Pygmalion Archetype - The Prostitute With a Heart of Gold

             I chose the archetype "The prostitute with a heart of gold."
             An archetype is defined as a universal idea that can take
             many forms, appearing "spontaneously, at any time, at any
             place, and without any outside influence" (Pygmalion's Word
             Play, Carl Jung, p. 82). When present in the unconscious,
             an archetype shapes thoughts, feelings, moods, speech, and
             actions. The 'prostitute with a heart of gold' originated in
             early Greek mythology as the story "Pygmalion." Next, a
             a more modern version called "My Fair Lady" was written and
             performed in the 1950's. Then in the 1980's the movie "Pretty
             Woman" came out, which has the same storyline as the other
             two, although it was modernized and the theme of a
             'prostitute with a heart of gold' is much more evident than
             in of its predecessors. Although 'the oldest profession' was
             just as large a factor in society in 1912 when George
             Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion play was released as it is today,
             it was talked about much less freely and the idea of
             reforming street girl was not as feasible as it is today.
             "My Fair Lady" was one of the first versions of a poor
             street girl metamorphasizing into an elegant, proper lady.
             Pretty Woman can closely trace its roots back to "My Fair
             Lady," because both women reform to a better life that they
             never dreamed was possible, the most striking difference
             being that Pretty Woman is a more modernized version and the
             evidence of prostitution is much more evident.
             In the story of Pygmalion, he wanted a wife, yet he saw
             too much corruption in women and always doubted their true
             motives. He was a very talented sculptor, and one day he
             began sculpting an ivory maiden statue. No woman was
             physically comparable to this statue, not the most perfect
             naturally created woman. His art was so good that it caught
             him in his own web of deceit. Eventually Pygmalion fell in
             love with this counterfeit creation, full well knowi...

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