sense. Consequently, I ascertain that each of them transform and distinguish themselves from the mass mentality and thereby becomes a contributing member of the culture in which he resides rather than just a follower of civilization. This distinction of culture and civilization is particularly relevant to Jung's ideas of Principium Individuationis whereby the individual learns to stand separate from but in relation to the collective. The primary significance in this differentiation of the individual personality comes from the individual's ability to influence the collective in terms of conscious awareness and transformation. This study emphasizes these components of the human condition and provides examples from the dramatic works of Shakespeare and Miller as evidence of the possibilities available to humanity.