Jareth: The Profile
We wanted to do an overview of Jareth, an introduction to his basic identity, but it was hard to know where
to begin or what to include! So we compiled the basics about him and filled in with conjecture to make this Personality Profile. We dunno how accurate it is. See what you think.
Who is he?: Jareth, Goblin King.
Details... Jareth is lord and master of the Underground, a mystical realm that he can transform into whatever
he wants. In this film, the Underground is a Labyrinth, and Jareth has dominion over everything that lives
there, but this seems to be because the
Labyrinth is full of wingnuts and idiot creatures incapable of governing themselves. Even with his moodiness and
immaturity, Jareth is more responsible and level-headed than all of his minions put together.
Jareth looks 99% human, but has some unusual features that look appropriate among the goblins. He could be some
kind of latter generation Human/Goblin hybrid. It's also unknown where he came from and how he came to be King, and
if there was once a royal family that assigned his control of the Underground. Jareth does seem out of place and
somewhat unhappy with this position.
Perhaps Jareth was once human, and was kidnapped by some other Goblin King-like figure who gave him his odd appearance
and passed the kingdom on to him.
Height: About 5'10" naturally. Nearer 6' in boots.
Details... We're not sure how tall Jareth is supposed to be. The closest actor was Bowie, who isn't tall, and
had to
compete with Connelly, who is tall. But we think Jareth is
meant to be a medium-size guy. Any higher than 6' and he'd be more intimidating, maybe too
much so. Sarah is in high school and used to seeing small, underage guys; six feet is a big boy for her.
Age: Unknown.
Bowie was about 39 and gave Jareth an
appropriately youthful, brazen persona.
Details... Discerning jailbaiters should note that
the film doesn't even tell us how old *Sarah* is, so Jareth is a real mystery.
Other Labyrinth sources (the comic and possibly the
manga sequel - We dunno. We haven't read them) give some information on this and suggest that Jareth may be hundreds or thousands of years old.
It seems universally accepted that he is an Immortal Being of some kind, so his young appearance could be
the result of "Capture Age Phenomenon":
If Jareth was once mortal, he may have become a Goblin/Goblin royalty in his late 30s, and been crystalized that way
forever. Magical possessions tend to work this way, because the natural aging process stops as soon as
immortality is bestowed. (This is why some vampires are children, because
they can't grow up.)
An early version of the Lab script described Jareth as "of indeterminate age." This is reminiscent of
vampires in film, as males are often cast as young adults, but with unusually handsome features that read well at any age.
(Bowie himself was a vampire just a few years before Labyrinth.)
At any rate, this is why Botox and face lifts (however awesome) are an inefficient solution to aging, and a waste
of our mortal time.
Scientists
should focus more on supernatural trials in Clinical Vampirism; this is the real answer for
eternal youth.
Likeness: The Bowie.
Details... Jareth looks exactly like the Bowie. This might be his true appearance, or something he's
assumed by choice because he wants to be attractive to Sarah. It could be meaningful that he has the face of
Sarah's Mother's Boyfriend, as this agrees with Sarah's admiration for her mother and apparent longing to have her
lifestyle. Jareth is aware of these things and would probably want to embody Sarah's fantasy in every way.
Re: The Goblin King figurine in Sarah's room... We notice that Real Jareth doesn't seem to resemble the
Goblin King figure. Not in the face and not even in his first wardrobe appearance, but Sarah still recognizes him.
This could be inherent to the writing (she had just asked the Goblin King to take Toby), but it seems like
she knows Jareth's face somehow. Certainly, he reacts to her pegging him so quickly.
Personality: Variable and unpredictable.
Details... Jareth is intelligent but egotistical, and
prone to temper and jealousy. He is reactive to these emotions and sometimes doesn't think through what he does. He
is independent and used to doing everything his own way. He's also spoiled on his own power and status as King, and his
cockiness is sometimes his undoing. (Per the end of the film, when he's so confident that he stops
monitoring Sarah's progress in the Labyrinth.)
