The Puer Pattern in Shakespeare’s King John

ABSTRACT

Shakespeare’s little-regarded play King John expresses the pattern of the puer aeternus archetype in precise dramatic terms. In the play the puer shows up in the characters of King John and Prince Arthur; the puer’s family complex is illustrated with impressive clarity; and the puer’s shadow—the trickster—plays a constant compensatory role through the character of the Bastard Faulconbridge. Shakespeare’s skill at weaving together the archetypal with a dramatized human manifestation is of especial help in understanding both. To conclude, a dream about Kanye West is brought into dialogue with King John, revealing some of the depths and heights of pain and fear, rarely appreciated, that the puer-identified individual experiences in trying to come down from the heights of inflation.

KEY WORDS:

• archetype
• Kanye West
• King John
• puer aeternus
• Shakespeare
• trickster

NOTE

References to The Collected Works of C. G. Jung are cited in the text as CW, volume number, and paragraph number. The Collected Works are published in English by Routledge (UK) and Princeton University Press (USA).

Notes

1. All Shakespeare quotations are from the Arden Complete Works, Third Series, King John edited by Jesse M. Lander and J. J. M. Tobin (2018).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joel Crichton

Joel Crichton is a Jungian analyst diploma candidate (CGJI-Zürich) practicing in Victoria, Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Alberta, and a Master of Psychotherapy & Spirituality from St. Stephen’s College. Correspondence: [email protected].