Chels

The Madonna-Whore complex is primarily a psychological term used to describe the cognitive dissonance between sexual arousal and romantic affection in men. It was, as most controversial theories are, identified by Freud, who had plenty of questionable theories and methods, so it should be taken with a grain of salt. While it may not be the case that in reality, men can only see women as pure, motherly figures, or objects of desire, it’s definitely true that the Madonna-Whore complex has found its way into the media we consume and the interpretations we make.

Freud’s theory is quite pessimistic, and takes no consideration of women’s desires. Women are often an afterthought in Freud’s work – an addendum in response to criticism. It also doesn’t account for the fact that the Madonna figure is contradictory in itself. The pure virgin and the motherly figure really don’t correlate, but for some reason, motherhood is often not associated with sexuality. The two ideas seem to exist on different planes, despite being intrinsically connected.

In media, the Madonna-Whore complex focuses on the portrayal of female characters, particularly in works created by men. It makes sense in theory, no matter how frustrating it is – until recently, the majority of filmmakers, especially those with critical acclaim, were men, and despite a pretty even split in audiences, film viewers were assumed to be male in studies until Laura Mulvey pioneered the discussion of female viewership and the female gaze. There are similar patterns in literature; men had access to education and literacy before women, leading to our exclusion from consideration in studies of writing and readership. It seemingly counts for nothing that some of the best selling authors, and pioneers of their genres, are women. Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, and Agatha Christie have been so influential in literature (and, by extension, film and television) throughout history and still today, popular with both male and female readers, but there’s no longstanding psychological theory on the way women view and portray men, so it goes largely undiscussed.

The Madonna-Whore complex in action

An early example of the phenomenon (from before it was even identified) is in William Shakespeare’s Othello. There’s the innocent, virtuous Desdemona – loyal to her husband, naive, and pure, and in stark contrast, Bianca the courtesan. There’s the literal embodiment of her role – she earns her living through intimate relationships with men – and the ideological representation. She’s willing to jeopardise Desdemona and Othello’s relationship by copying the fateful handkerchief, but she also refuses to submit entirely to the wills of the men around her, earning her a reputation as a wild woman, and a danger. Thanks to her reputation, Bianca is trapped in her job, and she’s manipulated by Cassio and Iago into committing the actions that condemn Desdemona. She’s not entirely innocent, but she’s also not completely without morals. Still, Desdemona’s purity is her virtue, and when Othello overhears a conversation about Bianca’s promiscuity, believing it to be about Desdemona, his anger eclipses his love for her. For Othello, it’s clear to see the cognitive dissonance between the romantic affection and sexual desire.

There’s more to it, though, because Iago’s wife, Emilia, doesn’t fit neatly into either role. She certainly isn’t wholly innocent in the events of the play, but she’s also faithful to her husband right until the end of the play. Emilia chooses to defend Desdemona, betraying her husband in the process. Emilia represents neither Madonna nor whore; while some say she’s a depiction of a real woman, the phrase implies that Desdemona and Bianca are not real, they’re merely caricatures of women. I disagree. I think their traits are scrutinised more heavily, but in reality, both characters act outside of their prescribed role – Desdemona betrays her father by eloping with Othello, and Bianca is fiercely loyal to Cassio. But since we know the women are representing particular roles, we often brush these contradictions aside.

A modern take

It’s not just men that employ the Madonna-Whore complex in their writing.

We don’t often talk about the wizarding book series here, because between the author and the content of the books (on reflection), they can be quite a controversial topic. However, I want to break the pattern to touch on an ideological standpoint that has always bothered me, at least a little bit.

If you don’t believe in death of the author, she’s said a lot about the final battle between Bellatrix Lestrange and Molly Weasley. Unfortunately, she’s also retconned a plot point that served her ideological purpose, rendering it pointless now. Regardless, the author talked a lot in interviews about how she wanted that moment to reflect the power of maternal love over obsessive attraction. Obviously, maternal love plays a huge role in the series, and it’s a really important theme, but the idea that other types of love or other ambitions pale in comparison has never really sat right with me. I don’t love the ideological implication that for women, motherhood is the goal, the calling. Why can’t we be ambitious? Why can’t we be power-hungry, or career driven, or selfish. It’s a children’s story, so of course good must succeed over evil, but it really epitomises the binaries we’re so used to seeing women through.

Molly Weasley is the dutiful wife and mother to seven children. She’s maternal and jolly and a bit plain, and in comparison, Bellatrix Lestrange is overtly sexual (more so in the films than the books), until a recent retcon she was not a mother, not at all maternal – she was more than willing to leave children orphaned to advance her cause. She also either obsessively loved, or was attracted to Voldemort (however you may interpret their relationship), and, if we include the later information, she carried his child despite her marriage to another man. She exemplifies the whore as far as the character type can be portrayed in children’s media. And in this case, she’s villainised. It’s explicitly clear which character we’re supposed to love and which we hate. This is especially interesting considering this story comes from a female writer. Even in Othello, a story clearly portraying Desdemona as a tragic victim and Bianca as an accomplice, there’s nuance, there’s opportunities for forgiveness, Bianca is not just a villain or just a sexual being.

The presence of the Madonna-Whore complex isn’t always so clear cut in media. Sometimes, it’s not there at all. There are plenty of female characters, especially female protagonists, who don’t fit either of these molds. That’s not to say that these are isolated cases. We can see traces of the theory throughout literary genres – it’s why so many romance novels feature a younger, innocent female love interest, and why age gap romances involving older women are considered much more niche. Our implicit biases influence the stories we tell, and those stories further influence our viewpoints.

And, despite my criticism, I do find it a fascinating trope when it comes to the portrayal of women.