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Character Analysis Of My Fair Lady And My Fair Lady

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The Godly Imitators Everyone wants to be God. All people, at one time or another, have wanted to possess the supernatural qualities that will enable them to perform supernatural deeds. Whether they wish to perform miracles, preside over the cosmos, or create anything they wish, at the end of it all, they ultimately want to act as God. Some desire godly ability more than others; they yearn for control, for superiority over what they have and what they can create- including people. A comparison of the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea and the 1964 film My Fair Lady reveals the male “creator” figure trapped in a juvenile Id phase focusing on selfish desires and remaining arrogant and condescending towards the female creation. Psychoanalytic criticism reveals more than what the eye can see; it uncovers what lies between the lines, what is hidden beneath layers of subtlety and duality. Analyzing literature or film through a psychological lens divulges “the secret unconscious desires and anxieties of the author” (Delahoyde Web). Through characterization, storylines, and dialogue, the author expresses their thoughts and feelings vicariously through the characters they created. The author’s latent emotions reside within the Id, “the most primitive and instinctive component of personality” (McLeod Web). The Id is the first part of our psyche; it houses one’s deepest, dormant desires that climb to the surface and emerge through actions. It operates on what Freud coined as the “pleasure principle” which means that “every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences” (McLeod Web). These impulses can be multiple things: wealth, love, control. The unconscious desire for control can be attributed to what is known as the God Complex. Ernest Jones defines this psychological syndrome as, simply, “the belief that one is God” (Jones 244). In his book, Essays in Applied Psycho-Analysis, Jones goes on to describe the many traits associated with the God Complex. The God Complex is comprised of multiple character traits. The most obvious characteristic of one who believes they are God is “the belief in their creative power” (Jones 260). Like the God who spoke worlds into existence, people

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