SUBVERTING JOSEPH CAMPBELL'S HEROIC IDEOLOGY:LUCIFER EFFECT – THE GOOD / EVIL DIVIDE IN THE PORTRAYAL OF RAVANA IN RAMAYANA

ABSTRACT

For centuries Ramayana has been the centre of contention for the critics with respect to dei?cation of Rama, epitome of virtue and defamation of Ravana, the king of the darkest kind. Joseph Campbell's de?nition of a Hero resides with a person's heroic quest to achieve something that is beyond himself through his encounter with a challenging enemy and his victorious return. Ravana, the antagonist, underwent a challenging quest and was unconquerable until he was faced with his one tragic ?aw – his lust for Sita. Upon looking through the lens of deconstruction, this abduction doesn't make Ravana the antagonist of the plot but actually a Tragic Hero of Aristotle. This Hamartia of Ravana was not implied by him but was imposed upon him by the circumstances which make him a fallen hero – the Lucifer of Genesis. This paper aims to apply Philip Zimbardo's Lucifer Effect theory to explore Campbell's ideology of heroism with reference to Ravana and also attempts to answer the question whether Ravana is the greatest villain or is he actually a situational victim, who is outshined as a villain by his tragic ?aw intensi?ed by circumstantial pressures