"Man is the measure of all things." - Protagoras

Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film, "A Clockwork Orange," has left an indelible mark on the psyche of its viewers with its captivating visuals, visceral and 'ultra-violent' acts, and enigmatic themes. Set in a seemingly dystopian future that ironically mirrors the contemporary liberal nanny-states of the West, the film juxtaposes the brutality of mankind with its artistic brilliance. Adapted from Anthony Burgess' 1962 book, the film showcases a linguistic precision and intent rarely witnessed in modern art. The harmonious fusion of striking visuals, vivid colors, profound themes of violence, and meticulous language craftsmanship render this film a masterpiece of poetry. However, upon reviewing various analyses, I found a conspicuous absence: few have viewed "A Clockwork Orange" through a Hemetico-Alchemical lens.

Though I wouldn't claim expertise in alchemical hermeticism, I felt that adopting a hermetic worldview shed light on the underlying themes of "A Clockwork Orange." While many have astutely observed the film's exploration of nature versus nurture, free will, and violence, comprehending the true essence of Alex DeLarge's transformation requires an alchemical lens. In this review, I aim to encapsulate the alchemical motifs I perceived within "A Clockwork Orange," drawing from the hermetic traditions identified by the esteemed yet often criticized philosopher Julius Evola.

First and foremost, it is essential to delve into Alex's character as a symbol of the refined and unrefined element, Mercury. The film begins with Alex dressed in striking white attire, a symbolic representation often associated with the mercurial fires of coagulation and dissolution. Through the alchemist's white fires, a substance can be broken down, transformed into a purer form, and concentrated into its perfected and golden state (Evola, pp. 146-151). Fire, being destructive, acidic, and masculine, serves as a catalyst and is also linked to the element of Arsenic, derived from the Greek word "Arsenikos," signifying masculinity. For any discerning viewer of "A Clockwork Orange," there should be little doubt that Alex personifies this masculine manifestation of Mercury. He resembles a dragon, a mighty serpent who breathes fire and immerses himself in his enemies' blood, which purifies and completes the world surrounding him. Furthermore, Alex's consumption of milk, another symbol for the masculine and mercurial force he represents, blended with "veelocet or synthemesc or dreconm," enables Alex and his "droogs" to prepare themselves for their night's predatory escapades. This further solidifies the film's allusion to Mercury and Arsenic, or "Arsenikos."

However, Alex inhabits a feminine, decaying, and hedonistic world. The element of water (Evola, pp. 30-32) serves as the second force in the array of alchemical elements that Kubrick employs to showcase his mastery of the royal art. From the film's inception, Alex assumes the role of a titanic figure willingly violating the feminine principle, asserting dominance while simultaneously becoming entangled in its influence. Vivid and erotic images surround Alex, permeating his environment. Of note, within his room, a depiction of a woman with her legs spread wide acts as a symbolic gateway to chaos and self-destruction. As anticipated by the discerning viewer, following his room's reveal the plot swiftly unfolds into a sequence of events in which Alex betrays his companions, employing mercurial and silvery waters to subdue them, assaults a "soomka" resulting in her demise, and ultimately experiencing a reciprocal betrayal by his droogs. The droogs smash his face with a milk bottle, yet another symbol of mercurial fire, leading to his blindness. As a representation of the purifying dragon of Mercury's fire that has exceeded its boundaries and entered feminine and chaotic waters, Alex finds himself ultimately subdued by his own powers; he is arrested by the police.

Sentenced to fourteen years in prison for the murder of the "soomka," Alex becomes confined within the realm of the feminine principle, marking the beginning of his descent. A clear line is drawn to represent his imprisonment in the maternal or corporeal realm. Fire, symbolized by the Sun, is subdued by water, symbolized by the Moon, and trapped within the confines of prison, which symbolizes the Matrix or Earth. However, his relatively brief stint in prison ends when he expresses a desire to reform himself through the experimental "Ludovico Treatment," demonstrating his self-creating will and self-created form. In a courtyard with a visible pyramidal sign in the background, where prisoners engage in circular exercise resembling their primordial and chaotic state, the Interior Minister identifies Alex and selects him for the treatment. This pyramidal sign, representing fire, points towards the heavens, specifically the air. Alex's fiery nature, the watery and feminine society, the prison's earthly quality, and the limitations imposed upon Alex by the air produces the quintessence's creation: The cross. As Alex undergoes the Ludovico Treatment, it serves as a meditative state, a balance between the elements. The treatment aims to purify Alex of his destructive and chaotic nature, as if his mercurial and chaotic essence were not vital ingredients in the world's creation and preservation, the Cosmos, and the microcosm of society. By the conclusion of the treatment, the serpent has been tamed and rendered incapable of corrupting the feminine principle further. 

