Death as Martyrdom: A Psychoanalytical Study of Robert Bolt’s a Man for all Seasons and T. S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral

Akbar  Ali; Abdul Hamid; Mashhood Ahmad

doi:10.47264/idea.lassij/4.2.29

Authors

Akbar Ali Department of English, FATA University, Dara Adam Khel, Kohat, Pakistan. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3183-8722
Abdul Hamid Department of English, University of Swat, Mingora, Pakistan. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8230-7492
Mashhood Ahmad Department of English, Gomal University (Sub-campus), Tank, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/4.2.29

Keywords:

Psychoanalysis, Textual Analysis, Martyrdom, Protagonists, Id, Ego, Superego

Abstract

This paper focuses on the protagonists of two dramas A Man for All Seasons and Murder in the Cathedral to be studied through the critical prospective of psychoanalysis. The protagonists of the dramas meet their death at the end of the play and their death is appreciated as martyrdom by the readers of the plays without seeing critically their mottos behind their death. Challenging that, this paper varies in the stance that Beckett’s death is a suicide rather than martyrdom, thus questioning the traits of the personalities of the protagonists and their mottos behind their deaths. Taking Freud’s Psychoanalytical theory as a theoretical framework; Jung model of Psychoanalysis for conceptual terminologies and conducting close textual analysis, this study aims to conclude with references. The study is significant in a sense that it widens the dimensions of comparative studies of the modern literary works through contemporary critical theories. It also highlights the application of psychology in the literature in general and the English literature in specific.

References

Assad, S. N. (2016). A postcolonial and psychoanalytical approach to The Heart of Darkness. Master thesis, Lulea University of Technology. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1017029&dswid=1634

Barfi, Z., Azizmohammadi, F., & Kohzadi, H. (2013). A study of Kafka’s the metamorphosis in the light of Freudian psychological theory. Research Journal of Recent Sciences, 2(10), 107-109. http://www.isca.in/rjrs/archive/v2/i10/16.ISCA-RJRS-2013-202.pdf

Barry, P. (2020). Beginning theory: an introduction to literary and cultural theory. Manchester University.

Bolt, R. (1969). A man for all seasons. Heinemann Educational Publishers Halley Court.

Cowlin, J. (2011). Why Do Things Fall Apart: A Psychological Analysis of Okonkwo’s Personality and His Ultimate Demise in Chinua Achebe’s Novel Things Fall Apart. Unpublished Thesis. http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:403307/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Craib, I. (2001). Psychoanalysis: A critical introduction. Cambridge. Polity Press in Association.

Dobie, A. B. (2012). Theory into practice: An Introduction to Literary Criticism. Michael Rosenberg.

Emerson, R. W. (1990). Representative Men. Philips, Samson and Company.

Eliot, T.S. (1935). Murder in the Cathedral. Faber and Faber Publication.

Safran, J. D., & Hunter, J. (2020). Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapies. American Psychological Association.

Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2016). Theories of personality. Cengage Learning.

Freud, A. (1966). The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence. London International.

Freud, S. (1962). The Ego and the Id. New York: Norton, Print.

Freud, S. (1970). Introductory lectures on Psychoanalysis. Trans. Joan Riviere. London Heron Books.

Gardner, H. (1949). The Art of T S. Eliot. London: The Cresset P.

Gholipour, A. M., & Sanahmadi, B. M. (2013). A psychoanalytic attitude to The Great Gatsby. International Journal of Humanities and Management Sciences (IJHMS), 1(1), 51-53. http://www.isaet.org/images/extraimages/IJHMS%200101213.pdf

Thorp, W. (1965). Howarth, Herbert. Notes on Some Figures Behind TS Eliot (Book Review). Comparative Literature, 17(3) 275-278. https://doi.org/10.2307/1769838

Jones, E. (1922). A psycho-analytic study of Hamlet. International psycho-analytical Press.

Liu, Y., & Wang, C. (2011). Oedipus complex in literature works. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2(6), 1420-1424. https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.2.6.1420-1424

Lynn, S. (1998). Texts and Contexts: Writing about Literature with Critical Theory. Longman Print.

Marry, S. P. U. (2013). Relocating the Soul in Paulo Coelho’s Novel The Devil And Miss Prym. Research Journal of English Language and Literature, 42-45. http://rjelal.com/RJELAL%201.2/RJELAL%201.2.%20pp%2042-45.pdf

Mushtaq, H. (2010). The Triumph of ID Over Ego and Superego into His Coy Mistress. IJAR Journal of Language and Literature, 2, 8-13. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1628274

Rashid, A. A. (2013). When Frederic Henry is Disillusioned about his Identity: Alienation in a Farewell to Arms: A Critical Analysis. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 16, 117-127. https://www.readcube.com/articles/10.9790/0837-164117127

Jung, C. G. (2014). The development of personality. Routledge.

Manggala, G. (2007). Coleridge's sexual desire in the Poemkubla Khan (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Airlangga). https://www.gesangunair.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/coleridge_s-sexual-desire-in-the-poem-kubla-khan.pdf psychoanalysis of kublakhan.pdf

Hossain, M. M. (2017). Psychoanalytic theory used in English literature: A descriptive study. Global Journal of Human-Social Science: Linguistics and Education, 17(1), 41-46. https://globaljournals.org/GJHSS_Volume17/3-Psychoanalytic-Theory-used.pdf

Miller, H. C. (1997). The Complete works of Sir Thomas More. Yale University

Ryan, M. (2007). Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction. Blackwell Print.

Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and Human Behaviour. Macmillan.

Spender, S. (1975). Eliot. Modern masters’ series.

Starkey, D. (2011). Crown and Country: The Kings and Queens of England. Harper Press.

Tiffin, H. (1987). Post-colonial literatures and counter-discourse. Kunapipi, 9(3), 17-34. https://ro.uow.edu.au/kunapipi/vol9/iss3/4/

Wadsworth, T. (2003). Introduction to Psychology. Blackwell Publishers.