Kathy Latrobe (2002) defined archetype as "a universally recognizable element... that recurs across all literature and life". Psychologist Carl Jung referred to it as a kind of "collective unconscious" of the human race, prototypes rather than something gained from experience. The word came from Greek arche, original and typos , model, "original model".
So there, an archetype is the first real example or prototype of something. In narratives, we have archetypes of character, setting and theme. Cinderella is the archetypal rags-to-riches character or the commoner who marries the handsome prince. Her wicked stepmother and stepsisters are archetypal villains in an otherwise romantic fairy tale. Jesus is the archetypal Redeemer or sacrificial lamb, the forest is the archetype for the unexplored, the fertile and the wild, journey to find self is an archetypal theme.
We do not have to experience archetypes in order to recognize them. We read about them or witness them in other people and so when we see them in narratives we are able to predict what is going to happen next. We get bored when the story becomes predictable and so we welcome an occasional twist, but it remains that one reason we enjoy a narrative is because we sense or recognize archetypes.
Now let's see if we can recognize archetypes in the following teleseryes and characters:
1. The story of Samuel and Isabelle in Ikaw Lamang. Of course, I will have to start with my current favorite. The two showcase several archetypes. There's the Romeo and Juliet archetype, star-crossed lovers from families that are in conflict with each other. There is also the poor boy-rich girl theme. In romantic tales and even in real life, economic disparity is always a source of conflict.
2. Miranda as the evil Queen or the wicked mother-in-law. This character may be too easy to recognize as it is all too common. Given a versatile actor to play it though,as in the case of Cherie Gil, it becomes iconic despite being a cliche at the start.
3. The Beauty and the Beast archetype is duplicated in Mirabella and in Sana Bukas pa ang Kahapon's Rose Buenavista. In both instances though it's the woman who is "beastly" and the man , incredibly handsome (Jeremy or Patrick) who falls in love with the woman despite the "ugliness".
4. Dyesebel of course is Mars Ravelo's take on Hans Christien Andersen's The Little Mermaid. The archetypal theme is living in entirely different worlds and being in conflict at the same time in love with somebody from another world.
5. Many villains in teleseryes follow the archetype of the deprived and the obsessive. Nathan of Walang Hanggan, Kael of Juan dela Cruz, Nicole of The Legal Wife, Franco of Ikaw Lamang and now Sasha of SBPAK.
Archetypes are fun to recognize because they make us viewers more engaged in the narrative. It is doubly fun if the archetypes get to surprise us with some twists. For example, Isabelle gets to mouth really feisty lines as the long suffering daughter and then wife. She stays upright by continually giving in and sacrificing for her love and yet she also knows that she owes it to many women in similar situation to speak up and tell off her father and Franco every so often. Ditto with Rebecca who actually learned from Isabelle.
Also in Ikaw Lamang, the long suffering obrero gets to talk back to the hacendero which in real life may happen but with fatal results. Samuel almost died but protagonists always survive ordeals and that is a stereotype. Formulaic as it is together with lost parentage to trigger a search-for-self /true identity series of events. It's the in thing in teleseryes for some time now, did you notice?
Now let's try and recall stories you've read or been witness to and try to identify the archetypes in other teleseryes, characters, setting and themes. Hopefully, you get to appreciate watching them after you become aware of the collective unconscious working among us as teleserye fanatics.
(Additional soucre http://www.mnstate.edu/sibley/EECE%20441%20Archetypes%20in%20Literature.doc)
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