Fear and Walpole

In reading Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, it is hard to believe that people were actually frightened by what they read.  However, when we take a closer look at what kind of things were feared in the book, it is very likely that they would still scare people today. 

One of the most common themes in the book is the dark.  Today we take advantage of the technology that allows us to have light when we want it.  People in the 17^th century only had candles and lanterns and those were not very reliable.  One of the first instances of the dark that would’ve been frightening to readers is when Isabella is on her way to the secret passage.  Walpole says “an awful silence resigned throughout those subterraneous regions, except, now and then, some blasts of wind that shook the doors she had passed, and which, grating on the rusty hinges, were re-echoed through that long labyrinth of darkness” (36).  As a reader today, this situation would frighten me as well so its easy to see how this would really terrify a 17^th century audience.  Not only was Isabella in a dark, unfamiliar place, but there were strange noises and an unknown person lurking nearby that add to the fear. 

The reason that Isabella is put into that scary situation in the tunnel is another frightening issue in itself.  Manfred had just tried to rape her and she was fleeing from him.  Rape in the 17^th century was looked at differently than it is today.  Back then, the woman was the one at fault and looked down upon for it.  Today, the woman receives more sympathy.  Despite these differences, it was a scary thing then, and it is still a scary thing today.  Isabella was able to escape from Manfred but the fear of him catching her added to the suspense. 

Hidden identities are another issue that Walpole brings up multiple times throughout the book.  The first is the character first referred to as the “peasant” or “youth”.  This character ended up being Theodore, the son of Jerome, heir of Alfonzo.  We also later find out that the knight is Fredric, the father of Isabella.  These hidden identities would frighten readers because it made them realize that they may not know what a person could be hiding.  Today, in the age of the Internet, hidden identities can be a real issue.  Modern day movies and shows like Catfish prove that people may not be showing their true selves. 

These three issues of the dark, rape, and hidden identities are just a few of the issues that evoked fear in the people of the 17^th century who read Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto.  People could really relate to the issues addressed and it made them aware of the terrifying potential of things like the dark and people hiding their identities.  While readers today may not feel the same fear of the book, the underlying themes can still be frightening.

Definition of “Gothic”

Gothic can be defined as a style and culture that is centered around the idea of fear.  It has been expressed through many forms for centuries.

Many medieval buildings take on a Gothic style of architecture through the use of pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses.  Cathedrals like Notre Dame in France incorporate gargoyles into its Gothic design.  Some cathedrals have decorative rose windows which are also a Gothic design characteristic.  All of these Gothic features both on the facade of the church, but also on the interior are meant to appeal to the viewers emotions by making a powerful impression.

Other expressions of Gothic do this as well.  Gothic literature has a sense of creepiness to it that has frightened generations of readers.  Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto is usually credited as the first Gothic romance.  Authors from around the world have taken inspiration from Walpole’s story and added their own spin to it.  Although they are different stories, they all have the same underlying themes of horror, mystery, and fear.  Plays on light and dark, haunted houses, and creepy sounds are just a few ways that the authors were able to communicate the Gothic themes.

The Gothic can still be seen in today.  One of the most common things that one probably thinks when they hear the term “Gothic” is fashion.  Those who are “Goth” have pale skin that contrasts with their dark (usually all black) clothing and accessories.  Television shows and movies with Gothic themes continue to be released.  Tim Burton is an example of a movie director who is known to have dark and macabre themed movies like Edward Scissorhands.   Movies like The Addams Family have the traditional Gothic themes but add a light-hearted spin to it.  Ruby Gloom is a children’s television show that uses traditional Gothic features but adds a cute and light hearted spin to them.

The Gothic has survived for hundreds of years and continues to remain popular today.    Not only is it just a form of architecture, but also a form of literature, fashion, art, and popular culture.  Although it may be presented differently than the traditional ways, the same basic themes appear and allow the Gothic to live on.

Gawain

Gawain goes on a search for the Green Knight in order to fulfill his promise to him.  On his way, he meets King Bertilak who lets him stay at his castle.  Here, they agree to share their earnings each day.  What Gawain doesn’t realize, is that this is a challenge.  King Bertilak is using his wife to tempt Gawain and test his character.  Gawain is able to resist her the best that he can.  He then finds out that King Bertilak is actually the Green Knight.  King Bertilak recognizes Gawain’s good character and tries to get him to stay longer, however, Gawain returns to King Arthur’s court at Camelot.