Also, he is supposed to be a villain, so in general he does not play well with others.
At the same time, he's charming - a rakish young man with an intricate mind and the ambition to be as impressive
as possible. He seems a reluctant ruler, but makes the most of his situation.
Species: Unknown. A shape-shifting Entity.
Details... Jareth is a magical being with the ability to assume multiple forms. A favorite of these is the Barn Owl, but
we don't know what his true self looks like. He could just be a cloud of energy or something. If fantasy
movies and Star Trek series have taught us nothing else, it's that superior life forms often lack structure and
look like double-exposed orbs of bright
light, or even clouds of glitter (if said life forms have budget limitations).
Jareth could probably appear as an average human if he wanted to, but his preferred form is an attractive,
otherworldly, human-like male. Except for his hair and eyebrows, he would pass as completely human. He's called
"The Goblin King," but looks nothing
like his goblin subjects, which is never explained.
What does not seem mutable about Jareth is his personality. His conniving intelligence, self-awareness,
and insecurities appear to be inherent. He also has emotions, normal male interests, and interacts with humans
easily. These are not the behaviors of a dissimilar, Body-Snatching life form.
We think "The Goblin King" is accurate to Jareth's true self, or at least very similar to the default conditions of his
species.
He even assumes an Owl Form, not to commune with owls or other wildlife, but to make contact with humans. If anything, he's
like an Owl-Body-Snatcher posing as humanoid to express his human-like obsession with Sarah.
Likes: Music and dancing.
Likes to abuse goblins and show off his
magic powers. Also likes
Toby and is infatuated with Sarah. Enjoys dressing the part of King, wearing ornate accessories, real leather,
and other
signs of status. Seems to revel in being a handsome, confident nobleman among his grotesque and mostly-naked goblin
brethren.
Dislikes: Compromise. And being defied! Seems to have some distain for the
Ordinary World, and seems to dislike Hoggle. We don't find out much about his specific dislikes, because Jareth gets his way
most of the time.
Status and Orientation: Single, heterosexual
Details... Jareth seems fully Available and has the attitude of a bachelor with libido.
He's The Goblin King and is capable of love, but does not have a queen. For whatever reason, the Labyrinth doesn't have
compatible partners
for him, which contributes to his isolation and apparent loneliness. But he makes forays into the Ordinary World
and is subject to the same romantic feelings that humans have. He has fallen in love with Sarah
and wants to have some kind of committed
relationship with her.
It's likely that Jareth has a sex life of
some
kind. He can probably
create sexual partners for himself in the Underground, or maybe he travels to other realities (other magical beings'
Undergrounds?)
to get laid. Or maybe he comes to the Ordinary World and poses as human and visits hookers and/or lonely housewives.
He must have some interactive outlet for his sexual energy, or he'd spend all his time wanking in the castle and be
useless as an authority figure.
Magical Powers: Extensive. But conditional and finite.
Details... Jareth can perform virtually any form of Magic that involves manipulating physical objects and
re-constituting and rearranging molecules. He can even produce functional environments within the Underground, entire
landscapes
that occupy several square miles. This requires enormous psychic power
and suggests that his one-time feats (such as teleportation and telekinesis) are but parlor tricks. However, he is
not omnipotent; his power reserves are limited by his own energy level and become amplified tremendously when an
observer or "believer" (like Sarah) is at the heart of his activities. But he is inherently a magical being and
always lives some kind of enchanted life in the Underground (he is present in Owl Form before and after his dealings
with Sarah).
Jareth's magic is not able to control the thoughts or emotions of other people. He ends up having to drug Sarah to get her
affection, and even people in the Underground (like
Hoggle) seem to have their own mindset. Which is odd since Hoggle is basically Jareth's creation and should be within his
control. But perhaps bestowing Free Will on these creations is necessary for the Labyrinth's ability to function without
Jareth's constant intervention. Jareth
could be considered God-like in that regard.
