ISSN 2078-9823 (Print), ISSN 2587-7879 (Online)

DOI: 10.24412/2078-9823.071.025.202503.273-283

Anna A. Drozdova

Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation (Moscow, Russia),

e-mail: adrozdonet@mail.ru

 

Socio-Philosophical Analysis of Symbolic Representations of Women’s Roles at the Turn of the XIX Century: “Ophelia” and “Salome”

 

Abstract

Introduction. The article suggests the archetypes of “Ophelia” and “Salome” as symbolic constructions of women’s perception in the social consciousness at the turn on the XIX century. These antithetical archetypes – images of a submissive and a dangerous woman – served as the instruments of cultural control and normalization of gender roles. Today, they continue to determine the perception of the femininity in the contemporary society. The purpose of the article is to analyze how these archetypes, rooted in the cultural and artistic traditions of the turn of the XIX century, function as the instruments of gender subjectification in the patriarchal discourse. By observing their philosophical and socio-political influence, the article aims to reveal how these archetypes exclude women from full subjectivity.

Materials and Methods include synthesis, induction, deduction and the comparative analysis of the archetypes of “Ophelia” and “Salome” through the lens of social and political philosophy. The theoretical foundations of the article employ the works by Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Jacques Lacan, Laura Mulvey, Simone de Beauvoir, and other scholars as well as contemporary academic literature on philosophical, feminist and cultural issues.

Results of the study demonstrate that “Ophelia” and “Salome” serve as contradictory poles in the patriarchal symbolic order: one represents an idealized submission, while the other – a dangerous autonomy. Despite their contrast, both archetypes ultimately reject the true subjectification of women, reinforcing binary cultural codes that regulate gender norms and social roles.

Discussion and Conclusion. The article emphasizes the necessity of deconstruction of these inherited narratives and reevaluation of female subjectification beyond the dichotomy of submission and threat. Feminist critique and cultural reconsideration are suggested as possible strategies for resistance, which would allow for new ways of representation that go beyond archetypical limitations. The proposed arguments and conclusions create implications for the further study and development of a system of female archetypes throughout the XX century and to the present day.

Keywords: archetypes, femininity, gender roles, social roles, cultural codes, subjectification, patriarchal order, social control.

For citation: Drozdova A. A. Socio-Philosophical Analysis of Symbolic Representations of Women’s Roles at the Turn of the XIX Century: “Ophelia” and “Salome”. Gumanitarian: aktual’nye problemy gumanitarnoi nauki i obrazovaniia = Russian Journal of the Humanities. 2025; 25(3): 273–283. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.24412/2078-9823.071.025.202503.273-283.

 

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