Transcript Literary Archetypes

“Archetypes are repeated patterns that recur
in the literature of every age” (Sloan 48).
What is an archetype?
 An archetype is a term used to describe universal
symbols that evoke deep and sometimes unconscious
responses in a reader
 In literature, they are characters, images, and themes
that symbolically embody universal meanings and
basic human experiences, regardless of when or where
they live, are considered archetypes.
 Common literary archetypes include stories of quests,
initiations, scapegoats, descents to the underworld,
and ascents to heaven.
Archetypes are…
 Primordial: That is, we, as individuals, have these
archetypal images ingrained in our understanding even
before we are born.
 Universal: These archetypes can be found all over the
world and throughout history. The manifestation of the
idea may be different, but the idea itself is the same.
 To explain natural phenomenon such as
great floods and the creation of the world
 To answer such questions such as why we
are born and why we die
 To help us escape reality by entering a world
where the good guy wins, the forces of evil
are defeated, and love conquers all
 To help define the roles of good and evil such
as the hero and the villain so that we might
recognize them in reality
There are several different types of
archetypes:
We will study the following three:
 Situational
 Symbolic
 Character
You’ll often find several of these archetypes within
one work.
What do you know?
 In the next slides, I’ll prove to you that archetypes are
already part of your consciousness.
 The fact is, you already know the ending to many
stories. You already know what symbolic archetypes
mean.
 For example…
The movie opens…. the young, beautiful actress is on a
tirade about how much she hates, and she means hates,
detests, loathes and every other adjective in between,
the new guy she works with (who happens to be drop
dead good looking and single). He pokes fun at her
and frequently stops by her desk. She fumes silently.
She yells at him about how she can’t stand the sight of
him. He laughs and says he can’t stand her either.
What’s going to happen?
How do you know this?
Situational Archetypes
These are common situations, or plots, seen in literature,
movies, television, etc. over and over throughout history
and cultures. Chances are, if you’re watching a movie that
follows one of these situational archetypes, you know
what’s going to happen in the end when the movie is in
the opening five minutes.
The movie opens on a dark, stormy night. There is no power
in the house where the couple lives.
What does this suggest?
Why?
Symbolic Archetypes:
These are symbols (something which represents something
else) that have occurred over and over again throughout
time and in various different cultures. These symbols have
always represented the same things; that is what makes
them an archetype and what makes us recognize them as
symbols when we see them.
 A young man appears onscreen. He is wearing black,
tight, “skinny jeans,” has longish hair that he tucks
behind his ears, wears converse sneakers and cool
sunglasses, and is carrying a book.
 Who is this man?
 What does he like to do?
 What else do you already know about him?
Character Archetypes
These are the “stereotype” characters that you see over and
over again. You’ve seen these characters throughout
different cultures and over different eras in history.
Examples of Situational Archetypes
THE JOURNEY—
 The hero goes in search of some truth or information to restore
life to the kingdom. The quest involves proving himself,
defending or saving someone or something, or finding
something.
 There are several types of journeys the hero can take
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Identity
Knowledge
Vengeance
to find the promised land
journey for the grail (human perfection)
The type of journey determines the type of hero.
Situational
the name implies, a loss of innocence Archetypes
 The Loss of Innocence This is, as
through sexual experience, violence,
or any other means. This character is
forced to deal with the “real world”
and are forced from their innocence,
and usually, their childhood.
 Ex. Bambi when his mother dies
 The Initiation
 This is the process by which a
character is brought into another
sphere of influence, usually (in
literature) into adulthood.
 Ex. Jem and Scott in To Kill a
Mockingbird
 Quest
 are searching for something,
whether consciously or
unconsciously. Their actions,
thoughts, and feelings center
around the goal of completing the
quest.
 example – Odysseus’ search for
home
 Task
 A situation in which a character, or
group of characters, is driven to
complete some duty often of
monstrous proportion.
 example --Frodo’s task to keep the
ring safe in The Lord of the Rings
 Fall
 describes a descent, usually of a
hero, from a higher to a lower state
of being
 usually involves spiritual
defilement and/or loss of
innocence
 also involves an expulsion from
some kind paradise
 example - Adam and Eve
 Night journey
 descent into earth followed by a
return to light
 usually, knowledge has been
gained through the experience
 example - Orpheus
Examples of Symbolic Archetypes

