Jareth the Goblin King

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Lore & Background

Jareth is the king of the goblins, ruling from his castle at the centre of a vast labyrinth. He is described by Jim Henson as 'never completely evil' but rather 'the antagonist in the story than an arch villain,' representing elements of Sarah's inner world as she navigates the transition between girl and woman. Henson stated that Jareth 'has no reality except what Sarah gives him, which she can constantly change.' The character's design was influenced by Heathcliff from *Wuthering Heights*, Rochester from *Jane Eyre*, the Scarlet Pimpernel, medieval knights, Grimm's Fairy Tales, ballet dancers, contemporary rock stars, and 'leather boys' such as Johnny Strabler from *The Wild One*. Screenwriter Terry Jones originally envisioned Jareth as a 'hollow man' who uses the labyrinth to 'keep people from getting to his heart,' but Henson rejected this in favour of a coming-of-age story centred on Sarah.

In Their Own Story

When Sarah Williams wishes away her baby brother Toby, Jareth appears as the goblin king and gives her thirteen hours to retrieve the baby from his castle at the centre of the labyrinth. Throughout her journey, Jareth sets obstacles in her path and tries to entice her away from her quest. He appears multiple times throughout the film, singing three songs he wrote for the movie. Jim Henson explained that Jareth 'represents a lot of things that are a part of Sarah's world, what she's trying to figure out and what she's going through.' The character was developed with David Bowie in mind after Henson first approached him in 1983. Bowie's casting led to significant script changes: Terry Jones had originally intended Jareth not to appear until Sarah reached the centre, but Henson wanted the character to sing and appear throughout. Elaine May later contributed to 'humaniz[ing] the characters' shortly before filming began.

Reader's Guide

Jareth is the powerful king of the goblins who commands the labyrinth and its inhabitants. He possesses the ability to manipulate the environment, as demonstrated by his crystal-ball contact juggling—choreographed and performed by juggler Michael Moschen, who crouched behind Bowie's cloak and placed his hands through the sleeves during filming. Henson said Moschen's work was 'as close to real magic as anything that I really know.' Jareth's dancing scenes were choreographed by Charles Augins and Cheryl McFadden respectively. Bowie completed many of his scenes in two or three takes, except for very technical scenes or those involving complex puppets. Henson noted that Bowie 'needed very little direction, because his own characterization [of Jareth] was always right on.' The character serves as both obstacle and catalyst for Sarah's growth, representing the adult world with 'his sexuality, his disturbing aspect, all sorts of things that characterize the adult world,' as Henson put it.

Did You Know?

• Jareth's crystal-ball contact juggling was performed by juggler Michael Moschen, who crouched behind David Bowie's cloak and placed his hands through the sleeves to replace Bowie's arms during filming.
• Jim Henson first approached David Bowie for the role in 1983, but Bowie's deal was not set until 15 February 1985, after a meeting in Gstaad, Switzerland.
• Screenwriter Terry Jones originally intended Jareth not to appear until Sarah reached the centre of the labyrinth, but Henson wanted the character to sing and appear throughout the film after casting Bowie.
• Elaine May contributed to the script shortly before filming began, helping to 'humanize the characters' of Sarah and Jareth.
• Henson initially considered offering the role to Simon MacCorkindale or Kevin Kline before deciding he wanted a pop star to play the Goblin King.

Origins and Creative Evolution

Jareth was first conceived during initial discussions between Jim Henson, Brian Froud, artist Wendy Froud, and writer Dennis Lee as a shapeshifting 'prince of darkness' who kidnaps a king's baby. To avoid similarities to Ridley Scott's *Legend*, the team made significant changes, deciding the protagonist would be an adolescent girl who journeys to rescue her baby brother. Henson described the subtext of *Labyrinth* as being 'about the growing-up process of maturity ... a young girl right at that point between girl and woman, shedding her childhood thoughts for adult thoughts,' and intended Jareth to partly represent this in Sarah's imagination. During drafting, Henson and screenwriter Terry Jones had a fundamental disagreement: Jones saw Jareth as a 'hollow man' destroyed by Sarah reaching the centre, while Henson insisted on a coming-of-age story. The casting of David Bowie resulted in many script changes, with Henson asking Jones to rewrite the script to allow Jareth numerous appearances and songs. After Bowie found a redraft lacked humour, Henson asked Jones to rework it again to restore humour from previous drafts.

The David Bowie Factor

Henson first approached David Bowie in 1983 to offer him the part, and the character was developed with Bowie in mind. Several contemporary musicians were initially considered besides Bowie, including Sting, Michael Jackson, and Prince. Henson's sons Brian and John convinced him to offer the role to Bowie, believing he would have the most lasting appeal with audiences. The Hensons had seen Bowie act on Broadway in *The Elephant Man* and felt his 'other-worldliness' and energy matched the film's fantastic creatures. Henson explained that Bowie 'embodies a certain maturity, with his sexuality, his disturbing aspect, all sorts of things that characterize the adult world.' During a meeting in New York on 18 June 1984, Henson showed Bowie Brian Froud's concept art. 'That impressed me for openers,' Bowie later said. Henson continued to pursue Bowie, developing the character with him in mind and sending each script revision for his comments. The two met again in Gstaad, Switzerland on 11 February 1985, and Bowie's deal was set on 15 February 1985. Bowie began shooting his scenes on 3 June 1985 and was also hired to write the songs for *Labyrinth*, performing three in the film as Jareth.

Design and Archetypal Influences

Jareth's character design was influenced by Heathcliff from *Wuthering Heights* and Rochester from *Jane Eyre*, as well as the Scarlet Pimpernel, medieval knights, Grimm's Fairy Tales, ballet dancers, contemporary rock stars, and 'leather boys' such as Johnny Strabler from *The Wild One*. Conceptualised as the inner fantasy of Sarah, the character was designed by Brian Froud. Henson wanted Jareth to have a visible skill with which to express his magical powers, leading to the crystal-ball contact juggling. Froud wrote that Bowie's 'protean persona' made him well-suited to the role, as 'Jareth needed to be a mercurial figure who would constantly throw Sarah off balance emotionally.' Henson stated that Jareth 'must have something attractive and menacing about him' and be both 'positive and negative at the same time,' and that Bowie 'had the advantage of being able to be seductive, threatening, scary.'

Reception and Enduring Legacy

Reception to the character has been generally positive, with critics praising Jareth's magnetism and costuming. David Bowie's performance as Jareth, while alternately lauded and derided by contemporary critics, has since become one of his most celebrated film appearances. Henson described Jareth as having 'no reality except what Sarah gives him, which she can constantly change,' a concept that supports enduring interpretations of the character as a manifestation of Sarah's internal journey from childhood to adulthood.