The link between ‘The Shining’ and the Greek myth of the Minotaur
Stephen King’s 1977 novel The Shining was made into one of the greatest horror movies of all time in the shape of Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1980 effort starring Jack Nicholson. Telling of the descent into madness of writer and recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance as he and his family take care of the mysterious and supernatural Overlook Hotel during its off-season, The Shining remains one of the most intriguing works in the horror genre.
As is often the case with Kubrick’s films, his 1980 horror movie is rife with symbolism, only this time with themes and motifs of the human psyche, isolation, insanity and the realms beyond our usual perceptions. There’s also a fascinating link to the myths of ancient Greece in The Shining, particularly of Theseus and the Minotaur, which can elucidate and reveal even more of the enigmatic narrative.
At the centre of the Minotaur myth is a labyrinth, an almost impossible maze made by Daedalus in order to imprison the fearsome and deadly half-bull creature. In terms of The Shining, the Overlook Hotel similarly serves as a labyrinth of sorts, trapping Jack, his wife Shelley and son Danny within its confines, with secret dangers hiding around every corner.
It’s Jack himself who is akin to the Minotaur, though, a figure who is slowly consumed by his inner turmoil and one who can only end up acting in fits of violence and rage. As his descent into madness continues, Jack becomes a monster in his own right, unleashing fury and chaos upon his family, such as the Minotaur had terrorised the people of Crete.
There’s a hero in the Minotaur myth, too, good old Theseus, who rises up to conquer the labyrinth and slay the Minotaur for good, freeing his fellow Cretians from its terror. The Shining perhaps lacks a direct hero, although we could extend such a role to Jack’s son, Danny, a young boy who possesses psychic abilities. With such powers, Danny has an understanding of the Overlook Hotel and can safely traverse it, diving deep into its horrors in order to save himself and his family. It’s through Danny’s bravery that he and his mother can free themselves from Jack’s reign of insane cruelty.
A parallel lies between the Minotaur and the Overlook Hotel itself, too. As the Minotaur had feasted on human flesh, the setting of The Shining seems to gain power from the human souls it harvests, granting it the ability to manipulate its inhabitant’s actions into acts of depravity, madness and violence. Furthermore, it’s a place where the lines between reality and horror are blurred, just as the physical incarnation of the Minotaur, half-man half-bull, is truly distorted from normality.
The link between The Shining and the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur runs in alluring lines. Both possess themes of violence, isolation and madness, as well as a redemptive labyrinthine story that stays with its readers or audiences long after it has finished. In that light, King’s novel and Kubrick’s film becomes a modern-day retelling of a classic narrative, one that dives headfirst into the darkest corners of the human experience.