The principle act of heroism in this story is that Gawain proved himself to be an honorable knight.  He followed through with his commitment to the Green Knight’s challenge despite being offered chances to not do it.  He proved that he is capable of resisting temptation by not giving into King Bertilak’s attractive wife’s advances.  And in the end, he showed his loyalty to King Arthur by returning to him and not accepting King Bertilak’s offer to stay at his castle longer.

Musashi’s Hero

Miyomoto Musashi wrote The Book of Five Rings to teach the way of the sword, and in turn, the way of the warrior.  He outlines the ethics of Budo to young samurai.  He does this through five books: The Ground Book, The Water Book, The Fire Book, The Wind Book, and The Book of the Void.  Through these he explains the fundamentals for understanding the Way of Strategy, fighting techniques, ways these principles can be applied to different battles, other styles of fighting, and lastly, the concept of emptiness. Through his teaching of strategy, it is shown that a true hero is dedicated and patient.  Musashi says that one must set the principles in their heart to train in the Way of Strategy, but to not look at things on a large scale.  By having this patience and dedication to the sword, one will master strategy and be able to defeat many enemies.  In The Water Book, he states “Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men” (16) which further reiterates the need to be enduring and devoted to The Way.  By showing the weaknesses of other schools, Musashi shows how he can teach the true Way to be the greatest warrior. While many of these other schools only focus on mastering one weapon, Musashi puts emphasis on mastering all kinds of weapons.  He also mentions the need to not appear fast.  He says that a fast spirit is undesirable and causes recklessness.  Once again, this goes back to the need to be patient.  In the end, Musashi says that by following The Way and understanding the void, “you will come to think of things in a wide sense and, taking the void as the Way, you will see the Way as void” (31.)

The values that Musashi laid out in The Book of Five Rings are ones that would not be valued in contemporary North America.  People today don’t expect to have to work diligently at something to reap the benefits.  They want to find the quickest way to accomplish the task at hand.  Once it is accomplished, or the person gives up on it, they move on to the next one.  The warrior, on the other hand, spends his whole life trying to master The Way and being the best he can be at it.  Today we expect our heroes to naturally be the best and to never be defeated.  The warrior must go through defeats in order to learn and become a better fighter.  While I personally find the qualities in Musashi’s version of a hero to be respectable, many people today would not fully understand how these qualities would make a great hero.

Sundiata

Although the prophecy said that Sundiata would be the next great king of Mali, his inability to walk until he was seven made people doubt him.  When his mother, Sologon, had to go to Sassouma for a baobab leaf, Sassouma mocked her for Sundiata not being able to get the leaves himself.  This gave Sundiata the motivation to begin walking.  By doing so, he showed how much love and generosity he had.  He shows this again when Sassouma sends the witches to steal from Sundiata.  Instead of treating them badly, he offers them food, further proving his goodness as a person.  He was also brave and confident.  When him, Manding Bory, and his mother leave the village, Sundiata tells Dankaran Touman that he would be back which ended up frightening him.  When Sundiata played wori against the king while in exile, he showed confidence by playing even though his life was on the line.  Generosity, bravery, and confidence are important heroic traits that Sundiata proves he possesses. These heroic qualities are ones that he shares with the Sumerian and Scandinavian heroes.  However, Sundiata is different.  While Sundiata is trying to fulfill his destiny, Gilgamesh and Beowulf were trying to make a name for themselves.  They relied on their godlike strength whereas Sundiata relied more on strategy.

Grendel: A Monster We Can Sympathize With.

There are two main reasons given in Beowulf about why the monster, Grendel, is evil.  One reason is the Christian reason.  The monks who transcribed the poem added this interpretation.  This Christian reason to explain why Grendel is evil is that he is a descendent of Cain, which makes him a kin slayer.  The Vikings have their own reason for not liking Grendel.  Their reason is that he did not pay the death toll therefore he did not follow social order.  These two different beliefs that are shared at the same time are an example of syncretism.

Grendel would go to Heorot at night and kill as many men as he could there.  The murder scenes in the poem use vivid imagery to show how heartless the powerful demon was.  Grendel is described as being “malignant by nature, he never showed remorse” (Heaney 137).  This shows that Grendel doesn’t care about all the lives he is taking.  Also the fact that he isn’t paying the death toll to make up for the deaths shows how he is heartless and why he would be considered a monster.

While he is made out to be a horrible monster, one can also sympathize with Grendel.  He is an outcast who had been exiled away from human society.  He could hear all of the noise coming from the hall everyday.  After living for so long with other banished monsters, it probably was painful for him to hear people living such a good life at Heorot.  Grendel is described as waging “his lonely war” (Heaney 164).  This just further shows how he felt left out and it was the only thing he could do.

