Lecture Notes: The White Swan versus the Black Swan

Overview

• Exploration of Swan Lake plot and its representation in the film Black Swan.
• Discussion on the dual roles of the White Swan and the Black Swan as archetypes.
• Comparison of these archetypes to Freud's psychoanalytical theory of the Madonna-whore complex.

Key Concepts

Swan Lake Story

• Virginal girl trapped in a swan's body.
• White Swan represents innocence and purity.
• Black Swan represents seduction and deceit.
• Prince's betrayal leads to White Swan's tragic death.

Archetypes in Swan Lake

• White Swan (Odette): Represents the Madonna, purity, innocence.
• Black Swan (Odile): Represents the whore, seduction, cunning.
• These archetypes echo throughout literature and film.

Freud's Psychoanalytical Theory

• Madonna-whore complex: Men categorize women into 'innocent' or 'seductive'.
• Historical representations of women through these archetypes.

Characters: Nina and Her Reflections

• Nina: A representation of the White Swan struggling to embody the Black Swan.
• Nina's Mother: Symbolizes pressure and control, keeping Nina infantilized.
• Lily: Acts as Nina's doppelgänger and temptation to embrace her Womanhood.
• Beth: Represents the fear of aging and being replaced.

Themes

Duality of Womanhood

• The pressure on women to balance innocence and seduction.
• Cultural expectations and societal standards.

Metamorphosis and Identity

• Nina's struggle with identity and growing up.
• Symbolism of mirrors and doppelgängers as reflections of self.
• Metaphoric transformation into the Black Swan.

Mother-Daughter Dynamics

• The controlling and infantilizing relationship between Nina and her mother.
• Represents the struggle and fear of embracing Womanhood.

Perfectionism

• Ballerinas and the pursuit of perfection as a metaphor for female experience.
• Ballet as a representation of societal expectations for women.

Symbolism

• Mirrors: Reflects Nina's internal struggle and dual identity.
• Black Swan: Embodiment of repressed desires and dark identity.
• Broken Ballerina Music Box: Symbolizes the pressure and fragmentation of Nina's identity.

Conclusion

• Black Swan critiques societal standards of Womanhood and perfection.
• Questions the feasibility of living up to dual expectations.
• Ending highlights the destructive nature of striving for perfection.