Effectively, the Ludovico Treatment castrates Alex and subdues his fiery essence, marking a pivotal moment where he is overwhelmed by the lunar or feminine force. Upon returning home, he discovers the absence of his pet snake, symbolizing the loss of an integral part of his identity: the Dragon within him. Furthermore, he finds that someone else has taken up residence in his room, rendering him powerless to assert himself within his parents' home, leading to his exile from his home to the feminine, lunar, and watery world. There, the violence he once inflicted upon others is returned to him. However, he cannot defend himself due to his disgust towards his violent nature. Contemplating suicide on a bridge overlooking the waters below, a beggar he previously assaulted approaches him for spare change. Recognizing Alex, the beggar pulls him under an overpass, symbolizing an earthly cave and the confinement and depotentiation of Man. Surrounded by other corporeal forces and creatures, Alex is piteously and brutally beaten by a horde of elderly men, only to be saved by two police officers who turn out to be his former droogs—individuals he once controlled through his violent tendencies. Abducted by members of his former gang, they take him into nature, submerge his head in a water trough, and beat him further, emphasizing his descent into the abyssal, watery, or chthonic realm. After sparing his life, they leave him battered and terrified amidst the elements. Suddenly, lightning strikes and a torrential storm engulfs him and his surroundings, further symbolizing his plunge into the dark waters. In addition, the lightning signifies the existence of the Dragon of Chaos or Mercury outside Alex -- implying that Alex's problem isn't a personal problem but a quality of Being that can only be reconciled. Seeking refuge and solace, he crawls and stumbles into a home, unknowingly arriving at the very house he and his former gang once invaded, ransacked, and violated the feminine principle within. The homeowner, a writer, recognizes Alex when he sings "Singing in the Rain" while taking a bath. With his comrades, the writer devises a plan to exploit Alex's vulnerabilities, aiming to expose the inhumanity of his treatment and undermine the current political regime. The Ludovico Treatment has instilled in Alex a repulsion towards Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, his favorite composition, as well. As the writer plays the Ninth Symphony, Alex's disgust for the world and even its refined arts intensifies, pushing him to hurl himself out of the room's (his prison's) sole window, experiencing a momentary self-annihilation—a complete descent into the abyss; a "black, black gap." Yet, he survives, defying death's grasp.

Alex awakens in a hospital, encapsulated in a pure and white body cast. He has returned to a solidified and refined state, maintaining his mercurial essence with less chaos. The Minister approaches Alex again, revealing the writer's intention to exploit his previously transformed state for their control. It becomes evident that the society's bureaucracy sought to utilize his victimhood status as a tool for social manipulation. Ultimately, society is compelled to serve Alex, fulfilling his desires and feeding his impulses. The film concludes with an image of Alex engaging in erotic playfulness amidst a snowy, white landscape, symbolizing his purified state as a mercurial force. This scene signifies that the feminine principle, represented by the watery, chaotic, and abyssal forces, depends on Alex's fiery and mercurial power and, thus, must serve the violent demigod. Alex effectively solidifies the societal forces of the feminine, lunar, and watery aspects by redirecting the corrupt violence that once emanated from him by turning its chaos against itself. By the film's end, he symbolizes a form of the cross, representing the quintessence, having become a pure and consolidated embodiment of Mercury. This transformation signifies the necessary, creative, and rapacious tendencies inherent in existence (Evola, pp. 36-38; pp. 149-151).

Through this hermetic analysis, "A Clockwork Orange" raises ethical questions about violence. By the film's conclusion, it becomes evident that Alex's inclinations are not abnormal but inadequately directed. The Ludovico Treatment hinders Alex from expressing a vital aspect of his identity necessary for self-preservation in an inherently violent and rapacious world. Thus, the film portrays Alex as an embodiment of the essential strife that permeates everything. This perspective on violence as a universal and essential spiritual and material force aligns with the principles of the hermetic and alchemical traditions (Evola, pp. 15-26). Alex assumes the role of a stone to serve as a mandala of the world's violent nature. What the film imparts to its viewers, whether they agree or not, is the notion that violence is an indispensable element for an individual's complete actualization, i.e., the manifestation of their latent sovereignty. In other words, the film suggests that to purify oneself and the world and achieve personal perfection, one must possess the capacity for violence. Understanding violence, its appropriate employment, and its role in overcoming the feminine’s chaotic forces are essential for one's holistic ethical development.

While this analysis of "A Clockwork Orange" is not an exhaustive exploration of its hermetic themes, it sheds light on Alex's role as a vessel for the interplay of perfect and imperfect forces—change, destruction, and unification. By delving into the necessity of violence in the journey of self-realization, the film induces one to contemplate the profound ontological significance of violence as an omnipresent and potent force, resonating on both individual and collective levels. In the crucible of Alex's existence, violence dances as the catalyst for his and our self-realization, revealing itself as an essential ingredient in the alchemy of our nature. Ultimately, Alex's or our violence, akin to the masterpieces of "Ludwig van," attains perfection when it transforms into a work of art.

References: 

Evola, Julius. The Hermetic Tradition: Symbols and Teachings of the Royal Art. Inner Traditions International, 1995.