Water
 a symbol of life, cleansing, and
rebirth—represents the
mystery of creation
 Examples:
Sea—spiritual mystery and
infinity; timelessness and
eternity
River—death / rebirth
(baptism), flowing of time into
eternity, transitional phases of
the life cycle
Sun
 Represents energy,
creativity, thinking,
enlightenment,
wisdom, spiritual
vision, the passing of
time, and life
Examples:
Rising Sun—Birth and
Creation
Setting Sun—death
 Red—love, sacrifice, hate,
evil, anger, violent passion,
sin, blood, disorder
 Green—birth / death,
fertility, luck, hope,
jealousy, decay, greed
 Blue—sadness, spiritual
purity, truth, religious
feelings of security
 Black—power, doom,
death, darkness, mystery,
primal wisdom,
unconscious evil
 White—purity, innocence,
death, terror, supernatural,
blinding truth
Colors
Animals
Dark-colored
bird (raven,
Snake (serpent,
hawk)—death, hate,
worm)—evil,
corruption
corruption,
sensuality,
destruction,
Light-colored
wisdom,
bird (dove)—
temptation
peace, love, life
 Mountains and peaks
 Highest peak is place to “see”
far
 Place to gain great insight
 Caves and tunnels
 Deep down where character
delves into self
 Place that character goes when
“invisible” or inactive
 At the extreme may signify
death
Examples of Character Archetypes

Common Character Archetypes
 The Star-Crossed Lovers
 This is the young couple
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joined by love but
unexpectedly parted by fate.
example - Romeo and Juliet
The great teacher/mentor
wise old man
represents knowledge,
wisdom, spirituality of soul,
insight
protects or helps main
character when he or she
faces challenges.
example – Dumbledore
 Hero
 The main character leaves his or

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her community to go on an
adventure, performing deeds
that bring honor to the
community
examples – Odysseus
Devil figure
offers worldly goods, fame, offers
knowledge to the protagonist in
exchange for possession of his
soul
examples - Lucifer, Satan
Villain
a cruelly malicious person who is
involved in or devoted to
wickedness or crime
Example - Voldemort
 Scapegoat
The scapegoat figure is one
who gets blamed for
everything, regardless of
whether he/she is actually at
fault.
 Example – Tom Robinson in To
Kill a Mockingbird
 Outcast
 a figure who is banished from a
social group for some crime
against his fellow man
 he/she is usually destined to
become a wanderer
 example - Gollum
 The Damsel in Distress
 A vulnerable woman who
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needs to be rescued by the
hero. She is often used as a
trap to ensnare the
unsuspecting hero
example – Rapunzel
Enchantress-Temptress
characterized by sensuous
beauty usually involved in
downfall of the hero or
protagonist
examples - the Sirens,
Calypso
Now, take what you know about
archetypes and apply them to everyone’s
favorite Ogre….
Hero
Shrek
Literally doing superhuman deeds
Quest
Find/Rescue Princess
Fiona
Task
Get his swamp back
from the fairy creatures
Light v Darkness
Death and Rebirth
The castle is dark to represent evil;
Fiona is first seen in a ray of light; as
soon as they escape, they emerge into
daytime since they have escaped evil
when they escape the dragon,
morning is dawning suggesting hope
and rebirth
Star-Crossed Lovers
Dragons and Donkeys aren’t supposed
to be together, neither are ogres and
princesses
Evil Figure with a Good Heart
Dragon appears at first as an Evil
Figure, especially with the remains of
the knights, but Donkey saves her and
converts her to good
The Journey
Shrek and Donkey face their fears and
conquer the dragon, finding Fiona to
accomplish their task
HOMEWORK:
Review your notes on archetypes.
Just as we did with the Shrek example, use one text of
your choice (book, movie, short story, etc.) and
identify one archetype from each of the three
categories (situational, symbolic, and character).
For each archetype you identify in the story, write two
sentences explaining why your choice demonstrates
an example of each of these archetypes by using your
definitions from your notes.