the phantom menace -- mythic and archetypal themes
Extract -- the phantom menace
Every generation has a legend...
Every journey has a first step...
Every saga has a beginning..."
The beginning for George Lucas was studying folklore and myth. The screenplay for the Star Wars Trilogy is based on Mythologist Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, itself a publishing phenomenon. In the Trilogy's Prequel, The Phantom Menace, Lucas continues his use of mythological metaphor to spin a story in the great tradition of myth and legend.
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Temptation, seduction by the dark side, and the clash between good and evil concern what Carl Jung called the Shadow. According to Jung, "the 'shadow' personifies everything that… [we] refuses to acknowledge... for instance, inferior traits of character and other incompatible tendencies." These traits or tendencies are acted out in our dream and fantasy life and frequently appear in Myths, Fairy Tales and Legend. Movies and theater that draws on myth, portray the inner dramas and conflicts.
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Neimoidian Viceroy Nute Gunray and his lieutenant Rune Haako are the hired lackeys of the Emperor. Cowardly and greedy, they hope for great rewards when the Emperor eventually takes over the Intergalactic government. Imagining themselves in control of the situation, they hide behind their technology which they foolishly believe is invincible and invulnerable. Ultimately though, the Emperor uses them as disposable pieces in a larger game which they cannot control, and their technology, while ingenious, and impressive, ultimately fails them at the hands of a young boy.
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Anakin is the Messiah redeemer in the tradition of Christ, or Lawrence of Arabia. Frank Herbert, in his Dune series, tells a similar story of Paul Atredies, later Muah'dib, as the Messiah, who would lead the desert dwelling Fremen to true freedom.
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| Name | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Star Wars and the Phantom Menace 2 Article Set | $12.99 | Star Wars and the Mythic Quest AND The Phantom Menace |
