The integration of symbol, text, and sound in the evolution of three Spanish archetypes, El Cid, Don Juan, and Don Quixote, from original text to opera.

摘要

The evolution of three archetypes, El Cid, Don Juan, and Don Quixote from Spanish literature to their appearance centuries later in opera follows a singular path that is tied to literary tradition, historical context, and the perception of self revealed through characterization. This dissertation is a "thick description" of the process of symbolic transfer that occurs through language, archetypes, and music in the metamorphosis of the characters of El Cid, Don Juan, and Don Quixote. The methodology includes Paul Ricoeur's exegesis of the relationship between language, symbol, and ritual along with Carl Jung's investigations of archetypes as encoded images. Ricoeur's philosophical assumptions focus on the way in which ordinary language communicates symbolically; further, his avowals of evil in myth and ritual are extended to literature and drama in their primary role of conflict resolution. When a play is adapted to opera, the reduced version centers around the dialectic between the opposing forces of good and evil. By comparing the original texts with their subsequent reductions (from the original Spanish play or novel to French drama then to opera) and by documenting what is gained and lost in each successive version, the author will point out significant content that is compressed into images or archetypes. The archetypes whose functions remain constant are considered universals and, therefore, archetypal; those images that fluctuate are temporally based and correspond with issues concerning cultural awareness. Opera, with its reduced text, must rely on visual and auditory signs for meaning. In addition, music provides an emotional context. Since El Cid, Don Juan, and Don Quixote are well-known archetypes, their representation in opera presents a fascinating view into the re-shaping of Spanish archetypes as they move through French drama and finally onto the pages of the opera score.