EXTRA!
- Psychological Profile
"Jareth Goes to the Shrink"
We tried to make this profile page accurate, but there's a lot of mystery around The Goblin King! We really wanted to find out what makes him tick, so we sent Jareth to a
Personnel Service to be evaluated. We just wanted them to do an interview, but his strange appearance and behavior came to
their attention. They ended up sending him to a
Psychiatric Referral specialist for some kind of workup. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get much more out of him,
but they sent us this copy of the Shrink-Rap. Enjoy.
Patient Report
Pt. Name: Jareth (No last name provided)
Race, Gender: Caucasian male. Blonde/blue. Nationality
unknown, but has Euro dialect.
Age: Indeterminate. Pt claims "quite old," but cannot
remember exactly (?) Appears 30-40.
Description: Slender build. Long, spiked hairstyle. Elaborate
Victorian clothing (cape, gloves, boots)
Distinguishing features: Bruise-like discoloration pattern around
eyebrows. This appears to be permanent/tattooed? Also pupil of left eye is permanently dilated.
Permanent Address: Unverified.
Says lives "Underground." (Poss Australian? But sounds English.) Pt could not explain this except that the
Underground contains "The Labyrinth" and that his "castle" is there.
Suspect literal Underground. (Basement flat?)
Current Residence:
Transient. Claims to have "just flown in for the day," but does not have travel
documentation.
Occupation: True occupation unknown. Says is "The Goblin King."
Pt believes he is of royal lineage
and therefore responsible for upkeep of an entire kingdom of some mythological origin. Is concerned about the
status of
"The Labyrinth" while he is away and unable to monitor it.
Personality Evaluation: Difficult. Pt was polite at first but uncomfortable with personal questions and
quick to frustration.
"Jareth" is passionate and driven to succeed in life. (May be afraid of failure.) Equates his believed standing as
a "king" with achievement and personal worth, and dedicates most of his energy to this.
Lives alone, does not have close friends, and does not socialize out of the
workplace. Does not recognize these issues of isolation and their effect on his behavior.
Competitive with others - does not like challengers to his authority. Has feelings of love and devotion (especially
for "Sarah"), but has severe difficulty expressing affection openly. Seems desperate for approval, and fears rejection.
Was not at all tolerant
of comments implying criticism.
Is sometimes aggressive, but seldom physically. Uses taunting and threats to exert dominance.
(Threatened evaluator
multiple times
with submersion in "The Bog" ?)
Seems to enjoy (and need) his perceived station of power; his insistence on it suggests deep-seated fear
and insecurity. Suspect hx of abuse leading to chronic feelings of powerlessness, and hx of neglect
causing low self-esteem.
Recommendations:
Voluntary 72 Hr. commitment, or until his delusional interests in "The Underground" have been addressed and the need
for meds evaluated
properly.
Also consider sensitive status with INS, as Pt does not have identification and may be an unregistered alien.
Rx Meds: Benzo would reduce stress and help with his immediate, antagonistic behavior.
However, despite aggressive tendencies, does not seem to be a serious threat to self or others.
Also therapy to explore his psychotic manifestations (his worries about "The Goblins" and their destructive activities
in his absence).
Observation and further study are highly recommended. Of greatest concern is Pt's genuine belief in his mythical "Kingdom,"
but this manifestation is unclear. Suggest illness of schizophrenic form, but "Jareth" seems fully cognizant and
discerning of his real surroundings.
Balked when questioned about whether "the goblins" were present in the evaluation room. ("Of course not, you twit.")
***Evaluator Notes: "Odd thing happened during interview. Upon
being questioned about "Sarah," Pt became agitated and said he would "not do this for fifty bloody minutes," and
pointed behind me at the clock. Within a few minutes (?) our time had elapsed. Not sure how this happened so quickly -
I had not finished the questions."
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