Transcript ARCHETYPES, GREEK MYTHOLOGY, AND THE HERO’S JOURNEY ARCHETYPES IN LITERATURE Archetype: Patterns that commonly appear in stories no matter what culture they come from.

ARCHETYPES,
GREEK MYTHOLOGY,
AND THE HERO’S JOURNEY
ARCHETYPES IN LITERATURE
Archetype: Patterns that commonly appear in stories no
matter what culture they come from. Archetypes can apply
to plots of a story, characters in a story, and themes of a
story.
3 Types:
• Character
• Situational
• Symbolic
ARCHETYPES (CONT.)
• Character Archetypes: Patterns depicted in characters of
stories
• The Hero: protagonist whose life is depicted through a
series of well-defined adventures. Usually he has an
unusual birth, will have to leave his kingdom to go on
some journey, and returns to his home a changed person.
He is very brave, strong, has honor, and risks his life for
the good of all.
Examples: Hercules, Aragorn, Lancelot, Wolverine
TYPES OF HEROES
• The Traditional/Classical hero: Strong, good-looking,
noble, skilled in many areas, live by personal codes of
honor, first to jump in and save the day, love the acclaim
• Super hero: Heroes who have some sort of
magical/mythical power that aides them in their tasks
• Tragic Hero: main character in a tragedy who makes and
error that leads to his/her downfall
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
• Mentor: The mentor is an older, wiser teacher to
the Hero. He is sometimes viewed as a father
figure. He gives the Hero gifts, food, magic,
information, help, etc. Example: Morpheus from
the Matrix, Obi Wan from Star Wars.
• The Shadow: A worthy opponent with whom the
hero must fight in the end. Example: Darth Vader,
Voldemort, The Matrix, Pride, Jealousy
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
• The Damsel in Distress: A woman (usually) who
needs to be rescued by the Hero. She is often
used to trap the hero. Example: Princess Fiona
from Shrek, Sleeping Beauty
SITUATIONAL ARCHETYPES
• Situational Archetypes: These are patterns in plots of
stories
• The Task: The nearly super-human feats the Hero must
perform in order to help himself or his kingdom.
• The Fall: The descent from a higher to lower state of
being, usually as a punishment for screwing up (going
from god-like to man)
SYMBOLIC ARCHETYPES
Symbolic Archetypes: Patterns of symbols in stories
Supernatural Intervention: When spiritual beings intervene
on behalf of the hero.
The Crossroads: A place or time of decision when a
realization is made and a change occurs in the Hero.
VALUES OF THE ANCIENT
GREEKS
• Courtesy and respect for all classes of
people
• Courage, trust and discipline
• Community and law
• Home and family
• Obedience to the divine world
MYTHS
• Myths are stories that use fantasy to express
ideas about life that cannot be expressed easily
in realistic terms.
• Myths are basically religious because they are
concerned with the relationship between human
beings and the unknown or spiritual realm.
THE ORAL TRADITION
• In Homer’s time there were no movies or
television and probably not any written history.
• In order to pass on tales of recent events or the
stories of great heroes, gods, and goddesses,
men would travel from community to community
singing of such events.
THE ORAL TRADITION (CONT.)
• These “singers of tales” were known as
rhapsodes.
• Rhapsodes were the historians and entertainers
as well as the myth-makers of their time.
• These singers had to be very talented and work
very hard to memorize all of the stories they told.
THE HERO’S JOURNEY
DESCRIPTION OF THE HERO
• Can be “honorable,” “brave,” or “strong,” but not necessarily
• No specific look, thought, or behavior for a hero.
• Symbol of ideals and values of the community and/or
culture.
• Learns something significant about
the world.
• Gains self-knowledge during
journey and shares that info with
others upon return.
UNUSUAL BIRTH
• Unusual circumstances surrounding his/her birth.
• Often born to royalty or a god/goddess.
• Sometimes in danger at birth, so disguise is
necessary.
• Examples:
• Jesus Christ
• Voldemort
CALL TO ADVENTURE
• Journey usually begins with a traumatic event leading
to need or desire to leave home.
• May refuse to leave at first, but then convinced, tricked,
or forced to do so.
• …Or may leave willingly.
• …Or may begin journey on accident.
• Examples:
• Luke Skywalker leaves when his aunt and uncle are killed
and follows Princess Leia’s distress message.
• Mulan leaves willingly to battle invaders.
SUPERNATURAL HELPER
• Aided by someone old and wise, often with magical or
mystical power.
• Guide or mentor for hero.
• Examples:
• Rafiki for Simba
• Ben Kenobi for Yoda
TALISMAN OR SPECIAL
WEAPON
• Given a useful weapon or protective device.
• Supernatural helper may be the one to give the hero
this item or tell the hero about it.
• Example:
• The sword, Excalibur, is King Arthur’s talisman.
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
• Leaves the familiar, safe world
he/she knows and fully enters
a new world.
• Examples:
• Luke Skywalker experiences aliens and creatures at
Mos Eisley.
• Mulan pretends to be a boy to enter an all-male
army camp.
TRIALS
• Has a series of trials to challenge him/her and build
moral strength and character.
• Often includes a descent into the underworld, which
can involve an untreatable wound.
• Examples:
• Shrek has to defeat the dragon
to save Fiona.
• Hercules has 12 famous trials
during his journey.
ACHIEVEMENT OF GOAL
• Achieves ultimate goal of journey.
• Goal can be an object, a conceptual task (destroy the Empire
and Death Star), or knowledge or state of being.
RECONCILIATION
WITH A
FATHER-FIGURE
• If there was conflict with
the hero’s father, healing
must occur.
• Examples:
• Simba is reassured by
the starry figure of Mufasa.
• Luke removes Darth Vader’s
mask.
RETURN HOME
• The hero crosses the threshold and returns home,
either willingly or unwillingly.
• Brings new wisdom and cultural values back to the
community.
• Example:
• Simba returns to Pride Rock with moral
leadership to bring the land back to health.