Jungian Shakespeare: Coming Down to Earth in King John, Twelfth Night, and Cymbeline

Jungian Shakespeare is an original work of Jungian literary criticism, examining the psychological expression within three plays from different times in Shakespeare’s career through a Jungian framework.

The book focuses on King John, Cymbeline, and Twelfth Night. Each play is explored both as a dramatic work meant to be fully realized onstage and as an expression of deep psychological processes. The eternal boy archetype and its relationships with father, mother, and trickster are examined through King John; Twelfth Night helps to unpack performance and the histrionic personality, while Jungian personality typology illuminates Cymbeline’s remarkable psychological wholeness. Rather than merely applying theory to text, the analysis reveals what Shakespeare’s works inherently understand about psyche. The two fields--Shakespearean and Jungian--are brought together in a way that not only keeps the work of art intact but attempts to enrich both art and psychology.

This interdisciplinary work appeals to Jungian analysts, psychotherapists, theatre practitioners, Shakespeare scholars, and enthusiasts of literature and theatre, as well as anyone interested in the connections between Jungian psychology and Shakespeare.

Joel Crichton, BFA, MPS, is a Jungian Analyst and theatre professional with a Diploma in Analytical Psychology from the C.G. Jung-Institut in Zürich and a Master of Psychotherapy and Spirituality from St. Stephen’s College. He has worked in the performative arts for over twenty years.