ABSTRACT
The metaphysical realm owes its binary division to myths which serve as a base for philosophical thought, formed from the stories of gods and heroes told, and retold. For women, myths have been pivotal in conditioning the female to be “feminine” by consolidating their oral accounts into written literature. These myths have been transferred both consciously (as norms) and unconsciously (as archetypes) and have been considered invincible, and to be followed with unquestioning compliance.
Almost all feminists, from Mary Wollstonecraft to Simone de Beauvoir to Elaine Showalter, have identified this archetypal representation of women, based on myths in literature as well as societal pressures. The literary idealisation of mythical women works on the trinity of witch, whores and virgins. The establishment of a new literary order after demystifying these myths is, thus, considered crucial. Shaw’s plays serve as models of such a literary genre, in which the reworking on myths has broken the pattern of their traditional representation. A parallel to his philosophy of Life Force could be found in Indian myths, particularly those generated in the Mahabharata. Also Shaw’s reworking on myths involved his inspirations and impressions from the Oriental-Indian and Celtic origin myths instead of the femme fatale myths imposed by the Occidental cultures.