The Icelandic movie version of Beowulf by Gunnarsson makes Grendel out to be a very sympathetic character.  The Danes had killed his father when he was young and Grendel never forgot.  He continues to hold vengeful anger towards the Danes and he wants to get revenge on them.  This makes the viewer sympathetic because here is Grendel who lost his father at a young age and mourned the loss for years.  It is only normal for one to want to get revenge on someone who has wronged them, this makes Grendel seem like less of a monster.

Grendel remains a popular monster today because the audience is able to see both sides of him.  He was a terrifying monster towards the Danes because he slaughtered them for years.  Weapons wouldn’t hurt him and so it made him seem very strong and invincible.  At the same time, we feel bad for him because he was banished and lonely.  In the case of the Gunnarsson movie, we can relate to the grief that Grendel feels over his dad’s death.  We also like a character like Grendel because no one could beat him but Beowulf.  This elevates Beowulf’s status as a hero because he was able to save Heorot from losing more men to Grendel.

Achilles Vs. Odysseus

In books 18 and 19 of The Illiad, Achilles shows that his men mean a lot to him.  This is best seen through his extreme sadness over the loss of Patroclus.  This sadness in turn causes him to hold a great hatred for the Trojan, Hector.  Achilles will do whatever he can in order to avenge the death of his friend Patroclus.  He also shows that he cares for his men by allowing them to feast while he continues to fast.  This is similar to how Odysseus treats his men in the Odyssey.  At every stop on the way home from Troy, Odysseus makes sure the rations are spread to all of his men.

Another similarity is that the gods help both Achilles and Odysseus.  Achilles’ armor had been taken by Hector and in order to fight he needed more.  Thetis goes off to have Hephaestus make Achilles a new set of armor.  When Achilles refuses to eat the feast, Athena fills his stomach with nectar and ambrosia to keep him strong.  In The Odyssey, Circe tells Oyssyeus about the trials that await him.  By letting him know about the Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, and the cattle of the sun god, Odysseus is able to extend the life of his men for a short while.

Although Achilles and Odysseus show many of the same heroic qualities, they have their differences.  One being that Achilles knows that death is upon him once he slays Hector, however, his pride makes him want to continue.  When Erinyes tells him of his fate, Achilles responds to him by saying “shall I stay my hand till I have given the Trojans their fill of fighting” (Butler).  This shows that not even his impending death will stand in the way of his pride.  Achilles will do whatever it takes to defeat the Trojans even if that means never returning home.

Odysseus on the other hand, will do whatever he can to stay alive.  He knows that the journey home contains many obstacles, but he is cunning and makes strategic choices in order to get him and his men back to Ithaca.  Although his men don’t survive Zeus’ fury, Odysseus does due to his strength and will.  His ultimate goal is to make it back to his family in Ithaca, not to die on the battlefield in the hopes of making a name for himself.

I find Odysseus to be a more satisfying hero.  I do think its great that Achilles wanted to avenge the death of someone dear to him, but I also feel he had ulterior motives in doing so.  He wanted to have the honor of killing Hector and taking down the Trojans.  Odysseus just wanted to make it home to his family who he hadn’t seen in years.  He had survived the Trojan war, yet he still faced some intense trials on his way home.  Although he loses all of his men, he did what he could to protect them and their death was a result of their own wrongdoings.  His clever mind and ability to resist temptations along the way allow him to achieve what he wanted all along, to make it home.

Humbaba

Enkidu calls Humbaba a ferocious giant.  He was appointed to guard the cedar forest by the God of Nature, Enlil.  It is said that his roar is like the torrent of a storm, his breath like fire, his jaws like death and he is described as a battering-ram.  He can hear animals in the forest from sixty leagues away.  Because of this, everyone but Gilgamesh is afraid to enter the forest for fear of losing their life.  Both Gilgamesh and Ninsun call Humbaba evil which leads the reader to believe that he actually is an evil creature. 

Once Gilgamesh and Enkidu come upon Humbaba and engage in a fight, Humbaba seems to be pretty pathetic.  From the start of their encounter, he relies on his ferocious qualities to intimidate Gilgamesh and Enkidu.  He snuffs the ground, shakes his head, and gives Gilgamesh a death stare.  However, he doesn’t make a move towards Gilgamesh or Enkidu to try and hurt them.  After Shamash brings in the winds that weaken Humbaba, the “evil monster” begins to cry and begs for Gilgamesh and Enkidu to spare him. While he looked threatening, Humbaba wasn’t a threat at all. 

