Social reflection of the animus archetype in female characters of two plays by Bahram Beyzayi (Case study of the plays Parde-Khane and Nodbe)

Carl Gustav Jung believes that the unconscious soul of every human being consists of two masculine and feminine poles named Anima and Animus, respectively. The Anima archetype is the feminine half of every man's soul, and the animus archetype is the masculine half of every woman's soul, and the coordination and unity of these two halves of the soul results in a mental balance in human beings, and the domination of each of them over the other one, may result in some characteristics and mental features which research worthy in terms of social and cultural perspectives. The current article adopts a mythological approach to study the emergence of the Animus in the female characters of two Iranian plays by Bahram Beyzayi, named Parde-khane (The Inner side, 1993), and Nodbe (The Lament, 2006). In these two plays, Beyazyi portrays some female characters who have very active Animus feelings due to their specific social circumstances. The study of the origins and the social and cultural reflections of this active Animus in these women, reveals the mental effects caused by the social and cultural structures of their community, as well as the close interactions of these two in the lives of these women.