I don’t think that Humbaba’s death was necessary.  He was created by Enlil to protect the forest and that is what he did.  It seems like he never left his boundaries of the forest to kill anything, he was just doing was he was taught to do.  Gilgamesh had very little support in his decision to kill Humbaba.  This could partly be because people feared Humbaba, but it could also have been because they felt it was a selfish thing of Gilgamesh to do.  Yeah, he wanted to take the cedar and make a monument to the God’s, but in order to do so, he had to kill the creation of one of the God’s.  This doesn’t seem like a smart idea to me, and because of it, Gilgamesh will pay later on.

 

Shamhat

Shamhat is an interesting character to look at from a modern prospective.  In today’s world, what she does for a living would be considered prostitution.  It seems like she will simply have sex with whoever enters the temple, when in reality, her job means a lot more than that.  This can been seen through her interactions with Enkidu.  She was responsible for turning him from a beast into a man.  Although sex played an important part in taming Enkidu, she also taught him other expectations of society like eating bread, drinking beer, bathing, language, and wearing clothes.  This shows that Shamhat is a very powerful woman and that her position as Priestess for Ishtar is a respected one.  Her commitment to serving the goddess of love shows how devout and religious she was.  By having sex, she was performing an act of communion with the divine that puts her occupation much higher than that of a prostitute.

From an archetype perspective, I would label Shamhat as both a The Wise Elder as well as The Great Mother.  She has the knowledge of what needs to be done for Enkidu to become human.  She uses this to guide him in becoming one.  While doing so, she looks after him by bathing him, giving him clothes, and feeding him.    

Simba’s Hero’s Journey

One of my favorite movies as a child was Disney’s The Lion King.  Simba follows the Hero’s Journey as he leaves behind his comfortable childhood in order to take back control of the kingdom and fulfill his destiny as king.  The opening song “The Circle of Life” shows how we must go on a journey in order to find our place in life. “And it moves us all. Through despair and hope. Through faith and love. Till we find our place, on the path unwinding, in the Circle, The Circle of Life.” Simba went on to have adventures with Timon and Pumba but he eventually ended up where he belonged, Pride Rock.

The Call to Adventure:  While Simba is living with Timon and Pumba, he encounters Nala.  She tells him about how Scar has turned Pride Rock into a wasteland.  She says that Simba is their only hope in returning Pride Rock to the wonderful place it was before.

Refusal of the Call: Simba still feels guilty for his father’s death.  He also feels like he cannot live up to his father’s example and because of this he doesn’t want to return to Pride Rock.

Supernatural Aid: Rafiki the baboon has Simba look at his reflection and when he does, he sees his father within him.  Rafiki then has Mufasa appear in the stars.

Crossing the First Threshold: Simba had been living a great life with Timon and Pumba but he realizes he has to return to Pride Rock to take responsibility.  He knows he will have to face Scar and the hyenas but he needs to save his family and the rest of the kingdom.

Belly of the Whale: In going back to Pride Rock, Simba is leaving behind his childhood and accepting responsibility for the kingdom.

Road of Trials: Simba doesn’t want to fight Scar and the hyenas but he realizes that he has to.

Atonement with the Father: While Simba is hanging odd the edge of Pride Rock just as his father did before he died, Scar tells him that he was the one who killed Mufasa.  Simba then knows that the way to make his father proud of him is to take control of the kingdom.

Apotheosis: After finding out that he wasn’t responsible for his father’s death, Simba realizes he must fight to become king, Simba and Scar battle and Simba comes out on top.  This signifies Simba becoming the leader of the kingdom.

The Ultimate Boon: Simba accomplishes his goal of taking control of the kingdom and making amends with his family.

Refusal of the Return: Simba does not refuse his new position because he knows he is fulfilling his destiny and making his father proud.

Magic Flight: Simba begins to rebuild the kingdom and start his new life as the king.

Crossing the Return Threshold: After rebuilding the kingdom, life returns to normal for Simba.  He is now king, marries Nala, and they have a child.

Freedom to Live: After defeating Scar, the kingdom returns to being a peaceful place.  Simba doesn’t feel like he is responsible for his father’s death anymore and now with his own cub he looks forward to the future.

Archetypes

• Simba – Hero
• Scar – Shadow
• Nala – Maiden
• Rafiki – Elder, Magician
• Simba’s Mom – Mother
• Timon and Pumba – Trickster